Once upon a time, South Cameron Ave. ran all the way Tecumseh Rd. near the Michigan Central Train Station to Howard Avenue and Kenilworth Race Track. South Cameron hugged the rail line the entire way. Interesting to note, that Grand Marais also crossed the tracks back then too.
Today carved up by the Expressway and shopping plazas, the road terminates at Dougall and picks up again behind the roundhouse centre for a short distance. The line in red shows the original path of the road, overlaid on a current aerial view.
Looking at the view in Google Earth, it appeared that part of the road might still be in existence in the area between Dougall and the Expressway. A line of telephone poles in a parking lot mark the route of the old road.
An old sign frame on the pole, this probably once held a speed limit sign.
Slightly overgrown, and chopped off my the expressway, there was still a concrete road there.
Far from anything that would need it, a lamppost sits in the middle of some overgrown brush.
Concrete curbs mark the driveway to something long gone. This was near the light, maybe it was once a gas station?
Another view of the light.
A final view of the ghost road. As I’ve said before, more history right under our noses.
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Thanks guys! While out there shooting, we were trying to determine which one was the Burger King. The old pint shop has the ghost of a gas pump island out front. When it was an Esso I wonder if there was access to South Cameron out the back... humm...
Andrew, I think there was an outlet to South Cameron back of there...........if I recall there was a slip road behind the Riv (Riviera Hotel and Tavern...now that place would be an interesting post from days gone past) and then the present version of South Cameron continues past the Kenilworth development to Howard Avenue.
As always great input from the readers and the host. Thanks to all.
I've been meaning, on a trip back to Windsor, to go look at the ghost golf course that Woodall's used to connect too. I golfed there a few times when I was 10 (before the very idea of that "sport" gave me the creeps, as it does now) in the 1980s. The first hole was on the west side of Ouellette where the Supercentre went in, then you had to either cross the street, or walk around under the overpass, to the rest of course, which is still there. 8 or 9 holes, and a little pond. Probably can still find the greens and tee areas. Seems crazy that people climbed the embankment to cross the busy street with their clubs, but they did all the time.
Maybe i'll do that in a couple weeks when I come down.
Shawn, you've thrown me for a loop. I grew up in the area and thought I knew it well, even been all over in that thicket from my childhood.... I don't remember having to climb over Ouellette to get to the other side, wasn't there a passage way underneath? Now this is going to drive me nutz. It will be tricky to get back there now. The old way from why I was a child was from the section where Memorial drive ran thru Jackson Park, and a hole in the fence by the tracks, but I understand that is all blockaded off from even pedestrian access. I'd love to snoop around back there too, for old-times.
Oh BTW that was a very busy Burker King in its day, Shawn, before the median along Dougall was built making car access in/out very inconvenient in a commercial section that's already unwalkable and no nearby houses either.
It's interesting that those sorts of Burger King's came around for the car, and were killed by the fickle car.
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There was the passage underneath yes -- but I think people took a short cut over top. There was a worn path up and down the embankment.
I think you can get to it via McDougal and the tennis stuff there. At least on google it looks easy -- haven't been back there in years and years.
And so Burger King simply kept moving further south--to the spot close to Woolco--and once that plaza was redeveloped--further south again.
Shawn, the last time I was in that area the pond was still there...leeches and all but the grass is now wild and more trees have grown. A nice oasis in the middle of the city if you ask me.
My recollection is that Woodalls was closer to downtown bounded by Dougall, Jackson Park and Victoria, across the street from Value Village - I just found it again on Google Earth- you can still clearly see the greens if you zoom in...more history under our noses to quote Andrew
the location Andrew has pointed out is further south and doesn't relate to Woodalls- the Burger King was a favourite haunt near the current site of U-haul- also in the same area as the Riviera Hotel
and yes this is the ideal route for the border crossing but the DRTP lost the PR war...
and it's only a coincidence that city owns the tunnel...