Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Verdun Gardens

Who remembers the Gardens in-between Beurling and Champlain, at the foot of Allard? Way before VCHS was built. My mother rented so many square feet from the city and planted vegetables and flowers and nourish them until it was time to harvest them. Needless to say kids will be kids and you could guess the rest. Do you remember them and did you ever visit that space when you were a kid? Your secret will be safe with me. Pauline

History of Flooding in Verdun

I have grouped together in Album no. 47 the photos (4) on the floods wich occurred in Verdun at the turn of the 19th century. I also included a map showing the dike built to prevent the floods. More photos are sure to turn up wich I will add to the Album.

Guy

ARCHIVES SHGV - BANQ

 

Monday, March 30, 2009

HOW DO VERDUNITES FEEL BEING PART OF MONTREAL?

Since Verdun was made part of Montreal, do Verdunites feel the change was for the good or the bad, now that many years have passed?  What is the biggest difference its made to Verdun life on a regular basis?  Did it destroy the proud allegiance residents felt for the area, or has that continued despite being part of Montreal?  I've noted that Westmount has parted ways with Montreal and are now a separate city...has Verdun considered following suit?  It would be nice to hear from some longtime Verdun residents who could let us all know how the change over time has affected our beloved Verdun....Diane 

British in Verdun

Yearly Carnival in Verdun

Does anyone remember the Carnival that would come to Verdun  once a year, I believe parking itself around the Verdun Auditorium.  This was around the early 70s and alot of fun for  the Verdun folks.

Verdun Floods Early 1900s

Floods are in the news these days with the Red River overflowing both in Canada and the U.S. but how many Verdunites are aware that floods were a common occurrance in the beginning of the 20th century as demonstrates these La Presse photos dated the 1st of April 1913. Luckily the problem was eventually solved by making a dike along the river wich became the Boardwalk.

Guy

Fox Hunting in Verdun

This old drawing wich no doubt dates from the 1800s shows a Fox hunt in Verdun. The text says: The meet of the Montreal Fox-Hounds at Verdun Lower Lachine Road (LaSalle Blvd). Hard to believe that such hunting went on in Verdun's history.

Guy

E.Z. Massicotte collection  (BANQ)

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Dow Planetarium

History of the Montréal Planetarium

The Montréal Planetarium — formerly known as the Dow Planetarium — was inaugurated on April 1, 1966 by Mr. Jean Drapeau, who was Montréal’s mayor at the time. This event marked the culmination of more than three years of planning and hard work by Dr. Pierre Gendron, who was past professor of chemistry and founding Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Ottawa, and an avid amateur astronomer. At the time, Dr. Gendron was also president of the board of directors of Dow Breweries, which later became O’Keefe Breweries (since then absorbed by Molson Breweries). It was through his impetus that Dow Breweries decided to endow Montréal with a world class planetarium, add to the city’s touristic appeal, and to the Montréal Universal and International Exposition of 1967, Expo 67. 

Plans for the Planetarium were developed by the architectural firm of David-Barott-Boulva. The innovative design echoed an astronomical theme, evidenced by the exterior of the dome which resembles Saturn surrounded by its rings. The Planetarium was built at a cost of 1.2 million dollars and located on Chaboillez Square which once served as a parking area. In February 1966, the building and its projection equipment were ready as several lecturers busily prepared for the inaugural show, "New Skies for a New City" which premiered on April 4, 1966.

Since opening day, the Planetarium has produced more than 250 shows, attended by nearly six million spectators; and 50 lecturers have given more than 58,000 presentations in the Star-Theatre.

Today, as yesterday, the Planetarium continues to disseminate scientific and astronomical information to the public

 

...visit the Planetariums homepage at this link:

  http://www.planetarium.montreal.qc.ca/Planetarium/historique_a.html

                                                      ..HF&RV

Friday, March 27, 2009

Dr Norman Bethune

Les,

This is the book by Roderick Stewart wich I read and wich shows on page 71 the reference to the YMCA. We have 3 versions of this book by the same author in our local library including 1 copy in french and it is only in the enclosed english  version that it is mentioned that he had a clinic at the YMCA in Verdun in the mdi 30s  so it is obvious that it is considered a minor incident in his life by the publishers.

