CNE Flagpole – Once in Bandshell Park at Exhibition Place

The Canadian National Exhibition flagpole was once located in Bandshell Park at Exhibition Place in Toronto.

The 1930 British Columbia Fir Flagpole

The British Columbia fir was donated to the CNE by Timberland Lumber Co Ltd of New Westminster, British Columbia. In 1929, the giant pole was too large to be transported by railway, so it was shipped. It took a 13,679 km or 8,500-mile voyage from BC down the Pacific coast, through the Panama Canal, and up the Eastern seaboard. From there, it travelled down the St Lawrence to Montreal, then onto Toronto, arriving here in the summer of 1929. Equipment and boats supplied by the Toronto Harbour Commission moved it from ship to land at the Exhibition grounds. The pole sat for a year to season (dry) on a specially prepared platform.

A large hole was excavated to support the flagpole. In it, a poured concrete block was set on an iron base. The pole was bracketed at the base with steel. The above-ground portion of the concrete base was fashioned into a bench. A wide bronze band was attached to a lighting conductor near the flagpole’s tip. It was topped with a copper ball donated by two former BC residents, the Gow brothers.

When the CNE flagpole was raised on August 12, 1930, it was the highest one-piece flagpole in North America and the second tallest in the world. There was no formal ceremony for raising the new park ornament; however, CNE officials, Mayor Bert Wemp and sightseers were in attendance.

On August 23, 1930, members of the Silver Cross Chapter (Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire) presented a large Union Jack to the Canadian National Exhibition at a flag-raising ceremony. Closing ceremonies for the 1930 CNE were held at the flagpole.

1930-Raised Flagpole Stats

• It was cut from a British Columbia fir over 235 years old and stood 56 m or 184 ft tall.
• The pole weighed about 18,100 kgs or 40,000 lbs.
• The diameter of the butt was 86 cm or 34 inches, and the tip was 25 cm or 10 inches.
• The pole was transported free of charge from British Columbia to Quebec by Canadian National Steamships Limited, from Montreal to Toronto by Canadian Steamships Limited, and from the dock to Exhibition grounds by the Toronto Harbour Commission.
• A 16-ft-deep by 14-ft-wide hole was excavated, and over 200 tons of concrete were poured for the base.
• Sunk into the concrete were eight bolts, each weighing 816 kg or 1,800 lbs.
• Each of the four steel brackets weighed 907 kg or 2,000 lbs.
• The flagpole was painted white.
• The flag it carried was 9 m or 30 ft.
• The diameter of the copper ball topper was 76 cm or 30 inches.

The 1977 Douglas Fir Flagpole

The Exhibition needed a new flagpole as the 1930 flagpole had been reduced to 36 m or 119 ft due to deterioration. In 1976, the CNE received word from Wickenheim Lumber Co of Shawnigan Lake, British Columbia, that a Douglas fir tree had fallen in a windstorm.

For this flagpole, it began its 4,184 km or 2,600-mile journey across Canada carefully balanced on two massive lumber trucks. It was then ferried through the Strait of Georgia, BC and was loaded onto three specially rigged CN flat railway cars for its trip to Toronto. It took 78 days, and when the pole arrived, it was debarked, shaped and painted.

The flagpole was a gift to the CNE by Travel South, USA, and its member states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, to express their appreciation to the Canadians who visit their states.

The 1977 CNE was honouring Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee. The Honourable Pauline M McGibbon, Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, presided over the flagpole’s opening and dedication on August 18, 1977.

1977-Raised Flagpole Stats

• It was a Douglas fir approximately 350 years old and stood 56 m or 184 ft tall.
• The pole weighed about 15,876 kgs or 35,000 lbs.
• The diameter of the butt was 84 cm or 33 inches, and the tip was 38 cm or 15 inches.

Flagpole Removal & the Site Today

In 1999, several areas of dry rot began to appear on the flagpole. Two years later, it underwent significant repair work to remove the damaged areas and was reduced to 31 m or 103 ft.

On August 12, 2008, the CNE flagpole was taken down due to decay. It was precisely 78 years to the day that the previous flagpole was raised. Following this event, only the flagpole’s cement base and the plaques commemorating its significance remained on the site until August 2024, when they were also removed. The plaques are in storage at the Exhibition Place Archives. The flagpole’s original location was approximately 62 m or 200 ft northwest of The Bandstand. Click for more about the Lost Buildings & Structures at the CNE & Exhibition Place.

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CNE Flagpole Photos

SOURCE

• City of Toronto Heritage Register: 100 Princes’ Blvd
• The Globe Newspaper Archives: Jul 20, 1929, pg 13
• The Globe Newspaper Archives: Jul 22, 1930, pg 14
• The Globe Newspaper Archives: Aug 2, 1930, pg 13
• The Globe Newspaper Archives: Aug 12, 1930, pg 12
• The Globe Newspaper Archives: Aug 13, 1930, pg 10
• The Globe Newspaper Archives: Sep 6, 1930, pgs 2 & 22
• The Globe and Mail Newspaper Archives: Aug 18, 1977, pg F3
• The Ex
• CNE Heritage
• Exhibition Place: History
• Photos: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
• Vintage Photos: City of Toronto Archives, Toronto Public Library, CNE Heritage & Canadian National Exhibition Association Archives