OFFICIAL
TAY HERITAGE CACHE

We have hidden geocaches all around Tay Township that give inside information on the history of our community. We call them Tay Heritage Caches. Hopefully you can find all of our caches and learn more about our unique heritage. Good luck and have fun!

Where you stand right now is a very significant part of Victoria Harbour's heritage. John Waldie came to the area in 1886 and saw potential for a great saw mill. That potential eventually turned into success because in 1905 the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company became the second largest milling operation in Canada. To his credit, life was not just about work, but also about community. John Waldie had some significant buildings built right on this street that became pillars of the community.

Looking up Albert Street, on your left is a beautiful burgundy building. This is the local library that John Waldie built for the village in 1915 because the citizens voted to keep prohibition. Across the street from the old library is a large yellow building known as the old Company Store. Back in the day you could buy anything there, if they didn’t have it then chances were that nobody had it. Behind the old library, where the new library currently stands, was the Royal Victoria Hotel. The hotel was the most happening spot in town and doubled as a boarding house for employees. Across the street from the hotel and behind the Company Store used to stand the Company Office. The office was where all of the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company's business was dealt. The Company Office along with many other buildings in the community were painted in the company colours, canary yellow. This led to Victoria Harbour being known as Canary Town. The Company Office and the Royal Victoria Hotel sadly no longer exist. The buildings were made almost entirely of wood which the company obviously had in abundance. More obvious than that is how easily wood burns, as both buildings burnt to the ground on two separate occasions.