Passage of Time

Large ships seen against the backdrop of picturesque Belle Isle are a very familiar sight to the residents of Riverside. This mural titled “Passage of Time”, features the largest freighter on the Great Lakes of its day – the “Lemoyne”.

Built in 1926, she was the flagship for Canada Steamship Lines fleet and was the first vessel to navigate the Welland Canal in 1932. In 1968 she was renamed the Glenmohr, converted to a grain storage barge, and was eventually scrapped in 1969. Hewn from fresh-cut trees along the Niagara River, the “Griffin” was built by the French explorer and fur trader, Rene Robert Cavalier de la Salle in 1670. LaSalle named Lake St. Clair as the Griffin crossed this body of water on the Catholic festival of Saint Clair. In 1679, the Griffin set sail for Niagara, and was never seen again. Depictions of this vessel are not actual renditions but artists’ concepts based on ship design of the period.

“Walk-in-the-water” was the first steamboat to sail the Great Lakes. It was named for the chief of the Wyandot peoples, as his totem was a turtle. First Nations women were known to make their children behave by telling them that Walk-in-the-water would come and carry them away. Built at Black Rock, NY, she was launched on May 28, 1818. Traveling 8 – 10 miles an hour and able to accommodate over 100 passengers, she made seven trips to Detroit, MI in her first season. On November 1821, she was driven ashore by gale-force winds near Buffalo, NY. All passengers and crew aboard the Walk-in-the-water survived but the steamer was damaged beyond repair.

The sailboat superimposed over a compass rose is the official icon of the Old Riverside Business Improvement Area. The compass rose has appeared on charts and maps since the 1300s. The term “rose” comes from the figure’s compass points resembling the petals of the well-known flower.

This 23m x 2.5m mural was sponsored by: Service Canada, The City of Windsor and the Old Riverside Business Improvement Area.

 

Artists
Steven Jamieson, David Kant, Donna Mayne, Jacqueline Raulin, Bernadette Robertson, Sherrill Tucker, JoAnne Weston

The City of Windsor Art Studio
Ph: 519 252 2444    Fx: 519 252 4733
E-mail: windsorartstudio@cogeco.net