Lot 106

Lot 106

Interesting oversized cabinet card identified on the back as “Bears at Hotel Roberval Lake St John Canada, July 1896.” We see two large bears just outside their enclosures, with one grabbing a bite out of the feeding troughs. Unfortunately, they are wearing chains, and from information online semi-domesticated bears were kept as entertainment for high-end guests. Evidently there is a rare postcard featuring the bears that is highly collectible, but we couldn’t find an example online.
According to a bio online of Benjamin Alexander Scott, “In 1888, the opening of the Quebec and Lake Saint John Railway, with its terminus at Roberval, made it possible to connect the region with other markets and gave Scott a chance to put to use the experience he had gained in the Price Mill. In partnership with the railway’s builder, Horace Jansen Beemer, he sought to take advantage of the region’s forest resources and potential for tourism. In 1888 the two men built the Hôtel Roberval in Roberval on the southwest shore of Lac Saint-Jean. Soon tourists from all over the world were coming to the hotel, attracted by such activities as fishing for freshwater salmon (ouananiche). After an extension was added in 1891, the establishment had 257 luxurious, spacious rooms, and offered a multitude of services. At the end of the first decade of the 20th century, however, the tourist boom in the Lac-Saint-Jean region came to an end. Fire had destroyed one of Scott and Beemer’s steamboats in 1907, the Hôtel Roberval in 1908, and Island House, a chalet of some 30 rooms that Beemer had built for fishermen, in 1909.”
The image is in very good condition with strong tones and contrast. There is one tiny wrinkle in the photo on the top far left side.  There are few spots as seen.

Opening bid: $10