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When St. Catharines became a City in 1876, what were the costs of goods? This advertisement from the St. Catharines Market dates to almost exactly one year before St. Catharines became a city – March 30, 1875.
The variety of goods available to local shoppers was quite diverse. Many varieties of wheat, corn, barley and peas were in abundance, even in March. Local produce and livestock was also available including hogs, sheep and poultry.
The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre is helping us celebrate our 150th anniversary of being officially incorporated as a City with a weekly look back into our rich history from a diverse range of perspectives.
You might be asking yourself how prices compare to today. It is very difficult to extrapolate inflationary increases over time over the space of a hundred years, but some experts suggest that the inflation calculation from 1875 to 2026 is about 29-30 times. So, take prices from 1875 and multiply them by 30 to get an idea of how those prices compare to today. If we look at this list of goods, some prices compare favourably and others not so much. For example – a dozen eggs in 1875 costs 25 to 30 cents. In today’s dollars that would be between $7.50 to $9 per dozen. A bit of a high price for the modern shopper who can buy a dozen eggs for about $4 today.
If we look at the price of potatoes however, the 1875 shopper paid about $1-$1.10 per bushel which would be equivalent to $30-$33 dollars a bushel today. As of March 2026, the price of a bushel of potatoes (about 50 lbs) is between $20 and $30. So, the modern shopper has the advantage when potato buying.
Price comparisons over a long period of time are complicated. What this list does show is that local residents didn’t lack for options when shopping at the St. Catharines Market.
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