The sport of curling has a long history within Thunder Bay. Reports of Fort William and Port Arthur residents enjoying the game of curling date back as early as 1887, when a rink was created in Prince Arthur’s Landing at Egan Street. Outdoor rinks were created so curling lovers of all ages could enjoy the fun winter sport. In 1910, the Port Arthur Curling Club purchased lots on Egan Street, which is where the club currently stands today. On the other side of the Lakehead, the Fort William Curling Club was established in 1891. In 1909, the club purchased land on Leith Street, which remains the site of the club today. Port Arthur and Fort William clubs often played against each other, with a rivalry that would last over a century.
The Fort William Gardens opened on March 6, 1951. While playing host to many different concerts and sporting events, curling has always been one of the Gardens’ top attractions. In 1960, it played host (for the first and, so far, only time) to the men’s Brier, then known as the Macdonald Brier. This is also the year that the famous curling stone appeared in Fort William. It was commissioned by the Northwestern Ontario Curling Association and was paraded through town, stopping and being displayed as a roadside attraction at the Totem Tourist Court on Highway 61 for around 10 years. It was the largest of its kind in the world, until a town in Manitoba took the title away in 2005. The stone eventually moved to its permanent home of the Fort William Gardens where it still stands today. Did you know that there are 5 plaques at the base of the stone, commemorating different curling competitions and teams from the Thunder Bay area?
One year after the Brier came to Thunder Bay, the Diamond D Championship began. You know this tournament better at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, which it has been known as since 2007. They made their first appearance at the Lakehead when Fort William hosted the tournament in 1969. Thunder Bay wouldn’t host again until 1996, and then again in 2022. Since the 2022 tournament was spoiled by the COVID-19 pandemic, we get another round this year, once again at the Fort William Gardens. Team McCarville, representing Northern Ontario, came in second place during this tournament. Rachel Homan and her team will be here representing Team Canada after winning the Scotties last year. Representing Northern Ontario will be Team McCarville from right here in Thunder Bay! Skip Krista McCarville, Third Kendra Lilly, Second Ashley Sippala and Lead Sarah Potts have been playing the game together since 2015, and individually much longer than that! They added New Brunswick’s Andrea Kelly into the squad in 2023 to shake things up and try new tactics. We’re looking forward to watching and cheering on our local team at this years Scotties!
If you would like to learn more about the history of curling (or any other sport in our area), or anything else Thunder Bay and Thunder Bay District related, contact us at research@tbpl.ca
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