“Clansman,
we gie ye the best o’ a’ Hielan’ welcome” said Detroit Mayor William Thompson
to the arriving Royal Caledonian Curlers at the Canadian Pacific railway
station on Friday February 2, 1912. A parade
was formed headed by a pipe band and a march made to city hall and then to St.
Andrew’s Hall on Congress Street. After
a few speeches (none more than 3 minutes in length) and refreshments the parade
reformed and the pipers led the Highlanders to the Hotel Cadillac where dinner
was served.
Later
at The Detroit Curling Club the visitors played six games (16 ends per game)
against Detroit curlers. Detroit was
victorious with a total score of 89 to 85.
Saturday
morning the visitors were taken on a trolley ride along the banks of the
Detroit River and Lake St. Clair. Upon
arrival at the lake, ice boats were waiting and curlers given rides over the
ice. Then the group headed back to The
Detroit Curling Club on Forest Avenue where curlers from Grand Rapids, Toledo,
Petrolia, Sarnia, Chatham and Windsor were waiting.
It
took the Scottish visitors some time to become accustomed to Detroit’s climate
and ice conditions, but when they got the hang of it, they proved to be masters
on the ice. They played six matches and
won with a total score of 84 to 58. After an evening banquet the visitors returned
to the train station for a night train to Chicago. One of the visitors declared that “Detroit
leads the World for hospitality and good fellowship. We did not have a dull moment from first to
last and that the entertainment was delightfully informal”.
The
commemorative pin shown above was given to each of the visiting Scots. I do not believe that any pins were given to
the local curlers. This is the only
example that I have seen (either in person or online). It was acquired on eBay from a pin collector
in Japan – go figure. The Detroit
Curling Club’s pin used during this time period displayed the city of Detroit
seal. This commemorative pin displays
the Coat of Arms of the State of Michigan.
Both were designed by DCC member John Kay and manufactured by Wright-Kay
Jewelers. The slogan “In Detroit Life Is
Worth Living” is from a poem written in 1908 by Edgar A. Guest, Poet Laureate
of Detroit. The poem was used by the
Detroit Convention and Tourist Bureau in 1911 for a visitors’ brochure promoting
the city of Detroit. The slogan was used
on buttons and other souvenirs. It has
also been copied and reworded by countless cities, counties and states
throughout the years.
Good Curling,
Angus
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