The Quints
One of the most powerful tourism impacts had its roots in a small country home just south of North Bay near Callander, Ont. when on May 28, 1934 the Dionne Quintuplets were born. Due to concern over the potential exploitation of the babies, the provincial government intervened 4 months after their birth and took custody of the children and placed them in the care of Dr. Dafoe and two others.
Recognizing the high level of interest in the babies, the government built the Dafoe Hospital and Nursery with an outdoor playground designed as an observation area. During their time at the hospital, about 6,000 people per day visited to see the girls. Not surprisingly the quintuplets soon featured prominently in local tourist publications and on tourist and commercial products.
Additional images and details of the Dionne Quintuplets can be seen at the Callander Bay Heritage Museum.
Text on the reverse of the postcard of the Qunituplets:
"THE WORLD FAMOUS DIONNE QUINTUPLETS North Bay, Ontario, Canada. The home and birthplace of the five famous Dionne Quintuplets may be seen at Pinewood Park on Hwy. 11 between Callander and North Bay, Ontario. Many memories of teh babies are on display including hundreds of photographs and their original clothing and toys."
Although this card uses an image of the Dionne quintuplets ca. 1936 and copyrighted 1938, the reverse side description notes that the Dionne home is located at Pinewood Park, which means the card was issued much later.