We have 2 researchers from the city of Montreal looking in the old newspapers at our society (SHVG) looking for more details about the YMCA clinic and Dr Norman Bethune's involvment. This is for the Dr Norman Bethune display at the Museum at Youville square and wich have a grand opening ceremony this summer where very important people including the Chinese delegate will be invited. As a matter a fact, our society is invited and I intend to be present. Our contribution includes the photos as well as other information I found in our archives. I have asked that our involment be displayed and I was assured that our society we will be mentioned.

Dr Norman Bethune was surgeon in chief at the Hôpital Sacré Coeur in Cartierville at the beginning of the 30s and has a wing named after him and a prominent display in the hospitals library and some surgical instruments he used while there. My wife is treated at that hospital wich is only 10 minutes from my home and I will be going there with her in a couple of weeks and I will visit that section and take photos if I am permitted.

Guy

 

YMCA - Gordon Ave.

Here is another photo I found in a 1954 Guardian from our archives (SHGV). We are doing research on Dr Norman Bethune and he apparently had a clinic there on saturdays in the middle 30s and we are looking for evidence of this. There is only a short sentence in the book by Roderick Stewart to that effect and this is the only mention we have found so far. Any help would be welcome.

Guy

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Hmmmmmm.What Are the Chances ?

........nothing to say,.......must be a new thing,...............hahahahaha    Here's DannyB from Sept '03               Yikes !! 

Blog Entry Loss for words. Sep 11, '03 10:59 PM
by dannyb-- for everyone

Hi everybody,  It has been a while since there has been no activity
here on connections all day long. I had nothing to read. Played with my new web cam all day. I think someone has to come up with a new subject to keep us all going. Imagine people from Verdun with nothing to say. Sounds weird doesn't it.  Dannyb--
                                                                             HF&RV

The More things Change ,the more they remain the Same

Seems we always have some sort of issue with the service provider ,regardless of format,......even back in the early days ,we had issues with MSN,.disappearing pictures, posts, mesgs arriving days after posting ,....hahahahahaha  and all this we get for Free !!

    Here's a copy of an old message from Sharon : Sept 02,2003

Blog Entry Is it just me.... Sep 2, '03 9:56 AM
by sharon_starr for everyone

At the risk of soundy picky (but I'm not really!) is it just me or does anyone else here find that the way MSN has formatted the way you retrieve new messages here sucks the big one or what? I mean, you can get around it by posting a "new discussion" but then you don't have a link to go to the message that was being replied to, know what I mean? I run 2 or 3 groups in Yahoo and I find that the way the group messages are formatted there are much more efficient, no offense.
Ever think about trying one in Yahoo?
Then again, maybe it's just cuz I am more accustomed to the workings of Yahoo groups....I don't know. What do ya think?
Luv, Sharon
                                              Have Fun & Remember Verdun

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Another old message: Still relavent today,.....

Rather than bring the other topic to the top, I thought I'd post this response that DannyB posted in relation to his Thread,........just so it shows better upfront,.. ( that's what I did like about the other MSN site's format, every response seamed to be featured in the same size as the Thread's Topic,......and seemed to be easier to read,....of course now ,we have to get used to clicking on the 'comment' section to see what the response have been,.....(that seems to be the format of choice that blog type boards provide, I did write to Multiply at one time suggesting a possible change ,but haven't heard back from them yet,..glad to see they inherited some of MSN's response characteristics........hahahaha

Here's the old message from Danny B: from June 28th,2003             hf&rv

-- wrote on Jun 28, '03
Hey Bear,
              I totally agree that the managers have the final say. All we are doing is giving our opinion.And like any opinion there will be people that agree with you and people who will not. This is a great group and it will become even better as the word spreads to other people.As far as groups go this is the only one that I have ever seen that got my interest.I can thank alan archi. for that, he and I were very good friends and lost touch with each other about 27 or 28 years ago and he contacted me through classmates earlier this year.And since I came on connections I have been in contact with other people from my past like LesF,Harley,bettyloo,AnnM,and yourself Bear, and I don't know if I would have bothered if I had to apply.This site is about people with connections to verdun and surrounding area.Lets keep it easy and uncomplicated and make connections.  Dannyb--
       

Magic Tom

Les,

Here is a photo of Magic Tom wich I posted on the old site. Thomas Rochford Auburn was raised in Verdun and attended St Willibrord school.

