Louis Cyr
Chronological list of Louis Cyr in print
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Information in;
p.24. Sons of Samson, Volume 1 Pro-files – David Webster. 1993.
Article on ‘Louis Cyr – the Strength Colossus’ by W.A. Pullum. p.252, 253 + 258. Health & Strength magazine, August 14, 1937.
109lb dumbbell put up with one hand from shoulder to arms length, 27 times. November 21, 1890. In Montreal, Canada.
p.194. Health & Strength magazine, October, 1901.
Cyr will make his first appearance in Britain at a special matinee. November 14 or 21, 1891. At South London Palace of Varieties, London.
The Music Hall and Theatre Review, November 14, 1891.
Louis Cyr sails next week for Montreal where he will retire to his farm to practice an entirely new act. March, 1892.
The Music Hall and Theatre Review, March 12, 1892.
Cyr will return to London on October 17, 1892.
The Music Hall and Theatre Review, March 12, 1892.
Cyr due to return to England on October 17, 1892, will probably delay his departure from Canada.
The Music Hall and Theatre Review, October 7, 1892.
Spring, 1893. Advertised to appear in America.
The Music Hall and Theatre Review, March 3, 1893.
Louis St.Cyr. Pre. 1894. At Glasgow Fair, (Vinegar Hill), Scotland.
‘My Life in the Fight Game’ by G. Aitchison. Topical Times, October 1, 1932.
97 1/4lb and 88lb dumbbells held out at right angles to body. May 7, 1896. In Chicago.
p.100. Health & Strength magazine, August, 1901.
Info on Beaupre challenging Cyr. Cyr won.
p.17. Sons of Samson, Volume 1 Pro-files – David Webster. 1993.
LOUIS CYR MUSEUM
By Jesse Snadden
This article was featured in Iron Grip magazine Vol 3 # 4, Oct 2003.
The following excerpts are from Jesse Snadden’s writing about his recent visit to the Louis Cyr museum in Canada.
The Museum is very small. It's found in St-Jean-de-Matha, a very small village in Canada, Quebec. They had a ton of barbells, dumbbells, the block he lifted with one finger, pictures, pictures of his family (his daughter was strong too), pictures of adversaries, even a menu of how he ate (which was ludicrous). The block he lifted with his finger is still around as well. They also had some plastic tubing to show Cyr's measurements, you could put them around you to compare yourself with him. His chest girth and most notably his calves were huge!
I was there because Canada's Strongest Man took place there this year, and one of the events was to clean and strict press one of Louis Cyr's actual dumbbells, which weighed 157lbs.
Here is the address:
185 rue Laurent,
Saint-Jean-de-Matha,
Quebec,
J0K 2S0
CANADA
Telephone: (450) 886-2777
Unfortunately I didn't get the measurements of the block he lifted with one finger. It looks like a huge mass of iron with a small hole to stick your finger in it.
There was also a life size statue of the man. This is a picture of my good friend Hugo Girard standing next to the Louis Cyr statue.
It is important to understand that in St-jean-de-Matha, Louis Cyr has almost god-like status. The restaurant nearby has the Louis Cyr special – a huge breakfast well befitting a strongman, to say the least. No way I could eat as much as Cyr himself did. That's what killed him after all. But I did have the Cyr special at the restaurant. It was basically your average hearty breakfast (Sausage, eggs, pancakes etc., but in generous portions!).
Unfortunately they wouldn't let me attempt to lift his weights, but I got to touch them and I got that feeling of being in the presence of something spectacular. I was testing the equipment out at Canada's Strongest Man and so when they brought the dumbbell out I had to give it a try. They said it was 117lbs. I cleaned it (it was very hard to clean), and to my surprise I was unable to press it. Not even close. I must have tried about ten times. We then weighed it and found out it was 157lbs. They had given us the wrong dumbbell! Hugo managed an easy five reps with the 157lb dumbbell. No one else did more than one.
I feel that it is important to honour the strongmen pioneers. They had character and they led the way in weightlifting, powerlifting, strongman, gripping events and highland games.
Books about Louis Cyr
JOWETT (George F.)
The Strongest Man That Ever Lived.
pp. 195. Milo Publishing Co.: Philadelphia, PA, USA, 1927.
TREMBLAY (Jack)
Louis Cyr, The Story of the Strongest Man Who Ever Lived.
pp. 24. Brunswick Press [Story of Canada series]: Fredericton, Canada, 1967. Children's book.
WEIDER (Ben)
The Strongest Man In History, Louis Cyr "Amazing Canadian".
pp. 104. Selco Inc.: Newark, NJ, 1976.
OHL (Paul)
Louis Cyr, Une Épopée Légendaire.
pp. 634. In french. Libre Expression: Montreal, 2005.
