The Hayfeverites of St. Andrews
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Algonquin Ad, 1890 |
As a part of its advertising campaign for the Algonquin, the St. Andrews Land Company made a special effort to promote St. Andrews as a hayfever free destination. Resorts in those days usually counted invalids of one sort or another among their regular clientele. In fact, the whole idea of seaside vacationing sprang substantially from an interest in convalescence, sea air and sea water being thought to carry health-giving properties. In the case of St. Andrews, there was real merit in the argument for the town and locale as hay fever free. The general absence of ragweed in this part of the province has been documented since, and even into the seventies, St. Andrews continued to be associated with freedom from hay fever and frequented by suffers from this malady. Interestingly, no one in the Town seems to have given any thought to the blessing of hay fever exemption until the arrival of tourists from the United States and the middle Canadas where ragweed is common. Then not only was it pleased to suddenly rocket in status among the health-seekers, but felt that its citizens should not take their blessing so much for granted either.