Guy

Remember Maislin's Trucking (may have to scroll a bit)

 

Maislin's was a fairly large trucking outfit ,for many years in Ville Lasalle on Newman Blvd,.......remember that end of Newman which seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere,......and across the street from Maislin's was a little house style bar,....and one of the guys from Verdun ran a motorcycle shop or body shop near there too,.I can't recall his name now,but I'm sure one of you do Remember it.

In anycase here's some old Maislin Photo's ,.    checkout Hank's Truck Pictures for more trucks etc etc ,.or the Diesel Gypsy.............                    HF&RV

 

In 1945, four Canadian brothers borrowed a thousand dollars to make a down payment on a used truck. From these modest beginnings, operating from their mother's kitchen, they launched a local cartage service.

The original group was later joined by three more brothers and a brother-in-law. Together, they transformed the modest initial investment into one of the largest trucking companies in North America: Maislin Transport.

During the early years, Maislin operated from two locations: Montreal and New York. The primary commodities transported were fish from Canada to the United States and fruit from the United States to Canada.

During the next ten years, the company was incorporated and grew rapidly; opening offices in Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Champlain, New York as well as in Toronto, Ontario with Montreal serving as the base of operations. In time, the company expanded its operations in Ontario, Quebec, New England, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia.

The Maislin name on trucks became synonymous with fast, safe and dependable service covering a wide area in the United States and Canada.

In late 1972, Maislin Transport became a public corporation trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the Montreal Stock Exchange (now known as the Montreal Exchange) as part of the Maislin Industries Limited Group.

Although the economy was experiencing a downturn in the late 70s, a time when most trucking companies suffered losses, Maislin was running a profitable operation and so the decision was made to purchase Gateway and Quinn Motor Freight, two transport companies, for strategic purposes.
During that same period the United States and Canadian governments deregulated the transport industry. The combined effects of deregulation and recession in North America, including stagflation, with 18% interest rates, forced Maislin to close its doors in 1982.

In 1984, Morrie Maislin, a veteran of the transport industry and his brother Alan, began Maisliner Transport. Maisliner operated a small terminal in LaSalle, Quebec and formed a strategic alliance with a company in New York. As sales increased, Maisliner formed another alliance with a company in New England with the goal of providing 24 to 48 hours service to existing clients. In time, Maisliner also opened a California to Canada direct service.

At present, Maisliner runs with its own equipment between Montreal and NY/NJ, New England, Los Angeles, the Carolinas, and Georgia. For all other points, we work in conjunction with our interline partners to offer complete North American coverage.

To complement our ground service, we have added a logistics division that offers worldwide ocean and airfreight services as well as a cross-border division that offers small parcel service, warehouse and distribution to and from the United States.

 

maislinerlogo

http://www.maisliner.com/history.html              Maislin still maintains a website,I didn't know this,........ 

Earthquakes where you live?

Here's an interactive map,where you can checkout your part of the world,.....Earthquakes are 'not' a rare occurence,.......but Common Sense is,...hahahah

.this map is only a photo, you have to use the link to make it work,  Cheers!!

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/ 

World Recent Earthquake Map

Earthquakes in Canada (the last 30days)

Here's a map of Canada ,showing the earthquakes we've had in the last 30 days.....

........So nothing to really worry about,...but checkout Vancouver Island,.you can't even see it...................hahahahahaha   Wanna buy a house  ?      lol        HF&RV

         here's the link: you can enlarge the map, or narrow down the area etc etc :

http://earthquakescanada.nrcan.gc.ca/recent_eq/maps/index_e.php?maptype=30d&tpl_region=canada

Auditorium

Here are some photos I took on the 22nd of Septembre 2007 of the Auditorium and the Denis Savard Arena on the left..

