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.
‘Merry-Making Couchiching Park, On Northern Railway Line’ is the title of this early stereoview by Jas. Esson, Preston Ontario.
Shortly after building the railway line in the 1870s, the Northern Railway Line would bring excursions to Orillia for a day of enjoyment at Couchiching Park.
A large group of women in long gowns and stylish hats, the men with jackets, bow ties and top hats are shown relaxing near the waterfront.
Seated on the left are four men, two with violins, one trumpet and one bass player entertaining the large crowd.
James Esson had a studio in Preston and was a photographer, publisher and dealer of stereoscopic views.
In the late 1870s and early 1880s, Mr. Esson traveled across Canada taking hundreds of views of street scenes, parks and landscapes,including this Orillia view titled the “Picturesque Canada” series.
Using a special camera fitted with two lenses, Mr. Esson was one of a very small number of photographers in Canada producing these three-dimensional images at that time.
