Postcard Memories is a weekly series of historic postcard views and photos submitted by Marcel Rousseau.
Some were previously published by the Orillia Museum of Art and History and in the book Postcard Memories Orillia.
Established in 1890, the Ross Boat Shop was owned by J.H. Ross who was one of the first boat builders on Orillia’s waterfront.
He began making canoes, sailboats and skiffs in a shed just north of the dock at the bottom of the village’s main street. He soon replaced the original shed with a large workshop and took on several employees to meet the demand for his expanding line of well-crafted boats.
In addition to building watercraft, he also rented out canoes and rowboats by the day or week.
In early 1964 a fire destroyed the aging building, ending a renowned career of boat building on Lake Couchiching.
