Winter Park CC Tour Boat

Wow, that shoreline sure doesn’t look like that anymore! For those of you who have been on Winter Park chain you gotta wonder how they got that barge through the canals? I wonder when they made the canals?

Awesome! Thanks for sharing, Tim!

JPASS wrote: Those canals are rough. We've had to pull over into someone's garage entrance

JP,
With that garage being on the canal, doesn't the owner have a hard time getting his car in it?

I guess we were in the canal business in the 30's lol. Having gone through them many times I can say the worse part was depth in some spots was iffy at times. especially after a hurricane. I never have been on the tour, but I can nor confirm or deny that they were close to getting wet a few times courtesy of a hydroslide.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/os-joy-wallace-d*ckinson-1203-story.html

I know you guys still have that DOS based computer up north so here ya go.

Commentary: Boat builders' legacy includes canals, tour
Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour
A 1940s postcard displays an early incarnation of the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour, begun by Walter C. Meloon in 1938. (Collection of Joy Wallace d*ckinson)
Joy Wallace d*ckinson     Joy Wallace d*ckinson
Florida Flashback

Ever since the days when my Grandmother d*ckinson traveled to Florida by rail, wearing a hat and clasping a sturdy train case, I’ve loved to take winter guests on the Scenic Boat Tour in Winter Park. It’s fun and informative and boasts a long history, beginning in 1938 with Walter C. Meloon — the founder of what would become Correct Craft Inc. in another part of Orange County, Pine Castle.

Beginning the tours mark just one chapter in the illustrious history of Correct Craft, which for decades, until 2008, was the nation’s oldest family-owned boat maker. Sunday (Dec. 3), Walter N. Meloon, grandson of the founder and former president of the company, will no doubt talk about that history when he speaks at the Pine Castle Historical Society’s annual meeting. It’s free and open to the public.


Since 1925, the Meloons have been making waves in Central Florida with all kinds of watercraft, from fishing boats to luxury cabin cruisers to water-ski boats and more. Their Pine Castle company made thousands of boats for use during World War II, as well as the Korean and Vietnam wars, and was known for its solid ethics.

Founder W.C. Meloon, his wife, Marion, and their three sons came to Central Florida from Ossipee, N.H., during the 1920s land boom.

Paid Post LEARN MORE
See the 6 cars that are nearly perfect
See the 6 cars that are nearly perfect
Car experts reveal which cars teeter on the edge of glory, many just one change away from making the leap from good to great. Click to see which models made the list.

SPONSORED CONTENT BY Cars.com
W.C. “was one of the most innovative individuals” you could ever meet, according to his grandson, Walter N. His grandfather’s talent for solving engineering problems served the family well during the Depression, which hit not long after they arrived in Florida. During the difficult 1930s, Meloon and his company built a series of canals with cypress-wood sea walls, including canals that connect the Winter Park Chain of Lakes.

Shaping Sanlando
When folks wanted to develop Sanlando Springs — a large natural spring halfway between Sanford and Orlando that had plenty of potential as a recreation destination — W.C. won the contract. He built a dam and 30-foot-tall water slides that thrilled many Central Florida children and adults decades before water parks appeared on International Drive.

One of the most valuable lessons his grandfather taught him, Walter N. Meloon says, was to do the hardest part of a job first. He also admires W.C.’s directness. If W.C. saw someone who was mad at him for any reason, Walter N. said, his grandfather would go out of his way to look the person in the eye and speak to him.

W.C. also had a humorous side. Focused on the task at hand, he often forgot names, Walter N. said, and so got into the habit of calling everyone “Dearie.” Seeing W.C. pitching in at the boat factory with his sleeves rolled up, a visiting dignitary told him he “was working like he owned the place.”

“Dearie, I do,” came the reply.

If you go
• The Scenic Boat Tour offers one-hour guided rides in 18-passenger pontoon boats through part of the Winter Park chain. The dock is on Lake Osceola at 312 E. Morse Blvd., less than five minutes from Park Avenue. For details, visit scenicboattours.com or call 407-644-4056.

• Sunday’s program with Walter N. Meloon at the Pine Castle Historical Society’s annual meeting is set for 3 p.m. at the Pine Castle Women’s Club, 5901 S. Orange Ave. (407-855-8894). Visit pinecastlehistory.org.

Meet Florida legends
Visitors to the Orange County Regional History Center on Dec.10 have an opportunity to meet original Highwaymen painters and see their work, as well as paintings by middle-school artists inspired by the Florida legends.

The Highwaymen represent a fascinating chapter in Florida’s past — the story of African-American artists who took to Florida’s roads in the 1950s and ’60s, marketing their art during an era of strict segregation when their usual job options were extremely limited. They’re now in the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. The event is free; visit “events” at the thehistorycenter.org for details and to RSVP.

8122pbrainard wrote: rosconole wrote: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/os-joy-wallace-d*ckinson-1203-story.html Ross, This is what came up with your "link" "We are really sorry, but the page you requested cannot be found It seems that the page you were trying to reach doesn't exist anymore,"

rosconole wrote: I know you guys still have that DOS based computer up north so here ya go.

Gary S wrote: Well I'm further south than you and it's not working on my '18 pc either. You have to replace the * with an i in d*ckinson in the address

Ross,
What does DOS have to do with links?

Must be difference in browsers or how it transposes the link

smaller boats half as many people in orlando back then....its really not bad during the week , weekend is another story. We used to ski fairly often after school during high school out there.   The chain of lakes decal is just not very inexperience anymore.

Their are rumors of a guy going off the Rollins ski jump more than once. Someone needed a better vantage point for the Rollins pool.