Ontario Beach Park – #46 – Dick's Genealogy & History Corner

It has been almost a year since there has been a new post on the history of Ontario Beach Park. This is things that happened in 1936.

Ontario 1 pulling Ontario 2 (upper right) off the rock ledge.

Before the opening of the park for the year an event happened on Lake Ontario that was reported in newspapers around New York State. On Feb. 26th the Ontario 2 car ferry got stuck on a rocky ledge 5 miles from Charlotte and about a mile offshore. The cause was fog, rain, and low lake level. The Captain said he wasn’t able to hear the fog horns off Braddocks Bay. As it was winter there weren’t any passengers on this trip coming from Cobourg, Ontario. Capt. Richard R. Redfern had a crew of 35 on board.

On the 27th seven men were taken off the stranded ship and sent to ready Ontario 1 to help. That ship had already been docked in port for the winter.

On March 6th the Coast Guard ship, Forward, and Ontario 1 both lashed to Ontario 2. At 1:47 p.m. the ship 2 was freed after about 3 and a half hours of pulling. It then was able to steam under its own power while spectators lined the shore at Ontario Beach Park to watch it come into port.

After inspection of the hull Ontario 2 would be returning to a dry-dock in Cobourg but this time escorted across the lake by the Forward in case it needed help.

It was noted afterwards that while stuck Ontario 2 had burned 6 of 22 carloads of its cargo of wood pulp in the attempt to lighten the load.

Meanwhile back on the beach, newspaper notices continue to show that many picnics were scheduled at the Park during the summer. Concerts continued as usual.

According to The Greece Post, on Memorial Day students from Charlotte High School held memorial services around 6 bronze markers in Ontario Beach Park. Those markers had been placed in 1921 to the memory of former students of the High School that had died in World War I. Those markers are still around trees to the east of the carousel. Those deceased Charlotte alumni were: Jewell Buckman, James P. Armstrong, George Stone, Royal DeMarse, Pierre C. Meusch, and Ira J. Jacobson.

Occasionally children got lost on the beach. They ended up in the “baby pen.” That was a small fenced off area where policemen like Sgt. John Evans, in the left picture, would bring them until their parents showed up to claim them. It appears that parents could voluntarily leave their children in the pen while they strolled on the beach.

The picture on the right shows first aid being done on Marilyn Sauber, 6, who had cut her toe. Holding her is Mrs. Margeret Cerulli and the nurse is Miss Catherine McInerey. It was also noted that there was a first aid call every 10 minutes.

Here are links to the the earlier parts of this series that cover the history of the Park: