Archives

June 2011
S M T W T F S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
2627282930  

Happy Friday once again everyone! Today’s photo is a bit of a mystery. I sadly don’t have much background on it either…

It is dated April 18, 1954, and the caption on the back reads:

    Wolfgang Feller Windsor Roadhouse Prop. – Wolf Hotel

I did find the photo above in a book from 1913. The caption reads as follows:

    WOLF’S HOTEL
    For twenty-six years, more than a quarter of a century, Wolfgang Feller has conducted a popular summer resort familiarly known as “Wolf’s”. This pleasure haunt has long had an international reputation gained by the excellent quality of its table, together with the unsurpassed beauty of its surroundings. Located on the Canadian side of the Detroit River, the place stands opposite historic Peach Island. Accessible both by cars and boats, it has been the mecca for thousands of lovers of pleasure every year since it was opened to the public. To attempt a comprehensive description of Walkerville without telling all about Wolf’s would be like attempting to stage “Hamlet” without, Hamlet.

    Fishing in season and boating are to be enjoyed. The scenic beauty of the country adjoining this locality enhances the enjoyment of the many guests. The principal feature of “Wolf’s”, however, is the well spread table — that which, appeals to the inner man. Unsurpassed cuisine, carefully selected foods of the choicest that a large market affords, and surpassing all, perfectly prepared fresh fish, fowl, frogs’ legs and all kinds of game in season have made “Wolf’s” a name long to be remembered.

    Many travellers and tourists en route from east and west plan, while stopping in this vicinity, to enjoy an excursion to this famous resort. The proprietor, of long experience in purveying to the tastes of discriminating people, has the distinction of being host to more guests than many conducting hotels in many of the larger cities.

    Reservation may be made in advance by mail, or by telephone to 670-1 ring.

Sounds like it was quite the place.

Have a good weekend everyone, see you back here Monday.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Andrew

View Comments

  • could this place be Abars now?The bar at the end of Loazon rood.Something tell s me it is.

  • No it's not Abar's - I was talking with Bernie Drouillard last night, who told me there was a streetcar passing track at Wolf's Landing in Riverside. He said it was just east of today's Riverside and Dieppe and that the roadhouse was approximately where the parking garage for Solidarity Towers is today.

    http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Windsor,+Essex+County,+Ontario,+Canada&ll=42.341913,-82.93637&spn=0,0.006968&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=42.341952,-82.936456&panoid=y0687CrAkEbkZMogmOlZoA&cbp=12,88.09,,0,-2.6

  • The Thomas Inn was where Lili Kazilli's is now. Bertha Thomas had quite a reputation (what it was, I'm not sure) and has a nice tombstone in St Alphonsus Cemetary along the Howard Fence.

  • Aaron i read the original rum runners book years ago and it never made any mention of wolf's inn i do know that they had a buzzer system in all the riverfront bars to warn each other about raids from the police that book was rewritten but i haven't had a chance to read it maybe it mentions something in the newer edition

  • Perhaps it's where the Windsor Yacht Club is? Not much else along there that "stands opposite historic Peach(sic) Island".

  • from the Windsor Star Nov 4 1975, a story about digging up an old skeleton at Feller's old house (not the inn) at 8835 Riverside East.

    "The 1 1/2 storey house, complete with a basement, was built in 1921 buy Wolfgang Feller, a German immigrant who owned an inn near where Solidarity Towers stands today.
    The house was sold upon Mr Feller's death. He had no relatives in Canada.
    Although no one yet knows where the body came from observers at the site speculated it was the skeleton of an Indian, or a rum runner or even an immigrant worker who died while the house was being built......."

  • Interesting. Never really heard about this place either, especially in all the rum running tales.
    Very surprised I didn't even know where it was!

  • perhaps Wolfgang Feller wasn't in on the rum running. He made his honest living with his good, German style cooking?

  • Came across a funny story about this place in the May 9, 1915 edition of the Detroit Free Press. For several weeks, Feller had noticed that someone had been removing all the corks and drinking his liquor straight out of his storage room. Eventually, he caught the thief in the act...It was a muskrat from the Detroit River. The muskrat would sneak into the room through a little hole and "party" it up. At first, Feller thought it was funny and let the muskrat be. That is until he noticed that a group of muskrats began following the original muskrat into the storage room. Feller then gave the muskrats a round of whiskey on the house, before breaking the party up with a shotgun. He never had any liquor go missing ever again.

Recent Posts

2177 Victoria Avenue

Built in 1929, the house at 2177 Victoria Avenue was originally numbered 1545 Victoria, pre…

1 week ago

Crescent Lanes – 871 Ottawa

Crescent Lanes first opened on Ottawa Street in 1944 at 1055 Ottawa Street, opposite Lanspeary…

2 months ago

1156 Ouellette – Oswald Janisse House

Above is a photo of the home of Mr & Mrs Oswald Janisse, located at…

4 months ago

White’s Restaurant & The Elbow Room – 33 Pitt Street East

in 1917 two Greek brothers Gus & Harry Lukos purchased a one story building on…

5 months ago

4219 Wyandotte Street East

Photo from Google Streetview A long time reader sent me an email the other week…

6 months ago

841 Ouellette – Final Days

An unremarkable end to a part of Windsor's history. The large vacant house at 841…

7 months ago