Guy

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Will Create 'Dust' ...no foolin , thanks for the News Flash

Here's a genius revelation,.......Demolishing the Turcot Interchange area,will create dust.say it isn't so Sherlock, here's some news from the CJAD site:

Turcot contruction project will bring noise, dust and expropriation to surrounding neighbourhoods.

Tue, 2009-03-24 15:41.
Angelica Montgomery

About 50 properties, including nearly 200 apartment suites will be expropriated around the interchange.
 The bureau for public consultation says the province is trying to find a way to keep an affordable housing unit in the area.

The environmental impact study released today also says demolition will go on at night "which is susceptible to altering residents' quality of life."

Even once the interchange is complete, it will have a lasting effect on some neighbourhood streets.
According to the report, "the rearrangement of the Turcot interchange onto local streets has highlighted several problems."  
However, the report says the construction will greatly reduce the threat that would be posed by an earthquake, and would benefit the economy.

.....and all of a suddent ,they are concerned about Earthquakes......hahahahaha Did this thought just pop up,..but not in the last 45 years.............

Upper Lachine Road 1904

Here is a 1904 photo of the Upper Lachine road heading west towards Ville St Pierre. Oddly enough, the road still retains its original name as opposed to the Lower Lachine  road wich became LaSalle Blvd. I have also included a currant map showing the road in the middle towards the top for those who have forgotten where the road is situated. Unfortunately I don't have a currant photo. Notice the abundance of trees, the dirt road, the horse drawn carriages,and the wooden sidewalk. We certainly made progess in the last 100 years, haven't we !

Guy

Archives SHGV

Monday, March 23, 2009

Arena Makeover

Looks like some arenas are getting some work done to them,.it does mention Verdun,but I wonder if it's the Auditorium ? Personally I'd like them to remove that 'crap facade' on the Auditorium now,.and return it to it's original look,they've only plastered siding over the old brick building ,which looked pretty good, IMHO.   I think the stuff they did cover it with was an attempt (albeit a poor one) to 'modernize' the exterior,way back when (70's I guess?)

Montreal plows ahead with arena renovations

 

 
Though the federal and provincial governments have yet to come on board, the city of Montreal is moving ahead with plans to upgrade the refrigeration in 15 arenas.

The city is hoping Ottawa and Quebec will contribute two-thirds of the projected $89.5-million cost of broader renovations in 15 arenas.

Still, the executive committee last week approved spending of $1.6 million for renovation plans and blueprints in eight of the arenas most in need of better refrigeration for ice rinks.

The arenas are: Camilien Houde (Ville Marie), Howie Morenz (Villeray-St. Michel-Park Extension), Ahuntsic (Ahuntsic-Cartierville), Père Marquette (Rosemont-La petite Patrie), Doug Harvey (Côte des Neiges-Notre Dame de Grâce), Mont Royal (Plateau Mont Royal), Verdun (Verdun) and Martin Brodeur (St. Léonard).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...................Do these seats look 'Aud' to you,...........hahahahaha certainly don't look compfortable for a 3 hr hockey game, but there we sat watching the Verdun Maple Leafs,.( the only Maple Leafs I ever liked,.....).......................HF&RV

The Habs

Les

Just heard that maybe the The Habs are up for sale. BMO been appointed to study all of holdings by G.Gillette. see what he can do and sell...got any spare coin around? Maybe if we all pool our money......

 

Congoleum (ST PatrickSt)

From the McGill pages of buildings etc etc.......here's a few shots of a company called 'Congoleum' ..........Diane 's Dad was the Foreman here,......   here's the link

http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/industrial/search.php

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps.........................have fun & remember verdun

Industrial Architecture Montreal

 

 

SEARCH

RESULTS:
1 records were found.

Building Name: Congoleum Canada Ltd.
Street: 3700, rue St-Patrick
Architect: (unknown)

Congoleum (ST PatrickSt)

From the McGill pages of buildings etc etc.......here's a few shots of a company called 'Congoleum' ..........Diane 's Dad was the Foreman here,......   here's the link

http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/industrial/search.php

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps.........................have fun & remember verdun

Industrial Architecture Montreal

 

 

SEARCH

RESULTS:
1 records were found.

Building Name: Congoleum Canada Ltd.
Street: 3700, rue St-Patrick
Architect: (unknown)