In 1846, a giant temperance meeting was held on property donated by
John Bowslaugh, after which, the location was changed annually. In
1859 it was decided that a permanent location for the camp meetings
was necessary and the meetings returned to the grove with the first
of many meetings being held the same year. Noah Phelps was one of
the committee members who was instrumental in the parks
developement and remained to oversee the park as it's president
until 1899, six months before his death in 1900.
By 1854 the park had regular train service with a stop being
constructed on the Great Western Railway. Grand Avenue was the
entrance from the train station.
In 1874 the property was purchased from John Bowslaugh and
contruction of 50, 1-1/2 story cottages were built to better house
attendees. As you drive through this area today, you will see a few
of these cottages still exist in one form or another. Many have had
additions but if you look carefully you will still see the "shape"
of the original and rebuilt cottages.
By 1876 Grimsby park had become a regular stop for ferries bringing
patrons in from Hamilton, Port Dalhousie, and Toronto after a pier
had been built to receive them.
The park became a small village unto itself and boasted two hotels,
post office, telegraph office, law enforcement, and a jail located
in the hotel. Being a religious camp the rules were very strict,
there was to be no alcohol or foul language, and a lights-out/quiet
curfew of 10:30 PM was to be observed (except for Saturday night.)
On Sundays there were to be no sports or work performed. When boat
and rail service became available to the park, no one was permitted
to travel on that day as those services were not allowed to stop at
the park on the Sabbath. All guests were expected to attend church
services. One story relates that a boy was locked up in jail for
playing a mouth organ on Sunday!
A large bell was installed in the garden park and was used to call
worshippers to service.
In 1888 "The Temple" was built (later called "The Auditorium") The
temple was a 37-meter diameter circular building with a central
dome that topped out at 30 meters. Capacity was 7,000. Our first
stop visits a monument at the location of The Temple.
The turn of the century saw many new changes to the park,
electricity was introduced in 1904, rules were relaxed to reflect
the large number of non-Methodist visitors.
In 1910 the park changed hands, and it's new owner, Harry Wylie,
established a midway along the entrance street with two carousels,
a fish pond, a miniature railway, a shooting gallery, a snake
charmer, and an octopus tank. Another attraction was The "Exciting
Electric Lady". She had a wand that touched people and gave them
electrical shocks! He built a dancehall (later called the casino)
at the foot of Park Road right on the lake. He also constructed a
movie theatre and built a figure 8 rollercoaster.
A number of fires destroyed cottages and the hotels in the Park,
with many being rebuilt.
The figure 8 coaster was replaced in 1923 with a deep dipper
coaster.
The stock market crash of 1929 signalled the decline of the park.
Ferry service was stopped, the midway was discontinued and many
shops including the casino were closed. The casino re-opened in
1936 and continued until 1948 when it burned down.
Construction of the QEW severed a large piece of the park and a new
entrance was built. A stone and wood arch was a memorial to the
visit by King George and Queen Elizabeth located at the new
entrance. The wooden arch now declared the park name to be Grimsby
Beach.
By 1948, most things at Grimsby Beach had shut down bringing the
parks history to a close.
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Now to find the cache we will test to see how much you have
learned. We will be testing both your reading and math skills.
Those who score an "A" will find the final cache, those who
don't... lets just say I hope you enjoy the scenery.
Remember to perform the math only on the minutes portion of the
co-ordinates.
First stop - Temple Cairn
Located in the centre of Auditorium Circle you will find the Temple
Cairn. On it's plaque you will find two dates, the year of the
first camp meeting (FCM) and the cairn erection date (CED) You will
also need to know the temple construction date (TCD) and the year
Noah Phelps died (NPD)
North co-ord = N43 07.808 + ((CED+NPD)/1000)
West co-ord = W079 31.316 - ((FCM-TCD)/100)
Stop 2 - Objects from the past
At this stop you will find two "antique" objects. From the first
object you need to find the year that the Bell was
constructed(BCD)and the year Margaret died (YMD). But you will also
need to know the year train service started (TSS) and the year
ferry service started (FSS).
North co-ord = N43 07.822 + ((BCD+TSS)/1000)
West co-ord = W079 32.012 - ((YMD-FSS)/100)
Stop 3 - Gateway to the past
At this stop you need to find the year the visitors came (YVC). You
will also need to find the year the "Electric Lady Started (ELS),
and the year the roller coaster was replaced (RCR), along with the
year the park closed down (PCD)
North co-ord = N43 07.849 + ((YVC+RCR)/1000)
West co-ord = W079 31.194 - ((ELS-PCD)/100)
Now if you have done your homework, you're off to the final. Keep
your head up and your boots dry.
Cache is a standard clear, round plastic container. Please make
sure the cache is hidden exactly as you found it. Use some stealth
when retrieving the cache as the area is frequented by
geophytes.
