Going through my list of articles I have penned for Bayview dating back to 2013, I realized that while I celebrated the history of the Fort William Curling Club when they held their 125th anniversary, I have not given equal ink to another local storied curling facility, the Port Arthur Curling Centre (PACC). The organization, which changed its name from club to centre in 2023 to emphasize a more community focused facility, the same year they also elected their first female President, further enriching their proud history.
When curling was being played in Northwestern Ontario in the late 1870s matches were carried out on frozen lakes, rivers and ponds and on rented ice at established skating rinks, until local residents began to organize their own clubs. As it turns out the PACC is the oldest reported curling club in the region, having been built in 1887 and opened in January of 1888. The Rat Portage Curling Club was formed in 1889, followed soon after by the Keewatin Curling Club in 1890. The Fort William Curling Club (FWCC) was officially formed in 1891, with a rink being constructed in 1892.
To say that curling has changed over the years would be an understatement. While curlers of today just have to show up at their local rink with their broom and shoes in hand, curlers from earlier years had to bring along their own curling stones. It was those stones, all of various sizes, that in January of 1888 made their way down the 4-inch thick natural ice surface which marked the beginning of the PACC’s history.
Not only did early curlers have to provide their own rocks, they also had to play a lot more. In the early 1900s competitive games could go as long as eighteen to twenty-two ends. That number gradually declined, and by the time the first Brier was held in 1927 the top male curlers from across the country played fourteen ends. A year later twelve ends became the standard and by the late 1970s today’s ten end game became the norm.
Minutes from a 1907 meeting of the PACC set the membership fee at eight dollars but also indicated that the club was going through some difficult financial times with just over sixteen dollars in the bank and thirty-four dollars in outstanding debts. Undaunted, the club persevered and by 1910 had taken out a mortgage and purchased their property on Egan Street and hired R. Elliot as their manager. By 1911 further progress was made when, after what was reported as a lengthy discussion at the men’s semi-annual meeting, an afternoon ladies league was approved. The Port Arthur Ladies Curling Club was officially formed in the fall of 1925 with a membership of twenty-four curlers, and now close to a century later, it continues to provide curling opportunities for women of all ages.
During those early years the curling season would kick off with a Charity Bonspiel with the entry fee of food staples all donated to a local hospital. As with many sports at the Lakehead during that time, the rivalry was strong between the PACC and the FWCC and a major competition known as the Intercity Bonspiel soon became a much anticipated yearly occurrence.
By the 1920s teams were travelling from out of town to attend the popular event.
By the 1930s the PACC continued to grow, however, the future provided some challenges. In May of 1936 the building almost met destruction when a grass fire adjacent to the structure quickly spread to the facility. Luckily damage was contained to an exterior and interior wall as the all-timber structure could have easily been completely lost. In true sporting fashion the membership worked together to repair the damages and the club was up and running in time for the start of curling with its six sheets welcoming thirty rinks that season.
The next challenges included the economic hardships of the era and the impact of the war years, however, by the late 1940s the club took on a spirit of renewal. By 1950 the six sheet rink was replaced with a new eight sheet facility which was enhanced with artificial ice a couple of years later. In 1970, after holding an official mortgage burning party, the members of the PACC undertook yet another extensive renovation and have continued to improve upon their facility ever since.
Over the years a number of curlers from the PACC have represented the club with distinction at all levels of play. Since the team of Grant Watson, Don McEwen, Frank Sargent and Archie Grant represented the PACC at the 1953 Macdonald Brier, over sixty teams have competed in national Men’s, Women’s, Mixed, Senior, Mixed Doubles, Master’s, Club and Under-21 and Under-18 championships. National titles have been won by the 1991 Eila Brown Senior Women’s rink, the 1996 Jeff Currie Junior rink and the 2017 Trevor Bonot Mixed Curling rink, which also claimed Canada’s first world mixed curling medal, bringing home a silver from the 2017 World championships.
The outstanding volunteers of the PACC have also successfully hosted many national and provincial championships, as well as such highly popular events as the Heart to Heart, Sunlife Grand Prix, Oktoberfest and Grey Cup bonspiels and most recently the first-ever locally held Pride Spiel. Next up is the hosting of the 2025 Northern Ontario Curling Association (NOCA) men’s and women’s provincial championships taking place from January 21st to 26th, 2025. This competition will determine who will get to don the moose and the green and gold of Northern Ontario at the 2025 Scotties being held at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay from February 14th to 23rd and the 2025 Brier being held in Kelowna, British Columbia from February 28th to March 9th.
Just like many volunteer-run not-for-profit organizations, the PACC is not without its challenges as they continue to strive to operate during increasingly challenging economic times. Just as
their predecessors did before them,
I have no doubt that their dedicated group of volunteers and members, who continue to donate countless hours and resources to their facility, will be successful in meeting those challenges. As the traditional curling saying goes, I wish them all good luck and good curling as they carry on their organization’s legacy that began when those first rocks were thrown down the ice on that historic January day in 1888.
