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Vandals have often targeted the Champlain Monument

This week's trip down Memory Lane reflects on 1935 incident at famed Orillia monument
2018-09-22 33 Champlain Monument 1931.jpg
Vandals have struck the Champlain Monument, shown here in 1931, multiple times.

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.You can take a trip down memory lane with us each Saturday morning!

This postcard of the Champlain Monument, dated 1931, shows a wonderful patriotic “our flag” flower bed in the foreground, likely designed by Mr. Whitten who was the parks superintendent at that time.  

The 2006 theft of Champlain’s sword and face painting is not the first acts of vandalism reported since the monument was erected in 1925.  

On June 27,1935, The Packet reported:   

Two contemptible vandals, who presumably hailed from Toronto, have recently scratched the names “Wilf” and “Harry” “June1935” on the back of one of the Indians in the “Commerce” group of the Champlain monument. 

Orillians will deeply resent this desecration of the art treasure of which they are so proud. Other visitors (it is impossible to think that any Orillian would be guilty of such sacrilege) have scratched initials on the bronze.  

If this continues it will be necessary to put an iron fence round the monument, something the committee has been most reluctant to have done. Meantime, all loyal Orillians are asked to join in protecting the monument from the destructive tendencies of ill-balanced individuals. 


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