Looking north towards the Detroit River this week’s Throwback Thursday Picture was taken in 1930. The white building on the right with the columns is the Canadian Bank of Commerce, further up Drouillard Road is the East Windsor (formerly Ford City) Fire Station and the large structure on the left side of the image is Ford of Canada’s automotive plant. The Ford head office and automotive plant were transferred to...

This picture of the Red and White Grocery store located at 95-99 Drouillard Road in East Windsor (Ford City) was taken about 1930.  Opened in the early 1920s by George, Arthur and Cyriac Plante, the brothers played a pivotal role in the explosive growth of Ford City.  In 1937 after amalgamation with Windsor, the grocery store address was changed to 245 Drouillard Road. The business continued to operate until 1951...

This week’s Throwback Thursday Pic is a continuation of our Back-to-School theme. This photograph dates circa 1896 and is the interior of a laboratory classroom at Windsor Collegiate Institute (later renamed Patterson Collegiate Institute). The school located at the southeast corner of Goyeau and Elliott Streets was Windsor oldest high school having closed in 1973. The building was demolished in 1979 to make way for a parking lot of a...

With the start of a new school year next week, this week’s Throwback Thursday Pic is of Patterson Collegiate Institute. The image was taken sometime in the 1940s. It was originally opened as an elementary school in 1854 and become a high school in 1871. It was named Windsor Collegiate Institute until 1929, when it was renamed after local lawyer and politician James Colebrook Patterson. The building occupied the southeast...

Do you remember shopping at Big Bear Super Markets? This week’s Throwback Thursday Picture is of the Big Bear Super Market located at 279 Chatham Street East across the street from the old Windsor Farmers Market. It opened in 1947 as the Family Food Market and changed its name to Big Bear in 1951. Unfortunately, it was not in business long, closing its doors in 1960 and its assets sold...

This photograph was taken sometime in 1975, looking west along Chatham Street West on the north side. This image shows the Equity Chambers building on the right and Epps Outdoor Store on the left. In between is Jon Myles men’s clothing store, and Flowers by Malone, and on the ground floor of the Equity Chambers Building is the Ye Olde Steak House Restaurant. Today only Jon (today Lou) Myles men’s...

At one time this scene happened multiple time each day, a New York Central passenger train after departing Windsor is heading east on its journey to St. Thomas, Buffalo and its ultimate destination of New York City. This week’s Throwback Thursday Pic was taken sometime in the 1950s in Essex County. The passenger train is about to proceed over a level crossing with the wigwag crossing signal in operation to...

This week’s Throwback Thursday Pic was taken sometime in May or early June 1913. The image of electric street car No. 41 which ran on the Belt Line, has passengers hanging out of the window and the conductor and motorman and another passenger posing in front of the car. The cow catcher has an advertisement for a baseball game to be played at Wigle Park on Saturday June 14. The...

Taken on 24 December 1948, this week’s Throwback Thursday picture is looking east on Wyandotte Street across the intersection at Church Street. The Texaco Service Station is on the left on the north side of the street heading towards downtown. This scene has changed completely except for the building on the right behind  the billboard which still stands. If you are interested in other historic images of Windsor found in...

This week/s Throwback Thursday Picture taken around 1965, is of the Township of Sandwich East Police Department, located at 4667 Tecumseh Road East just a couple of addresses from Pillette Road. Next door is the Sylark Pizzeria Restaurant. In 1966 the Township of Sandwich East along with Townships of Sandwich East and South, Town of Riverside and City of Ojibway would be amalgamated with City of Windsor. The Township of...