Click on the picture to see a larger version.
The year "1912" picked out in flowers around the fountain dates this photo from the twilight of the horse cab era in Winnipeg. An automobile dominates the foreground and the two horse cabs (large yellow box) may be waiting for another automobile -- that is, a taxicab -- to vacate the favoured parking spot on the city hall stand (small box).
Source:
City Hall Square, Winnipeg, Man., Canada. University of Saskatchewan Archives, XXIX 102.77. Valentine postcard no. 109509.
| Winnipeg Cab History / 30 Parking on the City Hall Stand The photos of the City Hall cab stand raise a puzzling question -- why are single cabs so often parked at the back end of the cab stand (the north or Market Avenue end) rather than at the front end (the south or William Avenue end)? This is opposite to normal cab stand behaviour, as illustrated at Street Cabs. The photo at left seems to confirm that the north end of the cabs stand was the preferred parking spot. The two cabs identified by the large yellow box are parked on Market Avenue. They are in position to round the corner onto Main Street when the parking spot becomes vacant.
The parking spot on Main Street (small box) is obscured, but it looks like an automobile -- that is, a taxicab -- is parked there. There seems to be a car wheel protruding toward the right side of the picture and there is no evidence of a horse. Cab drivers would have parked on this spot if most walk-up traffic approached the stand from the north. At the same time they had clear view of fares hailing them from the south (William Avenue) end of the stand and could simply drive forward to pick them up.
|