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Railway stop made Port Stanton gateway to Sparrow Lake, resorts

During the weekends in the summer months, hundreds of tourists would come and go from this little station in the early 1900s
238 Sparrow Lake CNO Landing (1)
Close to 36 men, women and children can be seen on the railway platform or on the wooden walkway to the resort while several suitcases and 10 or more heavy wooden trunks are waiting to be sorted at the Sparrow Lake Station railway platform, circa 1910.

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.

This postcard provides an early view of the Canadian Northern Ontario Railway's Sparrow Lake Station railway platform at Port Stanton. The building in the centre background is Stanton Brothers Store, later Martins Store. 

In 1906, the Canadian Northern Ontario Railway completed its route from Toronto to Parry Sound and the Sparrow Lake Station was built close to the lake. Previous to this, summer passengers were transported by steamer from the Grand Trunk Station in Severn Bridge.

With the new station and a post office being opened at Stanton Bros. Store, Port Stanton became the gateway to Sparrow Lake and a service centre for up to 16 resorts in the area.

During the weekends in the summer months, hundreds of tourists would come and go from this little station.

Summer tourists did not travel lightly in those days. Close to 36 men, women and children can be seen on the railway platform or on the wooden walkway to the resort while several suitcases and 10 or more heavy wooden trunks are waiting to be sorted.


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