Gordon Argall and Art Knapp
During the Second World War (1939 to 1945), the “National Service (Armed Forces) Act imposed conscription on all males aged between 18 and 41 who had to register for service. Those medically unfit were exempted, as were others in key industries and jobs such as banking, farming, medicine, and engineering.” Gordon Argall, a young man who was unable to enlist, is credited with the ‘restart’ of the Tally-Ho. In 1942, amidst gasoline and other material shortages, he went to the City of Victoria to enquire if the old licenses still existed – they did, and he took them! That summer he and E. Chilton formed the Capital City Tallyho Company.
The Tally-Ho wagons were built on old truck chassis, framed out with plywood walls, outfitted with metal seats and horse-hair stuffed cushions, and had loudspeakers to allow drivers to inform passengers of history and points of interest. The Tally-Ho wagons were the only ones in existence in North America.
They were almost immediately popular and sparked a wave of competition. However, by 1946 the Tally-Ho had bought out various competitors, and Art Knapp, who owned the Maple Leaf Tallyho, was brought into partnership.
The heavy wagons were drawn by 4-horses, and would line up along Belleville St, in front of the Legislative Buildings (as seen in this 1951 photo) before embarking on their 13 km (8 mile) routes that would take over two hours to complete.
By 1954 the two men were operating seven tally-ho wagons under three companies: the Capital City, the Dominion, and the Mapleleaf, with an investment in horses, vehicles, barns and equipment of over $30,000.
Gordon Argall was the primary operator of the business for years, going through the prairies and northern United States to purchase 6 to 8 horses each spring, hiring drivers, etc. Art Knapp lived in Santa Barbara and would come to Victoria from May to September to sell tickets. Ironically, it is rumored that Art was terrified of horses.
As technology developed, Gordon made improvements to the wagons with a goal to reduce their weight and improve braking. By the 1960s only two horses were required to pull (and stop) the wagons (see photo, c 1967).
