Old skates provide a glimpse into history

From necessity to mass production for fun and sport, skates have a storied past

It is a rite of passage for many Canadian kids to learn to skate.

Growing up, there were sometimes skates during school time, annual grade-level skate races, junior hockey and, for me, ringette.

Canadians often have a sense of ownership over winter sports, evidenced by our country’s strength in the Winter Olympics. But our country is young and we may not be aware of the origins of some winter sports, including where skates began.

ANTIQUE WOODEN ICE SKATES

Originally from Montreal, Carol Ann Watt has lived in Cole Harbour, N.S., since 1978.

Watt has had a pair of stylish antique wooden ice skates in her possession for about 48 to 50 years.

“I purchased them from an antique barn in Quebec, west of Montreal, circa 1974. I was with my mother taking a drive in the country on a Sunday afternoon and was around 23 years old or so at the time.”

The skates originally had old leather straps, which Watt threw out and now regrets doing so.

She believes the skates may have originated from Holland or England because of the style and may date to the 1700 to 1800s.

She had the impression that most of the antiques in that barn in Quebec many years ago were from Europe or England because there were also a lot of old English silver items and trays for sale that all had English markings.

Although Watt originally had the skates for sale on Facebook Marketplace, she has since decided not to sell them until she finds out more about them.

Watt’s skates consist of a wood platform with hand-forged iron runners that have a curled-up front end that

Carol Ann Watt has had these antique skates in her possession for around 50 years. meets the front of the wood platform.

ORIGINATED IN

THE NETHERLANDS

Iron skate blades originated in the Netherlands in the 14th century. To aid skaters gliding over rough ice, the Dutch developed skates with a high curly prow at the front of the blade, like Watt’s pair of skates.

The word Brante is visible on one side of Watt’s antique skate blade and this is for Gerrit Lubertus Brante, who lived in Amsterdam. In 1876, Brante became a bread shop keeper and later a blacksmith’s servant. Around 1890, he became a shopkeeper in hardware.

Around 1920, Brante had a shop in copper and ironware, which included a forge, and he owned this shop until it was taken over around 1925. From this information, we know the blades for Watt’s skates were created sometime between 1890 and 1925. So, Watt was correct in her assumption that her skates originated from Holland.

Judy Scherer from Cornwall, P.E.I., has in her possession a pair of children’s vintage Dominion skates, which she purchased at a charity shop.

Scherer is a reseller and has had these skates for sale for two years or so because “sometimes it takes a very long time to sell an item online — either it just isn’t visible to enough folks at the right time (meaning when they are looking online at marketplace), or perhaps it’s just not of interest.”

These vintage skates have adjustable straps and were used for children to learn to skate as they have four blades. This type of skate is designed to be worn over children’s footwear, more than likely winter boots.

DOMINION

SKATE COMPANY

Paul C. Charlton’s father C.H. Charlton (1913-2011) began the Dominion Skate Company in Ontario in 1946, coincidently the same year Paul was born.

He learned the skate-making trade from his uncle H.W. (William) Dunne of Dunne Skate Co., which was located in Toronto. H.W. Dunne had learned the skate manufacturing trade while employed by CCM Weston in the late 1800s, according to Charlton.

The W.H. Dunne Skate Company appeared in a City of Toronto Directory in 1896 and a January 1908 ad in Rod and Gun magazine that reads "The Dunne Diamond Tube Skate.

The skate of Quality, Elegance and Durability — proved by a test of the past twelve years. Fully guaranteed. W.H. Dunne Factory, 1492 Queen St. West, Toronto. Canada."

It is said that the Dunne company was at one time one of the largest skate makers in North America and many NHL players wore Dunne’s skates.

Charlton said his father started his business in a rented unheated garage in Lakeview West, Toronto.

C.H. Charlton initially made toy drums, basket stands for laundry, bicycle carriers, sidewalk roller skates and later bob skates.

Charlton said the kids on the original box containing Judy Scherer’s vintage Dominion skates are meant to represent Jack and Jill from the nursery rhyme and were also used on earlier sidewalk roller skates. He also said this box was used until the company started using an improved four-colour box in the late 1980s.

“Our main fame came from the large quantities of adult quad roller skates we built during the short roller skate craze late in the 1970s,” said Charlton. “We had the best mid-price skates by far and the largest production.”

After the roller skating craze passed, Charlton said the company focused on figure skate manufacturing and eventually became the sport’s biggest supplier in Canada.

“We were also the biggest maker of skateboards in Canada from 1985 to 1990,” said Charlton.

The Dominion Skate Company closed its doors in 2014.