Research notes and correspondence of Dr. Elizabeth Arthur, professor of history at Lakehead University.
The Ontario government's planning process for forestry and land management through the late 1990s and early 2000s, represented in the records of the Boreal West Round Table, Lands for Life planning process, and Living Legacy Trust.
Lands for Life was a comprehensive land-use planning process that also considered environmental protection in Ontario. It was announced in February, 1997 by the Minister of Natural Resources. The goal was to address the increasing demands for access to the province's natural resources. It was designed for all areas of the Precambrian shield south of 51 degrees latitude.
The project created three "Round Tables" made up of citizens with knowledge of the land, or who were involved with resource based businesses. The Round Tables were: Boreal West (Northwestern Ontario), Boreal East (Eastern Ontario), and Great Lakes - St. Lawrence (Southern Ontario).
As the Lands for Life project concluded, the Province designated the Living Legacy Trust fund to support land use planning and natural resources and environmental management. This fund ran from 1999 to 2004.
A set of articles and published works by economist Harry G. Johnson.
Marshall Blanchard Dean was an early physician in Fort William; his son Marshall Macdougall Dean had a career with the Canadian Coast Guard and a lifelong interest in history and genealogy. Collection includes correspondence, photographs, and research materials.
The Finnish Building Company was formed in 1909 and raised funds for the construction of the Finnish Labour Temple (Big Finn Hall) at 314 Bay Street.
Correspondence, diaries, and reports related to the philosophical and social theories of Dr. Douglas J. Thom, professor emeritus of education at Lakehead University.
The 1978 Young Canada Works "Herstory" project's aim was to compile material on women pioneers in Northwestern Ontario with the intention of using the material to write a book on the same theme. The hope was to illustrate the lives and achievements of Northwestern Ontario women and stimulate further interest in women's contribution to Northwestern Ontario history.
The material here was collected through interviews with over 100 women around Northwestern Ontario. Records include 70 audio cassettes with taped interviews, recorded largely in 1975, and mostly accompanied by transcripts. The records also contain research notes, news articles and photographs, related to Northwestern Ontario communities and fields of activity relating to women's history. They also include correspondence, reports, financial and other administrative records of the project leaders and workers.
The project work did not continue through to the writing of a book. These records were held but largely untouched until a project review in 1993.
In the Decade Council's 1993 report, three objectives were listed: To validate women’s contributions within the context of NWO; to restore and catalogue the records of women’s lives in NWO; and to create a resource that would provide a perspective on women’s Herstory in NWO. A detailed summary of those interviewed, their location and details on whether there is a transcript or release form were created. This report concluded with multiple recommendations with the aim of preserving the tapes and collected materials for eventual public use. This project was not continued, and the material was stored in various locations until its donation in 2024.
Card catalogue from the Suomi Koti library.
Suomi Koti of Thunder Bay is a seniors' residence in Thunder Bay. The organization was founded in 1984; the building, consisting of 60 apartment units, was opened in 1988. Suomi Koti was developed to meet the needs of Finnish-Canadian seniors
The library was built from donations and purchases by residents over the years. It held titles in Finnish and in English; the Finnish-language materials were often published in and brought from Finland and were difficult to access through Canadian libraries or booksellers. This library reflected a body of reading material of Finnish-speaking people in Thunder Bay in the later part of the twentieth century.
In 2025, the library collections were weeded significantly to make room for new furniture and better meet the needs of current residents. Some titles were donated to Lakehead University Library at this time. The Finnish-language card catalogue has been acquired by the Archives to preserve a record of the library's former collections and how it reflected the culture of its users.
Records include reports and administrative materials; program handbooks; and materials reflecting life and culture at the Faculty of Education. The latter include yearbooks, photographs, and ephemera. Both student and faculty/staff experiences are reflected.
Sem títuloMaterial collected related to the creation and publication of the book "Sweating with Finns: Sauna Stories from North America," edited by Kaarina Kailo, Raija Warkentin, and Jorma Halonen, and published 2005 by the Centre for Northern Studies, Lakehead University.
These records relate to the activities of the Suomalainen Puistoyhdistys [Finnish Garden Committee] of Thunder Bay, in developing the Finland Monument at the International Friendship Gardens in Thunder Bay.
The International Friendship Garden was developed as a Centennial Project in 1967 by the Soroptimist Club of Fort William and Port Arthur. At the intersection of Victoria Ave and Waterloo St, it includes monuments representing 18 different ethnic groups. The International Friendship Garden project provided designated spaces; each garden was planned, designed and funded by different cultural organizations to represent their country.
The Finnish Garden is one of these eighteen dedicated garden spaces, and was created in two stages. Suomalainen Puistoyhdistys, the Finnish Garden Committee, was founded in November 1971, sponsored by the Central Organization of Finnish Societies. Work began in 1972. A sculpture of two large bronze swans in flight was created in Finland, by Professor Armas Hutri, with the base built locally with granite from Dryden, Ontario. The Whooper Swan is the national bird of Finland. The Immigrants Statue celebrating the Centennial of Finnish settlement in 1876 was unveiled on Juhannus, in June 1976. The Finnish Garden was dedicated on June 24 1979.
These records reflect the development of the garden/monument, and also include photographs, books, and news clippings from the period after the Gardens were established. They appear to have been collected and maintained by Pentti Junni, Chairman of the Finnish Garden Committee.
Photographs, news clippings, and other materials relating to Lakehead Athletics in the late 1960s.
Kathy Kangas was hired as Assistant Director of Athletics at Lakehead University in 1968. During her time at Lakehead she also taught gymnastics, dance, volleyball, archery, and other sports.
