CLE Fairgrounds

This 1959 picture of Barry Kettering #57 & Albert Massaro #88 taken by Jack Cummings represents the true meaning of the term "Saturday Night at the Fairgrounds" It was part of a box of CLE photos from 1957-58-59 given to me about 20 years ago by a former co worker.

The CLE Fairgrounds

by Jeff Caldwell

The fairgrounds was opened in 1890,located centrally between the twin cities of Fort William and Port Arthur Ontario. The fairgrounds was on both sides of the McIntyre River, with the race track being located on the Fort William side of the property. As with most fairgrounds, the highlight was the annual fair with a large agricultural focus, so it would be with the CLE as well, the first held in 1890 . Most fairgrounds also featured a race track varying in size of usually 1/2 to 1 mile in length, with horse racing during the annual fair(s) as a big attraction. While the 1/2 mile CLE track was originally intended for the horses, the automobile would take to the track as well, and become an added feature at annual fairs. The life of the CLE as an auto racing track would span a period of forty-seven years, from 1912 through the 1966 season, then it would return to the horses exclusively once again. Through that period there would be some great racing, stripped cars, speedsters, motorcycles, the IMCA sprints, through to stock cars and modifieds, they all tore up the CLE dirt. There would however be some down time as well, the great depression and second world war would shut down the racing for a time, but it always returned. All good things ,it is said must come to an end, the last races for the cars were the championship races in October of 1966,Jerry Lepinski took the final super modified race, John Asse took the late model race. In 1967 the horses returned with harness racing being the feature, the stock cars moved to Riverview and back to Murillo, the grandstand burned down and so ended racing at the CLE. The track is now but a memory of days gone by, but what a run it had!

In addition to the photos from 1957-58-59 ,I recovered a box of photos and negatives from 1954-55-56 at the dump moments before they would have been plowed under,gone forever. Sometime's you're in the right place at the right time!