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266:, snowshoeing songs, jokes, dancing and "bouncing," the name given to an unusual but favourite custom of the Montreal snowshoers. It was started by the MSSC and afterwards popularly adopted by all the other snowshoe clubs set up after them. Guests of honour, new members or winners of snowshoe races were "bounced", by being thrown into the air repeatedly and caught either by hands or a blanket, as depicted in the picture.
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480:: "This was a signal failure, the presence of an animated background proving too much for the dignity of the officers, who after several attempts at a suitable state of solemnity, gave up all idea of a picture, much to the delight of background brilliants". The old military camaraderie that had surrounded the MSSC since its origins remained, and prior to the
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clubs in Canada. In the period before 1867, Lindsay remarks, "a history of snowshoeing in Canada is virtually a history of snowshoeing in
Montreal, and, in particular, the Montreal Snow Shoe Club". The MSSC laid the foundations for many other winter and sporting clubs to be established in Montreal,
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The club's popularity continued to grow year on year and from 1850 they extended their weekly 'tramps' to
Tuesday afternoons as well as Saturdays. The annual races were held at the end of February and the stewards who oversaw the events were usually commanding officers stationed in
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In the 1860s, with the rise in the popularity of the Club's races, interest in the MSSC's weekly tramps began to wane. In an effort to revive popularity, club colours were adopted in 1869 to increase the visibility of its members. The colour
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The
Montreal Snow Shoe Club: its history and record, with a synopsis of the racing events of other clubs throughout the Dominion, from 1840 to the present time. By Hugh W. Becket (Beckett Bros., 1882)
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bleu'. At the top a hearty dinner was served in their clubhouse, the club's songs were further sung and before the descent new members were "bounced". The MSSC significantly added to
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since the 18th century. From the 1870s, club membership badges were sewn on to members' blanket coats - red and white in the early 1870s, and red, white and blue from 1875.
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and loyalty to the common law of Snow Shoers made any formal code unnecessary. In addition to the weekly 'tramps', the club introduced annual races at the old
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S. F. Wise and D. Fisher. "Montreal" in Canada’s
Sporting Heroes: Their Lives and Times (Don Mills, Ontario: General Publishing Co. Ltd., 1974). pp. 13-26.
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that "served to magnetize those from whom old age had eradicated their tender passion;" but in the continuing melodic synonyms of the club's first
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These tournaments soon became an array of popular individual events cheered on by throngs of spectators. The races were concluded with a large
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being elected president. Its 'rules' were drawn from the unwritten traditions of this "Band of
Brothers", when memory stood in the place of
526:(a charity that works to protect and preserve Mount Royal Park), re-introducing snowshoe tramps by traditional torchlight up the mountain.
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in 1867, 'Evergreen' Hughes gave a speech linking the snowshoers' "bodily superiority" to the success of the "future
Kingdom of Canada".
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of the MSSC were to be taken. After the first of all the members (which did not come out well), a second was to be taken of just the
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235:(notably Narcisse and 'the wonder' Keroniare). In those days, ingenuity was welcomed, and Ermatinger heartily congratulated an
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In 1843, when membership had significantly increased, the club was informally organized with
Colonel Charles Ermatinger of the
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599:
Peter L. Lindsay, "A History of Sport in Canada, 1807-1867" (Ph.D. diss., The
University of Alberta, Edmonton, 1969), p. 71.
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215:. In good spirit, the club relished all challengers, no matter of their station in life: The MSSC, made up of British
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has accused more than one of the handsome fellows who stretched their pedal extremities under mine host Tetu's
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It is not known when the MSSC members first adopted the outfits they became known for, or when the first
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365:, the better for his purpose. Off they go at a rattling pace, for the President steps out, like him of
353:; for your snowshoer looks with contempt upon the beaten road. The more of impediments in the shape of
39:(and probably the world) and led the way for hundreds of other clubs like it to be established across
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318:... all the members are in appropriate costume, namely, a blanket coat (white and hooded), with
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169:, where the proprietor, one Monsieur Tetu, "afforded every luxury relished by the jolly crew".
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In 1840, the first twelve members of the as yet unnamed
Montreal Snow Shoe Club (though mainly
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The MSSC organized an array of races, but they are best remembered for their night-time
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Fashion: A Canadian
Perspective by Alexandra Palmer (University of Toronto Press, 2004)
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35:. Founded in 1840 by twelve well-known young men, it was the first club of its sort in
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names too) started by meeting up every Saturday to 'tramp' out into the surrounding
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From this institution other clubs quickly sprang up, notably the two most famous
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that pioneered the organization of sport in Montreal. In the 19th century, only
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and, "the echo of the shouts and laughter that rang thro' the tree tops of old
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145:, 1892; one of the array of individual events thought up by the MSSC from 1843
47:. Though as a club the MSSC was significantly pre-dated by others such as the
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562:. He mentions also Mr Lamontagne, Mr Lamothe, Mr Harris and one Frank Brown.
