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.
Canoe racing was a popular sport on Lake Couchiching dating back to the 1840s.
In the early 1900s, the crew of the Orillia War Canoe would practise with a day’s excursion from Orillia to Sparrow Lake and back. Shown in this 1907 postcard is the 14-member crew paddling the 30-foot war canoe on Sparrow Lake.
It must have been a cool but sunny day during this excursion. A few of the men are wearing shorts and T-shirts, but most are wearing long pants with suspenders and long sleeve shirts, some with button collars and ties.
We would now consider this style of dress excessive for a gruelling 50-mile paddle from Orillia to Sparrow Lake and back, however this was a time when men’s clothing during day or evening, formal, sporting or informal occasions, required gentleman to be attired in trousers, jackets, stiff collars and button shoes.
