The park system: How Dr. Eidt saved the day! Compiled by Gord Conroy
Photo: Fred Gonder
Dr. Edward Henry Eidt is one of four men most responsible for developing the city's park system. The others included Thomas J. Dolan (see Dolan Dr.), a newspaper man and member of the parks board; George McLagan (see McLagan Drive) a furniture manufacturer who donated money and land for the cause; R. Thomas Orr who led the fight to stop the railway along the river; and Dr. Edward Henry Eidt (see Cambria Street), whose civic accomplishments are highlighted by his push for and the creation of that parks board. Streets and areas have been named in honour of three of these men: T. J. Dolan Drive and T. J. Dolan Natural Area; McLagan Drive; and Orr Street and R. Thomas Orr dam. The city has yet to honour Henry Eidt in such a fashion. Source: book R. Thomas Orr, A Life Devoted to Stratford.
First, a little background about the river and the lands adjacent to it.
Queen’s Park was named in honour of Queen Victoria in 1882. However, if you had been a “picknicker” there that year, you would have been in for a big surprise.
In that year, there were some 300 sheep on the land belonging to a drover from Avonton when the first “picnickers" started to arrive. Why were the sheep there? The city, fearing it had paid too much for the land, had decided to recoup some of their investment by selling an old barn on the property and renting grazing rights. The arrangement did not last long. The sheep were gone by 1884 as the park gained in popularity for picnics.
The land had originally been part of the 100 acre “Grange” property owned by William McCulloch that straddled the river. (see Water Street). It had been purchased with water rights from the Canada Company. With the building of the first dam on the Little Thames, later the Avon, in 1832-1833, a millpond, later named to honour Queen Victoria as well, was created for the grist mills and sawmills along the shores, and land that was purchased by many was now under water.
However, there was a lake where there were boat races and regattas. (see River Drive article, on Lakeside Drive) However, there were problems including the possible sale of the land on the lake bottom if the lake was drained by private interests that would cause problems before a Parks Board was formed in 1904 and bought out the private ownership.
Despite the issue of public vs. private, the river was described by The Beacon newspaper in 1886 as “a thing of beauty and a joy forever.” The dam had broken in 1883, and though temporary repairs were made, the grist mill by the dam burned down, and as a result, there was little financial incentive from the city council to buy the land and repair the dam despite Mayor Gordon thinking it was a good idea. Gordon was mayor in 1884-1885.
Private interests known as the Victoria Lake Syndicate bought the lake from the Canada Company instead of the city, and though they did some beautification especially on the north bank with the establishment of a carriage route along the river, they also sold private boating licenses, pitted private ownership vs. public use, fenced their property, and by 1904, the situation was untenable, despite the Beacon’s comment about the beauty of the lake. The boathouse had burned in 1903.
Neither Queen’s Park, nor Avondale Park near the cemetery at the opposite end of town which had been established as a wilderness area 12 years earlier in 1870, was in good shape. But Queen’s Park was in use and in better shape than Avondale which was left wild.
In 1884, the city hired John Baker for $1.25 a day to function as a park ranger and constable. He was also given a rake, a scythe, some other small tools, a wheelbarrow and two tons of salt for killing weeds. In 1898, his successor was given part-time use of the horse assigned to the cemetery. By 1889, with picnics on the increase, Queen’s Park had a parking problem for horses and buggies. More tie posts were needed.
The problem for those promoting more and better public park land centred on the land along the Avon River’s banks between Avondale and Queen’s Park was that the river was lined with warehouses, dilapidated buildings, outhouses, and factories. There was also a very real danger that a rail line would be built along the shore. Many businesses wanted this to happen and negotiations to make this happen took place on and off from 1904 to 1913.
Enter Dr. Eidt.
Dr. Eidt, (see Cambria Street), a local dentist, became the champion of what would become a magnificent park system. From his office in the Gordon Block on Ontario Street which overlooked the river, he saw the deterioration of the river, the difficulties of private ownership and the very real possibility of total destruction of any possible public park land with the coming of the rail line.
It was Dr. Eidt who first led the fight for the formation of the Parks Board. His work to accomplish this was considerable since the city council was concerned with expenditures and increased taxes. However, in 1904, largely because of his efforts, a by-law to form a Parks Board was passed and the planning of a park system of more than 850 acres began in earnest.
Dr. Eidt chose his first board carefully: John Reed, experienced in municipal matters; H. M. Johnston and Alfred J. Roberts, both fine horticulturalists; George Hess, knowledgeable about government and former member of the Ontario Legislature; R. Thomas Orr, of the firm of Orr and Russell, architects, a man who would have much to do with the Parks Board in the future. Mayor William Hepburn was an ex-officio member.
Picture here shows the Members of Stratford first Parks Board. Top right, H.M Johnson, top centre R.T Orr, top left George Hess ( chairman) centre Alfred Roberts, lower left John Reed and lower right Daniel Dempsey. Thanks to Liz Dempsey Hartzler for photo
The board invited two of the most outstanding architects in America to Stratford. Both were appalled and impressed.
“The lake is worth a million dollars to Stratford. Some places, if they had it, would spend a million dollars to beautify it,” said Von Hoffman, an assistant landscape architect from the New York Park Commission from New York City. After viewing and consultation, Frederick Todd from Montreal, who designed Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park and also the Ottawa parks, was chosen for the job.
The first order of business was to buy back Lake Victoria, despite the price increase from $4000 to $10,000, and the dam and water rights from private interests. The Parks Board then started to purchase other private property along the river and lake and take down old buildings to create park land. They cleaned up the river, dynamited stumps, hauled away silt and refuse, and improved shoreline.
Frederick Todd
By 1912, new park land had been bought and beautified, the river had been cleaned up, a new public bathing house on the north shore by the dam had replaced a private run-down structure, and a new boathouse was built just above the dam on the south shore, water rights further up stream had been bought back from private ownership, the slope to the river was leveled, trees and flower beds were planted and a foundation for a stone wall lookout was built on the south shore near the dam and boathouse. That beautified lookout, and a picture of many people enjoying the view from it on public park land, watching boating on the water, played a major role in defeating the proposal for a rail line along the river and a new train station near the Waterloo Street bridge.
From: Rick Orr
In March 1913, the proposal to build a rail line by the river was defeated in a city plebiscite by a mere 127 votes. R. Thomas Orr led this fight. (see Veterans Drive).
This picture below from the lookout on a poster that was circulated “that saved the parks system” played a key part on the outcome of the vote. The message on the poster reminded people that all those “… If the CPR is run as projected all the people in the foreground of the picture would be trespassers on railway property if they attempted to reach the water’s edge.” Sources: Dean Robinson, Not the last waltz and other Stratford Stories; Adelaide Leitch, Floodtides of Fortune; Howard Shubert, Dr. Henry Edward Eidt: "Grandfather" of the Stratford Parks System, Stratford and District Historical Society; Carolyn Bart-Riedstra, History Canada: Stratford; Stratford Perth Archives.
Parks fight poster Stratford-Perth Archives
The photo below had the caption , "York Apartments: under construction" . A regatta is in progress on the river. Vince Gratton
This photo below and the top were both taken on the same day. The only visible difference is the people have moved about. The lead picture was circa 1912 and the high board fence was most likely to hide from view the ram shackled shacks behind it. It would be close to 20 years later before the York apartments were built. Nancy Musselman.
