The Walleye Magazine

■ 100 Waverley Park

Marking 150 Years

By Laurie Abthorpe

Hugh Wilson was dispatched by the provincial government in 1870 to complete a series of surveys in the Lakehead region. In 1871 he laid out the official town plot of Prince Arthur’s Landing, later to become Port Arthur. Within this survey, Wilson designated a portion of land known as “Reserve C,” an oval shaped lot inadvertently created during the construction of the Dawson Trail, as parkland—specifically “Waverly Park” as it was originally spelled. This designation of parkland shows Wilson’s foresight towards citizens’ need for access to natural recreational land, and this centralized location was ideal. Concerted efforts in the formation of Public Parks in Canada actually began years later, around 1880, and Ontario’s passing of An Act to Provide For the Establishment And Maintenance Of Public Parks In Cities and Towns did not take place until 1883.

Waverley Park, 150 years ago,

was described as being a bare dirt lot. Early use of the land was focused mainly on recreational sports, mostly cricket. It was through the Thunder Bay Cricket Club, authorized by council, that improvements to the ground were first made in 1882. Activity use then grew, with baseball games and foot races also taking place, which in turn grew public support for additional improvements.

After surviving a public vote in 1884 on whether to retain the park or grant its use for the construction of a hotel, some land was expropriated. The eastern and western edges were set aside for the eventual construction of Central School and Port Arthur High School (later replaced by Port Arthur Collegiate Institute). With park support high, the Town of Port Arthur hired local land contractor Julius Somers to fence, draw, and grade the land in 1886. The following spring 100 trees, donated by Arthur Harvey of Toronto, were

planted and fencing of the park was completed.

In 1906, work on the grounds was needed once again, but this time it also raised the issue of ownership. The work was approved by council, and spurred Port Arthur to secure the patent from the Crown Lands Department. Papers promising the patent were received in 1907 with the official patent arriving in 1912.

Eyes turned to Waverley Park as the ideal site for Port Arthur City Hall as well as a Carnegie funded public library in the early 1900s. However, in 1910 public concern for the park was put to rest by the Board of Parks, which plainly stated that no buildings could be constructed on the property. That settled, beautifications including new walkways and flower beds went on to be laid out that summer.

The first of many permanent features in Waverley Park was constructed in 1911 as a tourism initiative. A lookout designed by Canada’s first landscape architect, Frederick G. Todd, was built, overlooking the park and Port Arthur down to the waters of Lake Superior below. In 1925, with funds raised by the Women’s Canadian Club of Port Arthur, the Waverley Park Cenotaph was erected in honour of those lost in the Great War. This monument, a community gathering place on Remembrance Day, also honours those lost in World War II and the Korean War. Military commemorations found elsewhere in Waverley Park include the Provincial Plaque recognizing Port Arthur’s Colonel Elizabeth Smellie, the first woman to achieve the rank of Colonel in the Canadian Army, as well as the monument honouring three Thunder Bay soldiers lost during the NATO campaign in Afghanistan.

At the centre of Waverley Park is the Hogarth Fountain. Dedicated in 1965, the 1790-era neoclassical-inspired fountain from England, donated by Mrs. Hogarth, was installed as a lasting memorial to her husband, decorated officer and long-time MPP for the Port Arthur riding, Major-General Donald McDonald Hogarth.

More recently added to Waverley Park is the Victorian-inspired pavilion. Spearheaded by The Coalition for Waverley Park, the pavilion was completed in 2018. Built upon the foundation of the former 1979 bandshell, this new gathering and performance space carries forward the tradition of hosting concerts and cultural activities.

As the second oldest municipal park in Ontario and the first for Thunder Bay, Waverley Park, at 150 years old, has matured gracefully in its historical significance and cultural value alongside its beautiful landscape.

Laurie Abthorpe is the heritage researcher for the Heritage Advisory Committee, which advises City Council on the conservation of heritage buildings, sites, and resources, and their integration into development. For more information on the city’s heritage resources, visit thunderbay.ca/en/city-hall/heritage-in-thunder-bay.aspx.

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2021-11-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-11-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

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