Name/Title
Trail of the Caribou Postcard - Wasaga BeachEntry/Object ID
2020.408.1Scope and Content
Trail of the Caribou Postcard, Wasaga BeachContext
The glossy finish, black and white photo postcard is slightly yellowed with age. The photo postcard is made from photographic paper with paper backing. The photo shows The Trail of the Caribou on the beach at Wasaga Beach with the caption "WASAGA BEACH".
On the back of the postcard, in the upper middle to left portion of the card, the word "POST CARD" is printed with smaller text directly below it that reads, "MADE IN CANADA", "CORRESPONDENCE" and "ADDRESS".
The paper manufacturer is AZO. The AZO name is stamped in a square pattern on the top right corner of the backside of the postcard. AZO postcards with squares in each corner of the AZO stamp box indicate the card was manufactured 1925 -1940's.
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
2020.408Source or Donor
George and Jan PotopnykAcquisition Method
GiftDimensions
Height
3-1/2 inWidth
5-1/2 in
