La Grande Hermine in Jordan Harbour at Sunset 4
by John Twynam
Title
La Grande Hermine in Jordan Harbour at Sunset 4
Artist
John Twynam
Medium
Photograph
Description
The abandoned ship La Grande Hermine, a replica carrack, lies rotting in the water of Jordan Harbour near St. Catherines, Ontario during sunset.
La Grande Hermine is a replica of one of the 3 ships that Jacques Cartier used when exploring and the St. Lawrence river back in 1535. It was constructed in 1914 in Quebec and began as a ferry on the St. Lawrence, and later became a cargo ship, and then a floating restaurant. It was in 1991 that it was converted into a replica ship. This abandoned ship came to Jordan Harbour in 1997 with the intention of being turned into another restaurant or a gambling venue (there a different variations on this) by a businessman, who unfortunately passed away before he could see his dream come true. He was awaiting permission, along with lacking the funds to have it be used in Niagara Falls, which is why the ship was docked at Jordan Harbour for so long. Then in January of 2003, it was the victim of an arson fire. Luckily, the entire La Grande Hermine didn’t go up in smoke, and its damaged and “rustic” look actually adds to photographs and gives it more wonderment behind the history of this curious “shipwreck”. It is now a distinctive Niagara landmark and a favourite roadside attraction to many people.
I had stopped here in summer 2020, but since I was in the area doing some hiking, I thought I'd stop again on the way home. The timing worked out nicely, since I arrived right around sunset.
Uploaded
November 13th, 2021
Embed
Share
