Name/Title
Trail of the Caribou 75th Anniversary InvitationEntry/Object ID
2020.260.1Scope and Content
Invitation to 75th Anniversary Celebrations for the Trail of the Caribou (2 copies)Context
Greeting card style invitation to 75th Anniversary gathering to celebrate the first non-stop flight from Canada to Great Britain by James Ayling and Leonard Reid in the Trail of the Caribou. Celebrations were sponsored by the Town of Wasaga Beach and Ontario Parks and included the Town Crier, speeches, ribbon cutting, a classic aircraft fly-past and refreshments. The event was held on Saturday, August 8, 2009.
The History of Flight in Wasaga Beach:
In early years, the beachfront at Wasaga Beach was not only a main roadway it was also a natural runway for airplanes. In 1933, Captain James Mollison and his wife Amy Johnson attempted to fly their plane, the Seafarer II, from Wasaga Beach to Bagdad, Iraq in an attempt to break the long distance record. On the day they attempted to take off from the beachfront, high crosswinds made it difficult to take off. On their third attempt, the undercarriage of the plane was damaged preventing any further attempt to take off. The Mollison's sold the Seafarer II to James Ayling and Leonard Reid who restored and renamed the plane “Trail of the Caribou”. Ayling and Reid also planned to attempt to break the record for the longest flight. On the morning of August 8th, 1934, Ayling and Reid took off from Wasaga Beach in the Trail of the Caribou and made it to England. They encountered heavy fog and winds and used more fuel than they had anticipated. Although they did not break the world record they made the first direct non-stop flight from Canada to England.Acquisition
Accession
2020.260Source or Donor
UnknownAcquisition Method
GiftDimensions
Dimension Description
Page dimensionsHeight
5-1/2 inWidth
4-1/4 in
