• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
Huntsville Doppler

Huntsville Doppler

Read Local

  • Home
    • All Stories
    • Community Guidelines
    • Get in touch
    • Advertise with us!
  • News
  • Community
  • Commentary
    • Letters
  • Business
    • Professionally Speaking
    • Real Estate
  • Sports
  • Obituaries
  • Public Notices
  • Lifestyle
    • Art Fx
    • Contests and Deals
    • Arts, Culture, and Entertainment
    • It’s All Good
    • Wayback Wednesday
  • Events
    • Event Listings
    • Add Your Event
  • Speak Up, Huntsville!
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • South Muskoka
You are here: Home / Lifestyle / Wayback Wednesday / It’s Wayback Wednesday!: Curling at the old arena | Sponsored by Jamie Lockwood, broker/owner of Sutton Group Muskoka Realty

It’s Wayback Wednesday!: Curling at the old arena | Sponsored by Jamie Lockwood, broker/owner of Sutton Group Muskoka Realty

By Doppler Submitted On February 23, 2022 Community, Photos, Wayback Wednesday

Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin
Email this to someone
email
Print this page
Print

It’s Wayback Wednesday, sponsored by Jamie Lockwood, broker/owner of Sutton Group Muskoka Realty!

Photo and details courtesy of Dennis Rolland, Huntsville Curling Club.

Pictured above is the Old Huntsville Memorial Arena in 1946. The arena was the home of the curling club from 1940 to 1947.

The first Huntsville curling club was built in 1900 on property owned by CO Shaw, the club’s patron, at the southeast corner of Centre and Mary streets. It was a large wooden structure, 30’ x 150’, that collapsed from snow load in 1910.

As a result, there would be no curling in Huntsville from 1910 until 1940.

On February 18, 1937, Huntsville was emerging from the Great Depression. After 27 years without curling, Allan White organized a meeting to see how many citizens were interested in curling once again. There was great interest. Over the course of several meetings in the spring of 1937, a board of directors was elected: president Allan T. White, vice president C.A. Booth, secretary George F. Hutcheson, and committee members Leo Rogers, William Stephenson, Dr. J.P. Davies, and Ran Jupp.

In 1937, White, along with the club’s vice president and secretary, were authorized by the members to arrange for “plans and specifications” of a new rink. The group completed the blueprints and plans for construction. Before 1937 ended, members had collected $2,100 towards the cost of building estimated at $4,500. The group secured an “option” with the town to build on the original site of the 1900-1929 curling club situated on the southeast corner of Centre Street and Mary Street.

It was anticipated that the club would have approximately 50 members. There was much excitement. The Huntsville Forester editorial at the time read, “The Organization of a Curling Club in Huntsville will provide citizens with an opportunity to enjoy one of winter’s greatest pastimes.”

For the next four years, the organizing committee worked diligently with the town, without success, to secure a site to erect the new curling rink. 

During this time, the Second World War began in 1939. An opportunity presented itself to both the town and the club. 

With the outbreak of the war, the town’s arena was underutilized. The town invited the curling club to be a shared tenant of the arena, to rent ice time. It was December 4, 1940. The curling club was allotted two time slots on Thursday afternoon and evening at the covered arena. In 1940 the Huntsville Curling Club established themselves as a member of the Ontario Curling Association, 40 years after it was founded in 1900.

In 1940, membership fees were $7.50 if you brought your own stones or $8.50 without your own stones. There were no draws that year. The teams played together for the entire season. As was the custom in 1940, the dinner was served at the expense of losing teams. 

By December 1941, the club had 64 members enrolled.

Then, in 1947, the Department of Northern Development building at 6 Landsdowne, now 6 Veterans Way, was purchased by the members of the day. They converted the building into a two-sheet club. That building burned to the ground in 1951. The current building was built that same year and reopened January 10, 1952. 

Do you have any old photos or stories to share about the curling club? If you do, send them to info@huntsvillecurlingclub.ca or call 705-789-4571 to make other arrangements. 

See more Wayback Wednesday photos here.

