DOES ANYBODY KNOW WHY THE OLD STONE HOUSE WAS BUILT IN CRAWFORDPARK..AND WAS ANYONE AROUND IN THE DAYS WHEN YOU COULD SWIM IN THE ST.LAWRENCE RIVER,.I USE TO SWIM IN THERE. MY SISTERS ( 7 OF THEM ) USE TO SWIM THERE TO.
JOHN TAYLOR
THANKS for stopping by, I do my best to acknowledge when someone leaves a comment,you do not have to be a member here & everyone is welcome. Ps: This site is monitored but not actively posting on a regular basis. Mostly these are stories & some photos saved from a defunct site known as Verdun Connections which was on MSN Groups initially then on a social network called Multiply.
17 comments:
John, Could you be more specific. What time period are you referreing to. Are you referring to the Saint Dizier House on LaSalle Blvd facing Lloyd George. I posted several articles on this house recently. As far as swimming in the St Lawrence river, I go back to the 40s and 50s and yes we used to swim in the river but it was a dangerous thing to do. One of my friends almost drowned as we where trying out a kayak we had built. We tipped over and my friend Robert who could not swim was drowning but luckily my brother in law saved him while I swam after the kayak and brought it back to the rivers edge. The currant is fast and the water too deep for swimming on the Verdun side of the river. The best place for swimming was over at Nun's island where there was little currant and the water was not deep and there where several swimming holes on the river's edge. Guy
John, You might remember Kenny Kotar from Foch street. He had a boat and we used to water ski behind the Auditorium. There were times you had to swim. Before the seaway we swam from the old ferry pier in Caghnawagna in the early fifties. We used to swim into the current and grab the train bridge. We could climb the bridge and walk back to the reserve. Ed
Re swimming on Verdun side of the river, Leblanc wharf at the foot of Second Avenue was a favorite spot to dive off the peak of the wharf & swim upstream against the current. Also did a lot of swimmong from the rock pile (small island) in front of the VYC, and drift or swim to Leblanc's. Gordo
Hi John. I don't know if you remember the Pedder family on Foch Cres. First there was Claire, then Frank, and myself Joyce. We use to call it the Old Stone house also, and spent many evenings there with family's around the Park watching movies. Wasn't it a great time to grow up, when everyone in the Park new each other. Today, you can live next door to someone and not know them. Hope to hear from you. Joyce
Hi Joyce: Paul remembers the old stone house too. His youth group held teen dances there for awhile. He said one of the boys was hanging out one of the upstairs windows and fell out. I don't know the reason for there 'expulsion' lol, from the old house, but eventually the dances were held at the Y on Lasalle Blvd. I went to a wedding reception there when I was very young. Dianne
Is this the old stone house you are talkibng about.It seems pretty small to hold a dance. Guy
Hello Guy: If that is the stone house on LaSalle Blvd in the crawford Park area, then it was the one and same. These dances were for teen agers put on by the youth group that my husband and his friend Brian ran and Ed Brown was one of the adult chaperones although he couldn't have been too much older than some of the teens. Dianne
The reason we left St. Dizier was the opposition of the Crawford Park Legion. Bryce Mackasey, the alderman at that time, made arrangements for the CPYA (Crawford Park Youth Association) headed by Paul Nowlan and Brian Connolly to share alternate nights with the Legionaires. The group had been meeting in All Saints Church previously but was forced out when Reverend Vokey found out they were not all Anglicans. Unfortunately the Legion people coming in on CPYA nights were opening the bar and creating an atmosphere that made the teens uncomfortable. Through the auspices of Jack Hopkins, Y branch Executive Secretary the group moved into the Y and continued another ten years. Incidentally, the Dizier house was originally built as a stopover for the fur traders who portaged from there to Lachine. Most took the more direct route along where the canal is now. Others felt that carrying the canoes from Crawford to Lachine was less Dangerous. If attacked by Indians they could put the canoes in the water. Ed Ed
Diane, I love you. To say that I was not much older than the teens. Strangely enough I still feel that way. Actually it was ten years difference but of course I looked very young. Me 'n Dick Clark. Ed
Hi We swam almost daily in St Lawrence River during the 1930/1940's Torchy Warf in Verdun. Flat Rock Crawford Park great for young children very shallow Power House, 9th. Ave. Lasalle, the most popular loacation.Even had a pop corn hot dog wagon. but Govt. people would come by ocaasionaly and ask everyone to leave, reason poluted, due to a main sewer pipe also located in front of power house. Had a fishing outfitter also, renting boats & selling bait, Called Eddy's, He was forced to move to in front of 1 st. Ave. Lasalle, by the City. Also operated a hotdog/hamburger restaurant this location. When we got older, moved to the deep side of powerhouse . MUSCLE BEACH very popular. even had a lot of turnout after supper, and sometimes we swam across to the island bordering rapids Ron Larman
HI I WAS REFERRING TO THE OLD STONE HOUSE AS WE CALLED IT ON LASALLE AND LOYD GEORGE IN THE 50'S.....I USE TO SWIM AT AT THE BOTTOM OF CLEMENCEAU STREET WHICH WAS FAIRLY SAFE. A FRIEND OF MINE NAMED CLIFFORD DID DROWN OUT IN THE RAPIDS THO.PEOPLE USE TO SHUTE THE RAPIDS WHICH I ALWAYS THOUGHT WAS DANGEROUS. JOHN TAYLOR
HI GUY I SHOULD HAVE READ ALL THE MESSAGE BEFORE REPLYING...VERY VERY NICE PICTURE OF THE OLD STONE HOUSE..I HAD A LOT OF GOOD TIMES THERE AND MET MANY FRIENDS.I ALSO JOINED THE LEGION THERE..YOUR MESSAGES ARE VERY INTERESTING..KEEP IT UP JOHN TAYLOR
VERY INTERESTING, IF WE COULD ONLY GO BACK IN TIME TO LOOK... JOHN
HA STRANGE, I WAS DEBATING WITH MY SISTER ON THE NAME OF THE AREA OF ST. LARENCE RIVER ON CLEMENCEAU STREET..GUESS SHE WAS RIGHT....FLAT ROCK....NAME OF MUSCLE BEACH BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES TO..WERE WE NOT ABLE TO WALK ACROSS THE PART OF THE RIVER TO AN ISLAND ON TOP OF THE POWER HOUSE ???? NOT SURE JOHN
yes... i do remember kenny kotar, think he had a brother bob..or john.what ever became of kenny..matter of fact , it was him or clifford bradley that save my life from drowning. john
Hi John, Was the Clifford you refer to as having drowned in the rapids Clifford Bradley? You jogged my memory about that incident - I went to Riverview School with Clifford Bradley. I remember that there were a number of guys that were dare devils and would shoot the rapids. I don't think Clifford was ever recovered from the water. I believe he used to hang out with a guy by the name of Gary Laybourn. It seems to me that Gary might have perished with Clifford. Some of the names I remember from Crawford, Billy Cairns, Billy Penniston and Mike Stevens. I played football at Q. E. Park - Black & Gold. Great memories. Gary Mace
Arbutus: My cousin Pete StAmour played for the Black and Gold team back in the early 60's. I went to quite a few of the games, they were a good team! Dianne
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