Thunder Bay Unseen

Superior History

Hillcrest Park

One of the crown jewels of Thunder Bay's Public Park system, Hillcrest Park offers a breathtaking view of the city and the harbour. It is also the only view of this type accessible directly from public transit. The park and surrounding homes have been proposed as a heritage district due to the architectural significance of the homes and the historical significance of the park itself. The crest that the park actually sits on is the ancient shoreline of the glacial Lake Minong-Houghton. If one were to dig down into the soil, very quickly you would come to beach sand.

Starting at the lower end of the park is an almost hidden signpost. Lost amongst the trees and foliage, hidden from the passing traffic on High Street, the wood sign still stands from an earlier time in the park's history - most likely the 1960s, when most of the infrastructure in the lower park was installed.
Surrounding the park are incredible stone retaining walls, helping to support the road which winds down the face of the crest. Built as the city expanded to control the flow of vehicular traffic down the narrow hill, it also serves to protect the many pedestrians using the thoroughfare as well. In an area before no-boundaries access, public stairs were common in many cities.

The homes along High Street also had to make allowances for the incredible terrain. All of them feature very unique architectural elements - such as this home's subterranean garage and unique window treatment at the front.

Hillcrest Park, at one time, featured a grand assortment of outdoor play equipment. In the interest of public health and safety, however, a large portion of it has been removed. Although some has been replaced or modernized, there are still many bare spots throughout the park.

Not all of the older equipment has been removed - at least not all the pieces of it.
(Update - Spring 2008 The chain ladder is gone)

One a tire swing, now a tired patch of scrub.

The previous home of large orange slides, now boring asphalt.

Unique to the park is the roof-top access to the park's facilities. The building's windows have been replaced with metal covers and the roof-top view has been marred by the giant pine trees.

Unique in all of Thunder Bay is this gigantic slide. Although the rest of the park equipment is slowly disappearing, I hope this slide is allowed to stay, just for its unique nature.

The march of time and the movement of the Earth is easily observed in Hillcrest Park. The sheer weight of the hillside as it slowly settles towards the lake has pushed all of these retaining walls from their original verticality to a slightly skewed disposition.
As time marches on they will need to be replaced before they are completely moved out of the way.

Atop one of the two main summits in the park, sits this large bell. It has seen better days and has not been given any signage as its history. It has been repeatedly vandalized and is in desperate need of restorative work
Its history is unknown to me but, for some reason, I remember hearing that at one time this was the bell in the tower at the old Port Arthur City Hall. I will do my research and come back with an answer.

Hillcrest Park serves as a link between two historically important areas of Port Arthur - The Waverley Park Heritage District and the Bay Street Commercial area. Important in an age before extensive public transportation, the city provided stairs linking the upper end of Bay Street with the residents atop the hill. The stairs travel over a particularly large outcropping of the Canadian Shield, and up a relatively steep incline. The stairs are in need of rehabilitation, however.

The second summit of the park is home to a single flag pole. The city had approached Husky Canada about acquiring one of their giant Canadian Flags to place atop this prominent position in the city's skyline but, sadly, Husky declined. In the summer, this summit is surrounded by a terraced garden making it an ideal spot for photographs.
Nearby, hidden amongst some ornamental hedges is the remains of a public drinking fountain. These have largely been removed from the city's parks for health reasons, in many cases the structures that held them survive.

Lining the crest of the hill in some places are walking paths and retaining walls, affording breathtaking views of the city during the day and night. The views have changed, however, over the years and some noted sites no longer exist. The historic plaque seen below, found near the Bay Street Stairs, focused on the recently destroyed Manitoba Pool 6 elevator as well as the grain terminals at the Intercity Harbour.

The site of the former Manitoba Pool 6 elevator, as seen from Hillcrest Park. On the right is the remaining office complex. Towards the left is the remaining rail car pier. This land is currently slated to be redeveloped into parkland.

National Historic Civil Engineering Sites

The Lakehead
Terminal Grain Elevators

A tribute to the engineers
who designed and supervised
the construction of
the massive structures
since 1862.

Canadian Society for
Civil Engineers.
1990

The road winding through Hillcrest Park is name for Lt. Col. Robert Keane D.S.O who served with the Lake Superior Regiment from July 1944 to May 1945.
The street signs for this route are not the typical green-painted metal but, rather, inscribed marble markers.

Elsewhere in the park is this historical plaque:

Simon James Dawson
1820-1902

Born in Scotland, Dawson emigrated to Canada as a young
man and began his career as a civil engineer. In 1857,
as a member of a Canadian government expedition he
surveyed a line of road from the Lakehead to Fort Garry
and in 1858-59 further explored that area. His report
greatly stimulated Canadian interest in the West. In 1868
he began construction of a wagon and water route following
his earlier survey. It was traversed in 1870 by the
Wolseley Expedition sent to preserve order during the first
Riel uprising. Dawson represented Algoma in the Ontario
legislature 1875-78 and in the Dominion parliament 1878-91

Like many of the historical markers in the city this one is in plain sight but I often wonder how many people stop to read the story on the plaque?

One of the major monuments at Hillcrest Park is dedicated to the Lake Superior Motor Regiment which saw action in WWII, and assisting in the liberation of Holland from the Axis. Due to incidents with Vandals, the main portion of the monument is surrounded by an iron fence.

As part of the monument this plaque gives brief explanation as to what the Lake Superior Motor Regiment was and its place in the history of Port Arthur and Thunder Bay. The crest emblazoned at the top is that of the Lake Superior Regiment.