Correction: This post has been updated with the correct spelling of George F. Hutcheson.

Don’t miss out on Doppler!

Sign up here to receive our email digest with links to our most recent stories.
Local news in your inbox three times per week!

Click here to support local news

Reader Interactions

2 Comments

  1. Carol Sullivan says

    February 24, 2022 at 1:23 pm

    Thank you Dennis for all the work you put in to document the curling clubs history. There have been some very dedicated people in the past who kept the dream of a curling club for Huntsville alive. There are now people ,with that same dedication , working to keep our club vibrant and modern so that it will survive for another 120 years. Great article .

  2. Rob Julian says

    February 27, 2022 at 4:40 pm

    I read Dennis’ article with a great deal of interest. I am a grandson of George F. Hutcheson who was, as Dennis mentioned, one of the original Board members of the curling club in 1937. I would just like to point out the error in the spelling of my grandfather’s last name.

    It should read George F. Hutcheson rather than Hutchinson. Grandpa would have simply shrugged this off as everyone in the Town knew him as George and that was all that mattered. If this could be corrected for the record, that would be great.

Join the discussion:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All comments are moderated. Please ensure you include both your first and last name and abide by our community guidelines. Submissions that do not include the commenter's full name or that do not abide by our community guidelines will not be published.

Primary Sidebar

  • Recent Stories
  • Popular
  • July 15, 2022 31

    Councillor responds to criticism of Kent Park redesign

  • July 16, 2022 15

    It is time to call for the Town of Huntsville to convene a public forum on short-term rental accommodations | Commentary

  • July 26, 2022 14

    Huntsville BIA to purchase three umbrellas for Kent Park

  • August 1, 2022 13

    Consultant delivers Huntsville’s new brand

  • July 27, 2022 12

    Council told there are about 1,700 people without a family doctor in Huntsville and that number is growing

  • August 12, 2022 0

    Facetime threats lead to drug bust

  • August 12, 2022 0

    Residents donate classic car to Hospice Huntsville and Huntsville Hospital Foundation

  • August 12, 2022 0

    Swim advisory for Dwight Beach has been lifted but there is a swim advisory for Port Sydney Beach

  • August 12, 2022 0

    Huntsville man charged with weapons offences

  • August 12, 2022 0

    How are we doing in our contributions to mitigate climate change? | Commentary

  • A Sponsored Profile (347)
  • Advertise (1)
  • Around Muskoka (3)
  • Art Fx (48)
  • Breaking (36)

Footer

About Doppler

Established in 2015 by a bunch of local news hounds, Doppler strives to be the go-to source for people wanting to know more about what is going on in Huntsville and the surrounding community.

We strive to provide local news that is relevant and timely. We also look to tell local stories that inspire, inform and engage.

Notice the persistent use of the word local? Our mantra is local. From features on local people doing extraordinary things, to local business spotlights, news and sports coverage, all supplemented by provocative opinion pieces on topics near and far, we are working hard for you.

Feel free to drop us a line at huntsville@doppleronline.ca and tell us how we are doing, what you would like to see more of, or to just say ‘Hi’.

Thank you for reading Doppler.

Huntsville Doppler – READ LOCAL
A division of C3 Digital Media Group Inc.

Recent Comments

  • Thomas R Spivak on Speak Up, Huntsville!
  • Brenda Begg on Visits to Huntsville Hospital’s ICU suspended
  • Jay Johnston on HHS graduate gets his doctorate in astrophysics
  • Kathryn Henderson on Speak Up, Huntsville!
  • Ron Nairn on HHS graduate gets his doctorate in astrophysics
  • John Rivière-Anderson on HHS graduate gets his doctorate in astrophysics
  • Ralph Cliffe on Visits to Huntsville Hospital’s ICU suspended
  • Martin Mann on Kiwanis raises funds and food for members of the community in need through the Salvation Army

Copyright © 2022 ·Doppler Online, a division of C3 Digital Media Group Inc. · Log in
  • About
  • Support Local News
  • Community Guidelines
  • Advertise with us!
  • Contact