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became synonymous with the MSSC and its members. Tuques had been popular in
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453:. In January, 1859, Nicholas 'Evergreen' Hughes presided over the first
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History of the Montreal Snow Shoe Club from 1840 (1882), by Hugh Becket
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as the most sociable, colourful and cheerful place to spend winter.
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joined the club for one such tramp and recounted his experience,
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Half past seven o'clock! and here we are at the 'rendezvous' in
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presiding over the establishment in conjunction with her lord".
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Members of the MSSC at their traditional meeting place, the
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clubs in Montreal alone, which led to the creation of the
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and Canadians who would become associated with Montreal's
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417:The MSSC's arch constructed in 1878 to welcome
129:being "bounced" as a member of the MSSC in 1886
381:'), and each member has to keep up with him...
322:attached, firmly bound round the waist with a
172:Tetu's was well-known not just for his choice
211:along the St. Pierre River, in what is now
728:Sports clubs and teams established in 1840
342:... adorned round the sides with tufts of
258:given for all the competitors; involving
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161:. After a walk of between ten and twelve
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338:-skin; together with the indispensable
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673:"A Short History of the Tuques Bleues"
546:; Nicholas Hughes Burroughs; The Hon.
758:Quebec Anglophone culture in Montreal
748:Defunct organizations based in Canada
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239:named Deroche, who on a particularly
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556:Sir George Conway Colthurst 5th Bt.
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503:. By 1885, there were twenty five
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653:A la Canadienne, by Beaudoin-Ross
534:In 1882, Hugh Becket, the MSSC's
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509:Union Canadienne des Raquetteurs
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72:and notably the world's first
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110:'s reputation throughout the
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23:(MSSC) was a sports club in
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49:Royal Montreal Curling Club
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552:George Washington Stephens
499:(founded in 1878) and the
390:was chosen for the club's
520:Tuques Bleues Celebration
225:non-commissioned officers
298:processions were led up
243:day had beaten him in a
712:Montreal Snow Shoe Club
677:Les amis de la montagne
643:McCord Museum, Montreal
524:Les Amis de la Montagne
482:Confederation of Canada
127:Lord Stanley of Preston
21:Montreal Snow Shoe Club
548:Charles-Joseph Coursol
522:has been organized by
461:must have astonished '
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201:Royal Montreal Cavalry
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223:, competed alongside
184:, Hugh Becket: "Dame
153:, there were several
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714:at Wikimedia Commons
572:McGill Outdoors Club
501:Trappeur de Montréal
497:Canadien de Montréal
409:Spirit and expansion
397:, and soon the term
167:Saint Jacques Street
81:torchlit processions
16:Canadian sports club
738:History of Montreal
433:, such as Generals
308:Montreal Transcript
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221:Golden Square Mile
209:horse racing field
176:and Henry Hogan's
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85:McGill's Gatehouse
743:Sport in Montreal
710:Media related to
560:Edward Goff Penny
540:Edward Ermatinger
455:Presidents Dinner
316:Sherbrooke Street
284:Sherbrooke Street
137:A hurdle race on
98:and the infamous
63:(and much later,
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685:. Retrieved
681:the original
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753:Snowshoeing
513:Quebec City
474:photographs
459:Mount Royal
399:tuque bleue
379:the Rockies
375:Thunderbolt
300:Mount Royal
286:, before a
159:countryside
118:Early years
87:up through
57:snowshoeing
722:Categories
578:References
403:New France
65:ice hockey
687:8 January
536:historian
515:in 1907.
491:clubs in
392:tasselled
340:snow-shoe
332:moccasins
306:from the
296:moonlight
288:moonlight
249:snowshoes
229:voyageurs
227:, former
182:historian
139:snowshoes
100:tasselled
96:trappeurs
93:Québécois
55:, it was
566:See also
505:snowshoe
493:Montreal
478:officers
463:McTavish
439:Williams
431:Montreal
423:Montreal
351:mountain
304:reporter
270:Clothing
264:speeches
217:officers
190:mahogany
143:Montreal
69:snowshoe
61:lacrosse
51:and the
43:and the
25:Montreal
447:Lindsay
359:ditches
344:crimson
205:Minutes
495:: The
451:Michel
443:Paulet
395:tuques
363:fences
361:, and
355:hedges
320:capote
280:McGill
260:toasts
256:dinner
237:Indian
213:Verdun
186:Rumour
155:French
108:Quebec
41:Canada
33:Canada
29:Quebec
467:ghost
336:moose
174:viand
163:miles
151:Anglo
104:tuque
83:from
689:2012
469:'."
449:and
435:Eyre
388:blue
367:cork
347:wool
328:belt
324:sash
241:icey
231:and
194:dame
19:The
554:);
465:'s
421:to
377:of
334:of
326:or
141:in
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604:^
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437:,
357:,
76:.
31:,
27:,
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102:'
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