From Wayback Wednesday, sponsored by Jamie Lockwood, broker/owner of Sutton Group Muskoka Realty!
Main Street Huntsville looking west.
Can you date this postcard of Huntsville’s Main Street? It looked like a pretty busy place with parking on both sides of the street. (Image: Muskoka Digital Archives).
See more Wayback Wednesday photos here.
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Great comments Allen!
It gives me comfort remembering those fond times that remain in my mind.
I can remember when hoses delivered kiln dried wood more commonly known as kill dry. My brother and l would spend days carrying it into the basement and stacking it to be used as kindling.
I always read your comments and enjoy them.
Keep them coming.
Some of us will remember when the street in that photo was hwy. 11 north. Back to when the town of Huntsville signs announced a population of about 2700. In an era when the swing bridge would over-swing, or for some other reason jam and the entire highway for a mile or so north and south would become a parking lot.
I’m guessing, but the date of the photo might be as late as ’51 or’52 because of the one ‘torpedo back’ vehicle I see there on the bottom right. Monarch, Mercury and Nash made those roll backs, but styled different than the one in the picture. That vehicle I believe is a Chev or Pontiac. Dave Johns may know the year, make and model.
But there in the middle of the street is what may be a horse drawn delivery cart, or the transport of a die hard horse lover. They were still about back then, those horse liveries, and ice was delivered out our way by horse and wagon.
The ice-man used to stop at the spring at the bottom of Carter’s Hill. If I saw him coming, I’d run down and watch as he went down the bank to the spring . The team would stomp and blow, harness and brasses creaking and clattering, impatient for the drink he was bringing in the big horse-pails. They’d plunge their faces in and suck up a whole pail each, then bob their heads and send droplets flying. Then I could hitch a ride to the top of the hill while he made the delivery for our ‘ice-box’.
I can’t remember who did it, but for a good while the sidewalks in town were plowed with horses and a V-plow.
It’s a lot more relaxing writing about the past than commenting on some government stupidity or somebody else’s war. Can’t get past all that too soon for me.
Imagining a world at peace.