Wharfs & Boatworks

Wharfs and Boatworks. . , Travel By Water , The most dangerous seasons to travel by water were fall and spring. A sudden drop in temperature could trap a boat in the ice and a rise in temperature could make the ice unsafe for sleighs. Storms were always a concern. Until railways were built, boat building was an important industry. , Wood Wharfs , The natural boat landing at Barrie was a sandy stretch of shoreline near the end of Mulcaster Street. It was improved from 1814 to receive increased naval traffic on the nine mile portage. The second settler at Barrie, David Edgar, built the first private wharf before 1833 at the end of Owen Street. , Sunken Hulls , The steamboat J.C. Morrison took fire in 1857 at John Bingham's wharf at Mulcaster, and had to be set adrift to sink in Kempenfelt Bay. After the railway arrived in 1853 at Allandale, a wharf was built at the end of Tiffin Street for rail passengers to board steamboats and continue their journey around the Lake. Fill was dumped along the shoreline to extend the trackbed to Barrie, and the railway company buried the hull of the steamboat Beaver to extend the Owen Street wharf. , Excursions , With the opening of the rail line to Orillia in 1869, the steamboat operators replaced passenger and freight service with tourist excursions. In 1882, Town Council planned for a new wharf at the end of Bayfield to accommodate larger pleasure cruise steamboats. The steamboat era ended with the burning of the Otonabee at Big Bay Point in August 1916. , Carley Boatworks , Irish immigrant and shipwright John Carley opened a boatworks in Barrie in May 1867. John's first boathouse was beside two ponds on the east side of Mulcaster Street at Dunlop but he then moved into a building intended as a soap factory on the east side of the Mulcaster dock. The ponds were later filled as Bayview park and reservoir. , Small Watercraft , The Carleys built every type of small watercraft and kept local sawmills busy cutting oars from a pattern. Their boats were used for the 1870 expedition sent to end the first rebellion led by Louis Riel against the Canadian government. The boats were a caravel or clinker type fitted with two masts and six oars. They were easy to handle and rugged enough to survive the long journey through Northern Ontario and Manitoba to the Red River. , Carly's Grand Stand , In 1876, John built a boathouse on the west side of the Mulcaster dock. The main floor was the boatworks and boat rental business and the family lived upstairs. They added a waterside verandah known as the Grand Stand and sold tickets to those who wanted the best view of the many national and international races and regattas held on the bay. , Concrete Bunker , John was the first in Barrie to sell gasoline for powerboats and automobiles. He kept two barrels supplied from Toronto. The Town was so frightened of the gasoline, he had to build a concrete bunker over the barrels. , Keeper of the Bay , John and Ellen's son Clifford took over the business in 1912. Cliff was usually the first on the scene when any boat or swimmer was in distress. His daring rescues in any weather made him the Keeper of the Bay. , In the 1930s the Examiner newspaper ran a campaign to buy "a speedy motor launch and other lifesaving equipment for use in the bay. The boat would be presented to Mr. Carley with the best wishes of the citizens and in recognition of the many acts of heroism that have been seen performed by him." Cliff’s son Ernie was the last to operate the boatworks. , Delaney Boatworks , In 1939, William R. Delaney opened a cruise service on Lake Simcoe and offered boat storage and repair. It was 25 cents for the round trip between the north shore and the popular Minet's Point dance hall. , In 1950, in a boathouse west of the Bayfield Street government dock, William began making his Del Craft line of pleasure boats. The first made was 28 feet and valued at $9,100. In 1953 Delaney Boat Lines and Services Ltd. had 10 employees making mahogany outboard boats and moulded plywood boats in the 12 to 16 foot range. , The Carley and Delaney sites were expropriated by the City of Barrie in 1968 for the extension of Lakeshore Drive. , [photo captions] , . Hulk of the Beaver ready to be sunk as fill at the Owen Street wharf, ca.1863. , . Ernie Carley with ice boat. , . John Carley Family. Back L-R: John, Ellen, George. Front L-R: Cliff, Bernie, Harriet.