The first two photos are from my parents' (William & Margaret Dobie's) photo album. The third photo was sent to me by Ken Johnson, who also sent me information he has researched on each of the stores shown in all three photos.
(Photo – Dobie Family Album)
Signs are from left: Geo. W. Matthews & Co. Stocks and Bonds; Pool Room, Barber Shop; Geraldton Cafe.
See a greatly enlarged image of the people in the doorways.
Left to Right – facing photo; First Avenue North, Geraldton, Ontario.
- Windsor Hotel – (Brousseau's Hotel)
- The hotel, which was a 2-storey structure, was erected in 1934 by W. Brousseau, and included 12 rental rooms. Also utilized as a social centre, it was the location of an evening Euchre party in April of 1935, that was held by the ladies of St. Theresa's Parish. The hotel (along with the adjacent buildings) was destroyed the night of December 21-22, 1936. The loss suffered was estimated at about $10,000 with an overall loss for all the structures involved, about $60,000.
- Picard's Tailor Shop
- As best can be determined Paul E. Picard occupied space in the Windsor Hotel. Following the fire that destroyed his business, he set up shop near the Warren & Altman store on Main Street. As per his newspaper ad, he offered a range of clothing-related services.
- Geo. W. Matthews & Co.
- The firm – which had offices in Port Arthur and Fort William – opened its office in Geraldton in June of 1935. Mr. S.T. (Seth) Smith was the original broker/manager. The company sold stocks, bonds and grain, and provided an "immediate private wire service to and from Geraldton". Originally set up in the enlarged building that was owned by Arthur Holmes, it was moved to the Morin Hotel that same year. That hotel was also located on First Avenue North, and when renamed, became the Geraldton Hotel.
- Ruttan's Barber Shop
- Nels Ruttan's barber shop was situated in the Holmes Building extension as of June, 1935. It likely opened sometime earlier that year.
- Pool Room
- The pool room was also located in the small addition to the original Holmes Building. Owner/operator – Nels Ruttan?
The pool hall also offered soft drinks and 'tobaccos' for sale.
(** It's interesting to note, that a large illustration of what appears to be a seated woman with 2 or 3 dogs, was mounted above the entryway to the barbershop/pool hall. The purpose of the image has not been documented). - Geraldton Café
- The Café, which was located in the original section of the Holmes Building was owned/operated by Mr. & Mrs. Arthur Holmes. Opened in 1934, it was enlarged and re-decorated as at April of 1935. Louis Topp took over operation of the eatery, which was then named the Golden Grill. A new, large-format sign for the restaurant was mounted on the roof of the structure but the original Geraldton Café sign remained in situ above the doorway of the café.
- M. Daneff General Merchant – Groceries & Provisions
- Miteo Daneff, who was the owner-proprietor of this department store, came to Geraldton in March of 1934. His family consisted of Mrs. Daneff, his daughter Teresa, and sons Boris (Bo) and Alec (Alex). Daneff's offered a wide range of merchandise including groceries, meat, clothing, footwear, miners' underground oilers and the like. The store was also destroyed by fire in December 1936, but Mr. Daneff rebuilt quickly and was back in business before too long. The store's promo slogan was – "The Store of Quality".
(Information – Ken R. Johnson Research Project – "Geraldton Ontario Businesses – 1930s - 1960s")
(Photo – Dobie Family Album)
Signs are from left: Normandy Inn; C.M. Douglas, General Store.
Left to Right – facing photo; First Avenue North, Geraldton, Ontario.
- Normandy Inn/Café
- This Inn/eatery, which was located next door to the C.M. Douglas General Store, was well established in Geraldton as at April of 1935. The proprietor was "Henry Leam". This building underwent a transformation and was then renamed the Queen's Hotel.
- C. H. Douglas General Store
- When Claude Douglas, storekeeper and First World War army veteran, was appointed Postmaster in February 1935, he set aside a section of his general store which became the location of the "Geraldton Station" Post Office. The name of the PO was changed to Geraldton as of January 29, 1936. Mrs. Myrtle Douglas, his wife, who was the Postmaster at the MacDiarmid post office during the years 1930-1934, assisted with the postal and other store-related duties.
- Halo's Department Store
- Badiah (Badih) Halo, along with William Assad, operated this department store. Mrs. Halo, one of Geraldton's early women entrepreneurs, with the help of her husband Joseph and son William ("Woody"), handled the dry goods component. Mr. Assad operated the grocery and meat department. It appears that in 1940, Mr. Assad sold his share in the store to the Halo family and in turn the Halos sold the building to Mr. Chopp. The structure was then turned into an apartment building. The Halo family left Geraldton and moved to Nova Scotia to begin anew.
- Charlie Wing – Bunkhouse & Restaurant
- This small bunkhouse was located just west of Halo's Department Store. Apparently it housed a large wood stove and people used to gather around it to get warm – and socialize – during periods of cold weather.
(Information – Ken R. Johnson Research Project – "Geraldton Ontario Businesses – 1930s - 1960s")
December, 2019: Ken Johnson sent me this photo, with accompanying information, and said: "I'm sending you another photograph of First Avenue North, Geraldton, Ontario, that includes the stores that are depicted in the photo of Geraldton that you have posted on your web site. I cropped the image (taken from a small-size snapshot; thus a bit of a blur in the enlargement), so that it just included the buildings of interest. As you can see, the trees at this stage of the community's development are quite close to the structures."
The businesses include (from L to R facing photo):
- Tyndal's Café
- Windsor Hotel – under construction; note the wooden supports that are holding the front panel in place.
- Ruttan's Barber Shop
- Pool Room
- Geraldton Café and rooming house
- M. Daneff – General Merchant
(Photo – Ken R. Johnson Collection via Mary (nee: Tweedie) Daneff)
Can you provide names, corrections or comments?
Please Email Charlie Dobie.