Thread by @PEIMuseum

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Welcome to HOCKEY NIGHT IN CHARLOTTETOWN (Circa 1900)

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#AThread #BlackHistoryMonth

You might be thinking: Who are these good-lookin’ fellahs? They’re the West End Rangers – Charlottetown’s Black men’s hockey team & the best Island hockey team you likely never heard of! We’re sharing their story this #BlackHistoryMonth.

For many years in the 1800s, Charlottetown had a largely Black neighbourhood called the Bog. Residents of the Bog faced poverty and racism, but despite these challenges there was a strong sense of community.

One way a sense of community developed was through sports - and what’s a Canadian sports scene without some hockey? The Bog was right beside Government pond, and so in the winters, residents would gather on the ice for informal hockey games.

Then, local resident Tommy Mills decided to take things to the next level – and organized the Rangers Hockey Club. The Club’s first game took place on New Year’s Day in 1900 and pitted married men against single men.

The singles won, and the marrieds had to treat them to a goose dinner. Not a bad deal, if you ask us. But the Club soon moved beyond goose dinners, and formed an official club team: the West End Rangers.

#Winnersgetgoosedinners

The Rangers were the only team in the League from PEI – but they did their province proud. In one championship in 1901 they beat the Truro Victorias 20-0 (!) while in another championship in 1902, they lost to the Halifax Seasides by just 3-2.

Sadly, at the same time as the Rangers were playing, the Bog was beginning to disappear as a Black community, with many residents leaving to seek opportunities elsewhere. As a result, the Rangers skated into the mists of history.

But now the Rangers are ready to share centre ice again: For #BlackHistoryMonth, @CanadaPost has a new stamp commemorating the Coloured Hockey League – and the Rangers are among the teams being honoured!

So, next time you mail off a PEI postcard (as we all do), take a moment to look at that stamp, and to remember the West End Rangers – who, in spite of racism and discrimination, were determined to achieve something great.

Images of the West End Rangers and ice skating on Government Pond courtesy of PEI Public Records Office. Map of West end Charlottetown comes from the 1880 Meacham’s Atlas.