Dartmouth, N.S. company helped establish ice-skating and hockey as two of Canada’s favourite winter sports
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, February 22, 2012 — On behalf of the Honourable Peter Kent, Canada's Environment Minister and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, the Honourable Stephen Greene, Senator, today unveiled a Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque commemorating Starr Manufacturing Company, as a national historic event. A special ceremony was held at the Dartmouth Sportsplex Arena.
“I am pleased to recognize the national historic significance of Starr Manufacturing,” said Minister Kent. “The Starr Manufacturing Company is an important industrial enterprise in Canadian history. It was a preeminent ice skate maker for three-quarters of a century; its ACME Spring Skate, patented in the 1860s, is regarded as the most important 19th century advancement in skate design. This innovation helped to establish ice-skating and hockey as two of Canada’s favourite winter recreations.”
One of the top ice skate manufacturers in the world until the 1930s, the Starr Manufacturing Company was responsible for the production of John Forbes’ Patent Spring Skate, which was considered the best ice skate of its time. Furthermore, its continual innovation in its ice skates designs promoted better skating performance and enjoyment and prompted further innovations. Finally, it took up distribution of hockey sticks, which had been hand-carved by Mi’kmaq in Nova Scotia since the mid-nineteenth century. When demand for sticks grew rapidly, the company produced its own factory-made model based on the original.
“It is fitting that we should be commemorating the historical significance of Starr Manufacturing and the impact it had on Canadian culture and society this winter, with the excitement in skating that has been generated locally by the Oval,” said Senator Greene. “This designation will help present and future generations of Canadians appreciate the history of the Starr Manufacturing Company and its contribution to the great Canadian enjoyment of winter sport on ice.”
Created in 1919, and supported by Parks Canada, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada advises the Minister of the Environment regarding the national historic significance of places, people and events that have marked Canada’s history. Parks Canada manages a nation-wide network of national historic sites that make up the rich tapestry of Canada’s cultural heritage and which offers visitors the opportunity for real and inspiring discoveries.
For additional information, please see the accompanying backgrounder at www.parkscanada.gc.ca under Media Room.
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Information:
Danielle Hickey
Communications Officer
Mainland Nova Scotia Field Unit
Parks Canada
902-426-1553
902-483-5184
www.twitter.com/parkscanada_ns
Backgrounder associated with this News Release.
The Starr Manufacturing Company
