Located on the magnificent Georgian bay in the heart of Ontario is MidlandShelters picturesque stores, delicious homemade products and more than 30 wall paintings scattered in its city center. I went to Midland many times and when I made craft shows, I loved doing their producers’ market in summer, in front of the bay, if traffic was slow (which it was rarely), I liked to look at this point of view. But this summer by passing on my way to the Wye Marsh One day and saw a bunch of wall paintings in the streets and I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t noticed them before. And so, I decided to devote a day to explore the Midland wall paintings and the other hidden jewels that I had missed.
I did not know when I started to explore the murals of Midland which was in store; I did not know that it was one of the biggest outdoor collections in Ontario and I was not aware of the pure pride that Midland and its inhabitants have to these beautiful works of art. At almost all the murals, I looked at a room would stop and comment with pride the story behind each room.
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On my way to see if the tourist office was open, I had to stop in a charming shop that attracted my attention, the crow’s nest. Passing at the foot inside, I was amazed by the cool crazy stuff – it was like entering a Wonderland of gifts, accessories, antiques and so many things to stimulate the senses. The dispersed parts are many parts of glass, lampshades to windows and art-some antiques and some made by the talented owner itself.
The myriad of old cars, some with old baby dolls and others with an entertaining touch. I was welcomed by a charming lady who worked there, asking me if I needed help and we were able to talk about the store and its 30 -year -old owner, then I explained to her why I was in Midland for the day – hunting to discover the Midland murals. It turns out that I do not need to visit the tourist office (especially since they were closed that day) because the store has cards for tourists who offer the locations and descriptions of murals – as it is fantastic!
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So, I went in search of Midland’s murals with my card faithful to the hand. It turns out that it did not start as the most pleasant day for walking in the streets because there was a cold in the air and a bruising rain that descends, but that has helped to warm up in some of the charming stores and cafes in the city center of Midland to warm up, dry and travel. But I am happy to say that the rain has calmed down and I was able to take mainly every 30 murals.
Most wall paintings are located along the main trail of King Street with a few near the bay and many have dispersed in the city center along the side streets and therefore all are at walking distance. The majority of Midland’s murals were painted by Fred Lenz, including the largest – which is the largest historic outdoor fresco in North America, measuring 80 ′ high by 250 ′ wide, but it was unfortunately during his work on this epic piece that he lost his battle against cancer. In his heritage, his two sons helped complete this top piece which represents a native of Huron and a Jesuit priest looking over the Wye valley and the neighboring village of Sainte-Marie among the Hurons From a hill as it appeared in 1640.
Each wall represents an important time in the history of the region of the Georgian bay with great representative the pioneers of Midland. Some bring you back in history, some celebrate the moments of advancement and growth and all are beautiful and full of rich details. During almost 20 years, some have faded but are being repaired and catering to bring them back to their full glory. But one thing is certain, Midland and its inhabitants are proud and deeply care about these incredible wall paintings.
Midland walls
Here are some of my favorites.
Rotative wall – A collage of all Midland’s tourist attractions with a tribute to Fred Lenz.
Brebeuf Lighthouse – Built in the 1900s, this lighthouse helped guide the ships to the channel at the Midland Bay service
The Wye Marsh – Illustrating the Wye Marais at sunset with the Martyrs Sanctuary in the background
SS LEMOYNE – This ship was built in 1926 and measuring 663 ′ long, 70 ′ wide and 73 ′ deep and was the largest bulk carrier of the great lakes until the 1950s
Have you already tripped on incredible murals in a city? Where was it?
Pinned this image for subsequent reference!