Hillcrest Park

This park is dedicated to honour
The Lake Superior Regiment
(Motor)
Which served with distinction
with the Allied Forces in Europe
In the Second World War
1939-1945

The regiment perpetuates the
following units

Company of Algoma Rifles 1885
96th Algoma Rifles 1887
96th Lake Superior Regiment 1905
52nd Battalion C.E.F. 1915
1st BN. Lake Superior Regiment 1921

Erected by the City of Port Arthur
1948

The centerpiece of the memorial is this armoured troop transport that saw service in Holland during World War II.

The entire monument is maintained by the Lake Superior Regiment Old Boy Association, a collection of former military members who served with the regiment. The marble marker above commemorates both World Wars and is emblazoned, again, with the Lake Superior Regiment's crest.

Flanking the troop transport is the Killed in Action memorials listing all the regimental members who did not return from the battlefields of Europe after the second world war.

Flanking the monument as a whole are these two cannons, which are part of a set of four that have graced various areas of the city over the years. Originally they graced the hill in front of Port Arthur Collegiate, later they were installed at the Bluffs near Boulevard Lake, before they were split up and installed here and at the Anchorage at Marina Park.

Directly below the Lake Superior Regiment memorial is a grove of Apple Trees. Across the entire hill at this end of the park lie apple trees, laid out in evenly spaced lines. They were once part of a large orchard, belonging to a nearby farm. The farm, of course, is long gone but the trees remain.

At the north end of Hillcrest Park lies the Sunken Gardens, a beautiful floral display that allows for a moment's quiet contemplation amongst nature's beauty. The garden was an early addition to the park - added in the 1940s after the park's original construction.
In 1995 the garden was dedicated to Charles Cox who was instrumental in its addition as well as to many other developments across the Lakehead.
A picture taken in the early spring hardly does the park justice with all the brown earth visible. Perhaps a comparison picture will be added in the summer to showcase the beauty of the park?

Charles W. "Charlie" Cox
1883 - 1958

Charles Cox came to the Thunder Bay area in 1907. A
wealthy bush camp operator, he served as Mayor of Port
Arthur for sixteen years between 1934 and 1952. In 1937
Mayor Cox was congratulated by City Council on his
successful campaign to have the Ontario Mental Hospital
(Now the Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital) located in
Port Arthur. While he was mayor the city developed
Boulevard Lake Park and the Sunken Gardens at
Hillcrest Park.

He was elected M.P.P. for Port Arthur in 1934 and
appointed Minister without Portfolio in 1936. He also
served as M.P.P for Fort William from 1948 to 1951. In
1948, his 15th year as Mayor of Port Arthur, he campaigned unsuccessfully for Mayor in Fort William. His political dreams included the amalgamation of Port Arthur and Fort William and the political separation for Northern Ontario

Generous to all who needed help, he was one of the area's
most colourful figures.

Surrounding Hillcrest Park is some of the most coveted residential real estate in all of Thunder Bay. Most homes have spectacular views of the Lake and creative architectural flourishes.

Due to the architectural distinctiveness of many of the homes there is a proposal to establish a Hillcrest Park Heritage Area in order to preserve the homes' historical and esthetic values.

Note the rounded dormers over the second floor windows and the distinct front door

Designed to make the best use of space on the corner lot the house features a sunroom extension, unique window treatments and unique front door treatment.

Again designed to fit on the corner lot and make the best use of the lot.

The rounded dormers on the third floor gables are unique as is the rounded sunroom at the front of the building.

Reminiscent of a european styling, the facade seems Germanic. As well the chimney has a unique design.

This home was recently renovated and it is quite noticeable in comparison to the surrounding homes.

A large home with the protruding sunroom. A later addition on the left was careful to maintain the same design elements and meshes well with the design of the house.

A small home with unique up-turned corners on the roof eaves and the second floor dormers.

Historical brick with a unique front door featuring an oriental design and an extensive front garden.

Features two protruding, rounded sunrooms and gabled dormers above the second floor windows.

Finished with stone this home features and attached round tower, and cover wrap-around porch. The protruding third floor window is also unique.

Rollins Street was re-named in 1971 to avoid duplication of street names in the newly amalgamated Thunder Bay.

Rollins Street was originally named Ross Street after owner Walter Ross.

Also considered for part of the Hillcrest Park Heritage District is a small group of houses between the park and St. Patrick's Square, which is part of the Waverley Park Heritage District.
This small tract of homes has a few distinctive features, such as its separation from the surrounding neighbourhood by geology and city planning.

Like Bay Street, Ambrose Street is divided by a large outcropping of rock. In order to assist people up and down the extreme grade the city of Port Arthur put a set of stairs in place.

This home features the unique, curved window above the front door and the large floor to ceiling windows on the newer addition to the home (the left of the photograph).

Notable for its barn-like roof and large, double front door.

The Christian Science Society had maintained this small, simple church at this site since it was built in 1922.
In the last few years is was donated to Habitat For Humanity and renovated into a single-family dwelling. The front doors have been replaces as have many of the windows. The corner stone is still in place however.

Perched on the edge of the cliff these two homes have enviable views. The city has provided them with a sidewalk which also hugs the side of the cliff - and a white handrail to keep pedestrians from falling off.

Waverley Park Towers is one of the premier condominium complexes in Thunder Bay. Towering over the Waverley Heritage District, the tower replaced a number of homes in its construction. Those homes are now just a distant memory save for a few pieces left behind such as these steps which once led to a front door (above) and the steps (at left) that are almost lost beneath the fill and the foliage.

Named simply because it was a new street created in 1950. It allows access to Waverley Park Towers and is made up of a former back lane between the houses along Ambrose and St. Patrick's Square as well as a former building lot which allowed the connection to Ambrose Street to be made.

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