Here are a few other local history tidbits found on the internet. The dated clippings are again from Rohinton Ghandhi. The ticket below was posted on a Montreal history site by someone who hoped to learn what it was all about. These bus excursions seem to have been quite the trend in the 40s and 50s, and even into the 70s. Some people recalled that it really was all about the trip: you could get on or offwherever you liked, explore a new neighbourhood, meet people on the bus. Others thought the trip usually ended up at a club, but that only the driver knew where he was going. Some recalled being taken up north, others to the Maples Inn in Pointe Claire. One man wrote,
”Our Legion and others in the area have had "nowhere" bus tours. In this case the bus would travel to different Legion Branches, where refreshment and food awaited. The participants did not know where the tour would take them but the organizers had set it up with the branches to be visited, well in advance.
Participants were always assured of a warm welcome and plenty to eat and drink. A typical tour would leave at 9:00 A.M. and be back at the home Legion by 6:00. Approx 8 Legions would be visited.”
The fact that the trip mentioned on the ticket starts at the Old Stone House could suggest a Legion connection, but the start time of 7:45PM sounds more like dinner and dancing. Does “19-35 Club” sound like a social club associated with a church?
This blog post from Coolopolis mentions a “Nowhere bus” that used to leave from a pharmacy on St. Catherine Street, east of the Main.
Did you ever ride a bus to Nowhere? We’d love to hear your memories!
A rare photo of the old Crawford Park school.