Mariday Park

Mariday Park is a 1-kilometre-squared neighbourhood of 14 streets in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, created in 1909 by J.J. Carrick.

History

(Port Arthur became a city in 1906.)

The land that became Mariday Park was previously owned from 1879 - 1909 by Alderman Daniel Francis Burk (1848 - 1917) [1].

Real estate developer John James "J. J." Carrick, (1873 - 1967) who was actually Mayor of Port Arthur at age 36 in 1908, bought the land from Burk in 1909. Carrick hired A.L. Russell (whose office was on the north side of Cameron Street [2] and who served with the Port Arthur Historical Society), of Port Arthur's Park Board, to plan the streets.

created promotional brochures to sell the homes. One of these brochures read, in part:

"Mariday" [a portmanteau of Carrick's wife Mary June Day's first and maiden names] was acquired and held, almost since the increption of Port Arthur, by a somewhat different character—Alderman Daniel Francis Burk—who in the early days pinned his faith, future and funds to the then undeveloped resources on the shores of Thunder Bay. Adhering tenaciously to the belief that the then embyro [sic] site must, at a not-too-distant date, become the location of a populous and prosperous city, he proceeded to apply the British motto "What we have we hold." to the situation, and forthwith placed a "Nothing doing" sign on the property.

Possessed with the three outstanding characteristics of the pioneer of this country—sagacity, sense and sand—Daniel Francis Burk bent his energies in other directions, arranged to liquidate the demands of the Tax Collector—and waited.

Time flies—but nowhere as in the West. The clearance became a hamlet, the hamlet merged into a village, the village assumed the proportions of a town—the Hand of Destiny was at work. The patron of the Blazed Trail—the speculator from the more effete East, dropped around and commenced to sit up and make a few observations.

"Who owns that hundred acres up on the hill?" was what he queried.

"D.F. Burk," was the answer.

"What does he ask for it?"

The reply was always the same, "He won't sell."

And so it came to pass that the citizens of the classic city of Port Arthur builded their homes up to and around Mariday Park, the gem spot of the city's residential section. Likewise, it also came to pass than Daniel Francis Burk, consoled by the realization of his early dreams, finally acceeded to the oft-expressed wish of the citizens, that the property should no longer impede the city's natural pathway of expansion. On 30th September 1909, he transferred to the present owner and developer for a snug fortune a property that had cost him a comparatively palty sum 30 years before.

Mr. A.L. Russell, O.L.S., of the city's Park Board, was entrusted the task of laying out the property, and the work has been skilfully and artistically executed.

All streets and avenues are 66 feet wide. The driveways are 28 feet wide. A strip of 19 feet on each side being reserved for boulevards and walks.

The lots all have a frontage of 50 feet, varying in depth from 105 to 140 feet, to 12 and 14 foot lanes.

The property is beautifully treed with yellow birch, poplar and spruce, Cement walks, macadamized streets, water and sewer connections are being installed by the city under the direction of the City Engineer...

— John James Carrick, in his promotional book selling the lots to his "Mariday Park" [3], 1909

Streets

Running North-South:

• Marlborough Road*
• Ray Boulevard
• McKibbin*
• Rupert*
• Hill Street
• Winnipeg Avenue*
• Summit*
• High Street

Running East-West:

• Red River Road
• Beresford*
• Bay
• Cornwall
• Whitney*
• John Street

Of these 14, half of them do not extend outwards and exit only inside the Mariday Park neighbourhood. [marked with a *]

Sources

Canadiana [4]

J.J. Carrick [5]

Thunder Bay Museum [6]