I just read an history book on Verdun published in 1942 that mentions that the boardwalk was made of asphalt so now we know what is was made of at that time so it was made before that date. My feeling is that it was asphalted a year or two shortly before namely 1940 or 1941 as I distinctly rremember it when is was made of wood . A member mentioned previously that it was transformed at the beginning of the 40s so he would be right. I had mentioned app. 1945. I will keep an eye out for the actual year of transformation.
Guy
14 comments:
Guy. i was born 1939. I rember being with my mother on the boardwalk trying to ride a tricycle and the wheels kept getting stuck in the spaces between the boards.
Carver How old were you when you were riding your tricycle. If you were born at the beginning of 1939, and if you were 3 years old, that would put us in 1941, it is possible that the asphalting was done the same year. Guy
Hi. Guy. I dont think so the war was still going full blast and to put paving down then would be doubtful. I remember just after the war there was a lot of construction along Lasalle new water sewer etc. I guess to give work to the vets.The excavations in the road was done with pick and shovel lots of people working. Ron.
Guy. That bike would have been a hand me down from one of my cousins no toys out of steel in those days. I don't think there was much money either.
open the previous post there is a pic of the old board walk.I'm not sure if this was on VC before. Ron.
Ron, I have in front of me a copy of the page where it is mentioned that the boardwalk was made of asphalt. The name of the book is: Histoire Économique de Montréal et des Cités et Villes du Québec by J.E. Laurin 1942. I am quoting a part of the paragraph concerning the boardwalk: On trouve dans la Cit챕 de Verdun, au long du fleuve Saint- Laurent, une magnifique promenade d'une longeur de 3 milles, PAVÉE EN ASPHALTE. Translation: There is in the City of Verdun along the Saint-Lawrence river, a magnificent boardwalk 3 miles long, PAVED IN ASPHALT. I am on duty at the SHGV on Saturday and I will double check my information and I will get back to you. I want to recheck the date of the book. Guy
Guy thanks. I have a vague memory asking to go further along the boardwalk where it was paved. I also have a memory of showing my mother a dead cat under the boards lots of flies she was not amused.
Ron, I have checked yesterday at the SHGV and I can now confirm that the date of 1942 is correct. However, I have an open mind on this date I will keep my eyes open for a confirmation of this date as to when exactly the Boardwalk was paved. I consult regularly all kinds of books, documents maps etc. and it is not uncommon to find errors. Guy
Haven't been on this site for awhile and this item (boardwalk/asphalt) caught my attention. I was born in Jan. 1935 and was eligible to begin school (6 years old) in September 1941. It seems to me (the old memory ain't what it used to be!) the "boardwalk" was there at least a couple of years after that. It was the favourite way to get to Lasalle Road School, especially during the "warm" months (May/June/September/October) for those of us who lived on the avenues. Another factor worth considering is, would they have started such a large costly project during the war? I'm trying to locate any photos I "might " have to see if I can find something more definite. This is a heck of a good question/subject! Art
Art, I hope you find some photos of the boardwalk that will help find the year it was paved. So far, the beginning of the 40s seems to be the answer. Hopefully you will find other photos of interest on Verdun that you would like to share. Guy
Guy I was born in 1940 and I 'feel' a memory of the wooden walkway along the beautiful Saint Lawrence River. Maybe it was paved in stages over a period of years.
Bill
I was going thru our archives today at the SHGV and found the following excerpt from the 1939-1940 Lovell directory. Notice that it is mentioned that the boardwalk was been replaced by a modern asphalt promenade so my guess was right. Other points of interest and names that I recognise are: Mayor Edward Wilson Henry Hadley, city engineer. Hadley street was named in honor of his ancestor of the same name and here is it's history: The family of Hadley is closely associated with street names in the city. Edna street was named in honor of Edna Hadley, daughter of the late ex-mayor Henry Hadley and sister of our former city engineer. Ethel, Gertrude and Evelyn streets were named in honor of three heirs of the estate of the late Henry Hadley, mayor of the village of Verdun, 1896-99. G. Brown, alderman. He was the owner of G. Brown Cartage who owned a large fleet of Trucks wich was situated on Hickson street between Bond (now Evang챕line) and Bannantyne streets. The city hall was situated on Church Street in 1940. Besides having the history of Verdun, the population in 1901 was 1898 compared to 63,944 in 1940 wich is the approximate population of Verdun today. Guy
Thanks for this info. Love to hear any history about Verdun.
Jo
Hi there, R.W. Scurrah (alderman} name on Nat plaque. was my dad's uncle. Tks right on
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