PIONEER DAYS – ERIE PARK: SUMMER FUN IN THE 1880’S

By Robert J. Foley

[Regional Shopping News, 28 March 1990]

One of the problems faced by the Welland canal in the latter half of the nineteenth century was the rapid advance in ship design allowing them to carry larger payloads. By the late 1850’s the ships became too deeply drafted to enter the locks. The problem was temporarily solved by building the Welland Railway which would off load the ships making them lighter and then reloading them at the other end. Railroads became an important mode of transportation in the Peninsula.

One of the major companies involved was the Grand Trunk Railway Company. They ran two round trips every week from Port Dalhousie to Port Colborne on the Welland line with stops at all the towns in between. Always on the lookout for ways to turn a profit, the Grand Trunk developed Erie Park on a stretch of beach immediately east of the harbour in Port Colborne.

Erie Park was ideal for family picnics for its beautiful sandy beaches were protected from the treacherous undertow by the harbour piers. It quickly became a favourite destination for people along the Welland line.

During the summertime the railway gave special picnic rates every Tuesday and Friday. The return fare from Welland was 25 cents for adults and 15 cents for children. Sunday schools and other groups would normally book their outings for other days of the week. The park was a busy place as even people from Port Dalhousie and St. Catharines preferred the sandy beaches of Lake Erie to the rocky shores of Lake Ontario.

At the north end of the park was a long pavilion for large groups with a smaller circular pavilion situated on a knoll. Individual family shelters were scattered throughout the grounds and all were furnished with tables and benches for the convenience of picnickers.

The train ran right to the park which was equipped with a platform near the gates. On picnic days there would be two or three extra cars put on to accommodate the families heading for a day of fun. Getting a good seat on the crowed train and a table in the park was all part of planning picnic day. It was the job of the fleet footed youngsters to jump off the train and race to claim a stake on their favourite picnic spot leaving the rest of the family to follow loaded down with food baskets and the like.

The passenger coaches of the day were all an open platform type and the shouts of the conductor and brakeman trying to keep youngsters from jumping on and off the train while it was still moving was a familiar sound on these occasions. Needless to say trainmen did not enjoy picnic days.

Once the picnic was finished and everyone was tired of swimming and playing it was time to take the ferry from the park to the west bank of the canal which left one in the business section of Port Colborne. The ferry, which was a punt, has a capacity of ten and was propelled by one man standing in the stern with a long sweep which he moved from side to side in the water turning it diagonally at each stroke. The picnickers found the skill of the ferryman fascinating and many children went back and forth just for the ride.

Charlie Hart was the proprietor of an ice cream parlour on West Street in those days and a trip to Erie Park was not complete without a dish of Charlie’s famous ice cream served by his charming and beautiful daughters.

Many a youngster sat and watched the boats clearing and entering the canal and perhaps dreaming of pirates and adventure which surely must be the life of every sailor.

After an activity-filled day the family would round up its far flung members and trudge back to the platform to catch the train home. The return trip was a little easier on the train crew as most of the nimble feet had been left behind on the sands of Erie Park leaving aching ones that could barely step one in front of the other in their place.

Despite sunburn, weary limbs, scrapes and bruises the kids would all perk up just a little at the mention of the next picnic day at Erie Park.