A vast and varied collection of records documenting the experiences of Finnish immigrants to Northwestern Ontario. Includes correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, interviews, published material, and ephemera. The photograph collection is extensive and covers a wide range of subjects.
The records are arranged into the following series:
A - Bay Street Project
B - Finnpraxis Project
C - Collections
D - Photographs
E - Miscellaneous
F - Finnish Experience
Collection is organized into the following series:
I. Hoito Restaurant
II. Port Arthur Workingmen’s Association: Imatra no. 9
III. C.T.K.L. (Canadian Industrial Unions: Port Arthur’s Finnish Association)
IV. C.U.T. (Canadian News Service) and C.T.K.L.
V. Finlandia Club
VI. Finnish Socialist Local no. 6: Port Arthur
VII. Lumber Workers’ Industrial Union of the One Big Union
VIII. New Attempt Temperance Society
IX. Finnish Athletic Club: Nahjus
X. Finnish Building Company
XI. Miscellaneous
Lakehead University evolved from the Lakehead Technical Institute (LTI), which was established in 1946. From LTI, Lakehead became the Lakehead College of Arts, Science and Technology in 1956. The Lakehead University Act was given Royal Assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario in 1965, and Lakehead University was established. The first degrees granted by Lakehead University were in Arts and Science in 1965.
The Lakehead University fonds includes records of administrative offices and former administrators.
These papers consist of photographs, certificates, pamphlets, programmes, correspondence, notebooks, memos, balance sheets, and newspaper clippings all relating to Coghlan's insurance business, his numerous careers, political and social involvement, and personal life.
The CTKL fonds receives its title from Canadan Teollisuusunionistinen Kannatus Liitto, the Finnish organization which translates to the Canadian Industrial Union Support Circle. This organization was the majority shareholder of the Labour Temple at 314 Bay Street in Port Arthur from 1925 to 1972 and was disbanded in 1979. Prior to 1926, the central administration of the CTKL was in Sudbury after which it relocated to Port Arthur.
The CTKL was made up of supporters of industrial unionism who formed associations in their own local communities and observed rules and regulations as established by an executive committee. This executive committee, the Toimeenpanevakomitea (TPK), was comprised of members of the CTKL elected annually from the central administration and from the local associations. This committee managed the affairs of the league and supported industrial unionism through agitation by engaging speakers, supporting workers in their union activities, and through monetary assistance, as well as writing, publishing, and distributing written materials.
Significant cultural and social events at the Labour Temple and at other branches were supported by the CTKL during the peak years of labour organization.
The records contain minutes of meetings, correspondence, financial records, publications, and miscellaneous items. The fonds has been divided into series as follows:
A - Finnish Building Company
B - Hoito Restaurant
C - One Big Union
D - CTKL
E - Industrial Workers of the World
F - Lumber Workers Industrial Union #120
G - Canadian News Service
H - Miscellaneous
Records detailing the planning and execution of the Canada Sea-to-Sea Alexander Mackenzie Bicentennial Expeditions, 1989-1993, to celebrate the bicentennial of the voyages of Alexander Mackenzie, who was the first European person to cross Canada and reach the Pacific Ocean. Expedition leader was Dr. Jim Smithers, of Lakehead's School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Tourism.
Students traced Mackenzie's routes travelling by canoe and overland, and held events in communities along the way.
1989: from Fort McMurray, Alberta to Kendall Island on the Beaufort Sea
1990-1991: development of educational materials and full plan
1991: Lachine, Quebec, to Winnipeg, Manitoba
1992: Winnipeg, Manitoba, to Peace River, Alberta
1993: Peace River, Alberta, to Mackenzie Rock, British Columbia
Records include planning documents, brochures, sponsorship information, route maps, and reports.
Photographs of mining and transportation in Northwestern Ontario in the first part of the twentieth century.
Includes:
- Photographs of Zenmac Zinc Mine near Schreiber
- Photographs of Root River Marine Portage and mining equipment supplies transported
The collection consists of newspapers (primarily the Orillia Daily Packet and Times) with stories related to the proposal to establish a campus of the Waterloo Lutheran University in Orillia.
The proposal made by the Orillia University Committee in September 1965 to Simcoe County Council to establish funding for the new university campus was approved, and $600,000 allocated. Fundraising commenced, but was halted in 1968 by the Ontario Ministry of University Affairs.
Records relate to the creation and development of the Orillia Campus.
Fonds consists of the records of the Age Friendly Giants project, initially conducted in 2017 through Age Friendly Thunder Bay and StoryCentre Canada. This project provided a digital storytelling workshop to 10 older adults, with a focus on neighbourhoods, communities, and aging at home. Results of the projects included 10 videos produced by the participants, posters and tip sheets, and several public events.
Phase II of Age Friendly Giants took place in 2019. Phase II included the development of an education kit to accompany the Phase I videos, Tea Talks held throughout the summer to develop community, the concluding Giants Castle event in October to share information about aging at home, and various media including cable television programs.
Phase I records include videos and handouts, as well as project documentation. Phase II records include project documentation, videos, and material produced for participants.
Consists of reports, letters, and minutes of the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority.
Sem títuloSites crawled include those of local Finnish heritage and Finnish-Canadian groups and organizations.
The Northwestern Ontario Regional Day Care Committee / Child Care Committee operated from the 1970s to the 1990s. The Committee was a grassroots organization made up of child care workers, administrators, parents, and others concerned with the provision of child care in the region. The Committee was engaged in advocacy work, as well as supporting the work of child care centres and professionals.
Records of the Committee include minutes, membership lists, newsletters, correspondence, and other records associated with the advocacy activities of the organisation. Includes correspondence with governments and partner organizations.