CANADA Vacations Unlimited 1951 (Part 2)
In Part 1, of CANADA Vacations Unlimited magazine looked looked at the first 20-pages of a 50-page magazine produced by the Canadian Government Travel Bureau in 1951 to entice Americans to visit Canada that was devoted to profile its Provinces. Part 2 will summarize how the magazine promoted the "things to see and do" in Canada for tourist. I hope you will find it as enlightening and entertaining as I did.
National Parks
The two-page spread on the National Parks of Canada includes photos of golfing in Banff National Park, trail riding in Riding Mountain National Park, fishing in Fundy National Park, lawn bowling in Prince Edward National Park, alpine meadows in Yoho National Park, Highland Games in Cape Breton National Park and a painter in Jasper National Park.
Taking photos of wildlife at close range seems to be encouraged, “The animals, which have learned man will not harm them within the parks, have become astonishingly tame often approaching humans within a few yards…bighorn sheep allow visitors within camera range.” Yikes!
Canada’s Vacation Highways
A three-page spread promotes “Canada’s 150,000 miles of highways ranging from two-lane, crushed stone country roads to the four-lane, boulevarded super-highway. There is scant danger of being stranded in Canada because of mechanical breakdown. Service stations and repair garages are plentiful and all popular U.S and British automobile makers maintain dealer units and parts depots across Canada.”
Photos include a couple eating at a roadside picnic table by the St. Lawrence River, a mounted police officer chatting with another couple in their red convertible in downtown Montreal and Niagara Falls, the “Honeymoon Haven” as well as Hope-Princeton highway and roads in Rockies and Laurentians, Atlantic inlet, Alaska Highway, St. John River and Gaspe Peninsula.
Fishing
The two-page spread on fishing features images with tags like: “Battling bass from historic streams,” “the battle is over for this Atlantic Salmon,” the fishing’s as exciting as the scenery,” “they grow ‘em big in prairie lakes,” “you can even cast from the highway” and “the morning’s catch sizzling in the pan.”
Canoeing and Camping
Canoeing and camping also gets a two-page spread with photo captions like: “shaving in cold water really isn’t so bad,” “somehow the food seems better outdoors” and my favourite “careful with that axe, Daddy.”
Swim and Relax
Yes, that is the title of a two-page spread about Canada having more than half the world’s fresh water offering visitors “sun-drenched sand, cool breezes and crystal-clear lakes and rivers.” The text ends with “Yes, there’s good reason why, in the season of sweltering heat, thousands of vacationers head north each summer to Canada, land of air-conditioning sunshine.”
I loved the photo of the Saskatchewan beach with a two parents and what looks like five kids with a canoe, inner tube and boat with the caption “small fry enjoying themselves.” But the best one - “cooling one’s heels is fun, this way!” referring to three bikini clad girls sitting on a rock ledge of small water falls dangling their feet in the rushing water alongside a young man ready to jump into the water.
Cruise Time
I never thought of Canada as a major cruise travel destination, but two-pages of the magazine pitch vacation cruising on Ontario’s Muskoka Lakes, speed boating in the Eastern Townships, cruising in Banff National Park, sailing off the coast of British Columbia and an inland steamer in BC. It also notes that Canadian yacht clubs extend a welcome to visiting U.S. yachtsman.
Roughing it in Canada
This two-page spread covers everything from an Alpine Club of Canada hike and rock climbing in the Canadian Rockies to horseback riding and cycling. Did you know that “many Canadian resorts have saddle horses for their guests?”
Scenic Transportation
“By air, by land, by sea” reads the byline with images of “modern buses ply through the Laurentian area of Quebec, a Trans-Canada Air Lines plane wings its way over quiet Ontario countryside, Canada National Steamships vessel at Skagway, CPR train winds through Kicking Horse Pass” as well as cruise steamer on Saguenay River and Canadian Pacific steamer passing below the Lions’ Gate Bridge in Vancouver.”
Golf, Tennis, Winter Sports
One and a half pages are devoted to golf in this four-page section. One photo caption reading “Bing Crosby putts it out on the course at Jasper during the annual Totem Pole Tournament.” Interesting factoids include a reference to “Canada’s northland” where the most northerly golf course in the Western Hemisphere - at Pangnirtung on Baffin Island with eight members and at “Yellowknife the clubhouse is a crashed B-29 aircraft, which proved too difficult to haul out of the wild.”
Skiing is the only winter sport promoted. Skiing in in Canada is described as, “There’s Scandinavian-style skiing in Eastern Canada and the dashing Alpine kind in the West, each with plenty of accommodation comfort close at hand.”
Shrines and Historic Sites
The photo collage that accompanies this two-page feature includes Fort Ste. Marie (Midland, Ontario) restoration, Port Royal Habitation (Nova Scotia), Lower Fort Garry (Winnipeg), Brother Andre’s shrine (Montreal), Christ Church Cathedral (Fredericton), Ste. Anne de Beaupre (Quebec City), Old Fort Henry (Kingston), Fort Lennox Ile au Noix (Quebec), Fort Chambly (Montreal) and St. Andrew’s Church (Lockport, Manitoba).
Shopping
Can you believe shopping warrants only one page and the last page at that! “Part of the thrill of a Canadian vacation is shopping for native handicrafts…so many delightful ‘different’ things in Canadian stores…wood carving, hooked picture rugs, Indian beaded jackets and moccasins. It’s easy to find the Canadian handicrafts on display outside Canadian farms and village homes…and gracing the counters of many tourist courts and villas.”
There is no mention of department stores like Hudson Bay Company and Eaton’s or specialty shops like Birks.
Mother Knows Best!
I emailed a draft of this blog to my Mom (who has lived all 80+ years of her life in Hamilton, Ontario, but who in her later years has visited the capital cities of all the Provinces and Territories except for Iqaluit, Nunavut) for her insights and thoughts on the magazine and my reaction.
Her comments were, “that is exactly what Canada was like in 1951.Toronto was hardly known, Montreal was the only city in Canada with any international awareness….the West was almost unheard of even in Ontario. We did know the Maritimes though. There wasn’t anything on cities because there wasn’t really much to see in the cities then. Hard for you to understand in 1951, we were still an unknown country and Americans did not visit except for the cities along the border – maybe.”
This made me think she is right. I remember her and my Dad telling me stories about how young couple from Hamilton and Southern Ontario headed to Buffalo, not Toronto, if they wanted a fun weekend of dancing and drinking in the late ‘40s and ‘50s.
Last Word
I defer to her for this blog’s Last Word, her email response ended with, “This magazine sure has been an eye opener for you, as it will be for most of your readers.”
If you like this blog, you might like:
CANADA Vacations Unlimited 1951 (Part 2)