The CPR Gardens at Port McNicoll

The CPR Gardens in Port McNicoll were a tourist attraction in and of themselves, and many came specifically to stroll through the display who were not passengers on the CPR.  Richard Kay, a Scottish immigrant who had initially come to the area to tend to the gardens of a local lumber baron, started the gardens at Port McNicoll.  Together with John Bell, who ran the greenhouses on the docks, Kay managed the gardens until his death, at which point Bell took over as foreman.  The flowers for the gardens came from Bell’s greenhouses, which were heated with steam from the CPR’s laundry.  Work began on the flowerbeds in March of each year.  The gardens were famous for their flowers laid out in geometric patterns, their sunflowers, hollyhocks, sweet William and geraniums, which were Bell’s specialty.  They were watered and manicured each night by six men, and were a perfect place for CPR passengers to pause while waiting for their ships to board.