The “Tally-Ho”

By Doreen Marion Gee

My roots are firmly grounded in James Bay; it affects every aspect of my life. Feeling better after my knee replacement operation with much less pain and an almost totally mobile knee, I still dream of walking along Dallas Road, the wind in my face and the sun on the horizon.

My thoughts naturally flow back to carefree days and ponytails – my life just beginning amidst a wonderland of sunlit waters and rocky beaches. Many events in my early life are connected to the rich history of James Bay and Victoria. One of them is our unique service of horse-drawn carriages, carrying visitors and locals through the glorious panorama of ocean, fields and sky.

We sure gave that poor “Tally-Ho” driver a terrible time. When I was little, my siblings and I loved to go to the Kiwanis Pool in Beacon Hill Park. Typical obnoxious brats on a lazy summer afternoon, we would take the easy way to the pool if possible. The “Tally-Ho” Horse-Drawn Carriage always went the same route – down Dallas Road - turning left on Douglas and passing the beloved pool. We would jump on the back of the slowly moving carriage on Dallas by Harrison Pond, hanging on for dear life to the back handrail that served to guide passengers up the stairs and onto the vehicle. The driver could always see us but was not able to stop. I still remember him, furiously screaming at us as we dived off the back to cool ourselves off at the pool: “If you ever do that again, I will come around and smack all of you!” He never did. Quite honestly, that was a rather dangerous activity for children, but we survived. We also survived the unfiltered murky Kiwanis Pool.

The “Tally-Ho” has a fascinating history in itself. According to “Tally-Ho Carriage Tours,” (), their “legacy dates back to spring 1903 when Anton Henderson started the first horse-drawn transportation company in Victoria, BC.” A photo that year of the first “Tally-Ho” seems straight out of an old Western movie– six horses galloping at treacherous speeds pulling a rattling carriage ready to fly apart at the first pot-hole. Back then, a ride on “The Mount Tolmie and Oaklands Tally-Ho Stage” from the mountain to Victoria cost only fifteen cents. Certainly a good deal, but only if passengers walked off the carriage still alive with all their limbs! There were no stops – with six horses charged with adrenaline and a mountain of luggage and too many people. It gets even scarier: a line from a poster (around 1905) states, “The above stage is the finest running out of Victoria… being well adapted for [among other things] shooting parties.” So besides the risk and danger of being flung out into the wild blue yonder, riders had to dodge any stray bullets from not-so-sharp shooters.

The ownership of the “Tally-Ho” has changed hands many times over the years. In the 1940's, new owners Gordon Argyle and Art Knapp transformed the service from basic transportation to accommodating tourists on two hour jaunts around the city. Later on in that same decade, Art Knapp welcomed a new partner, John Olson – a member of the family behind the iconic Strathcona Hotel and the first cocktail lounge in BC. 1964 brought another change: John Olson hired his nephew, Bruce Wright, to work for the company: “Bruce’s face is synonymous with the Tally-Ho and he remains actively involved with the company today – most Victorians will have a memory or story about Bruce!” Larry Friedlander came on board in 1982 and became the owner in 1990. After almost 25 years, Larry is still at the helm.

The “Tally-Ho” is a remarkable example of steadfast solid business success. It seems unbelievable that they have been in operation for over a hundred years! History shows that they were flexible, smart and innovative. Constantly adapting to a changing tourism market and increased competition plus incorporating new technology, they always stayed ahead of their game. They are a legend in their own time, starting out transporting people along dusty roads in an early pioneer settlement all the way to servicing tourists in a modern cosmopolitan city.

The “Tally-Ho” was there when streetcars first chugged through a small town, when television changed our culture and when two world wars raged overseas. They were there as technology and the computer heralded a new world. And they still add a romantic, elegant presence to the streets of James Bay – glittering with lights as they wind around Dallas under a breakwater sunset. Down-sizing the number of equines and transforming from horse-drawn wagons and carriage tours to single-horse drawn carriages, the Tally-ho is a James Bay icon spanning space and time.

Researching James Bay's history is also an exploration of my own past. Some things never change. The “Tally-Ho” is still the same great dependable service it was back in 1903. And in many ways I am still that little adventurous girl riding on the back of a carriage with a mischievous imp whispering in her ear.

Sources: , www.raincoasthistory.blogspot.ca
Photo courtesy of “Tally-Ho Carriage Tours” Company.