Name/Title
Trail of the Caribou, Wasaga Beach, OntarioEntry/Object ID
2023.804.21Scope and Content
Postcard - Digital CopyContext
Matte, black and white photo, with white border, circa 1934, picturing the "Trail of the Caribou in the background with two men who appear to be pilots James Ayling & Leonard Reid, standing together with a lady in front of the plane. The nose, wings, two propellers and two wheels are visible. A man dressed in a black suit, white shirt and tie and fedora, holding several rags appears to be fixing or maintaining one engine/propeller.
On the back of the card, "Post Card" is printed/stamped with "CORRESPONDENCE" to the left, and "ADDRESS" to the right below it. A vertical line divides the back of the card. The stamp box is mostly covered by a patch of black construction paper - possibly from a photo album. There is also a large patch covering part of the word "CORRESPONDENCE". Horizontal and vertical gold lines cover approximately 50% of the back of the card.
The History of Flight in Wasaga Beach:
The beachfront at Wasaga Beach was originally used as a main roadway and 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
2023.804Source or Donor
Deanna AdamsonAcquisition Method
GiftDimensions
Height
3-7/16 inWidth
5-7/16 in
