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.
In the early 1900s, horse racing on ice was a popular event at winter carnivals in Canada. Each winter, a racing circuit with a purse for the winners was held at Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City as well as smaller towns in between.
Horsemen from all over Ontario and the northern states would travel from carnival to carnival, hoping to pick up some Canadian money. Ice would be cleared and scraped in a circular route.
Harness racing on ice is similar to regular horse racing of this type, with the addition of ice and snow. Horses are harnessed and pull a “sulky”; a light two-wheeled vehicle for one person, who tries to overtake their rivals in a circular route.
People were encouraged to bet on their favourite trotter. The excitement and daring of racing on ice attracted many spectators including this large crowd seen on Orillia’s waterfront, circa 1920.
