Photographic slides of various archaeological digs from around the world and in Northwestern Ontario. Slides of various forestry field studies in several regions from 1952-1995. Includes images of trees, equipment, erosion, fire damage, forest management audits, land use, geology, and genetics and tree improvement.
Sans titreResearch 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.
This fonds represents the records of a family long-established in Ontario, as collected and preserved by the genealogist Marshall Macdougall Dean.
As a genealogist, Marshall Macdougall Dean collected and wrote about the Dean family and others in his lineage, and was a founding member of the Canadian Society of Mayflower Descendants. He was born in Fort William, lost his siblings, father, and mother at a fairly young age, and spent much of his later life in and near Toronto.
His father, Marshall Blanchard Dean, trained as a physician at the University of Toronto before moving to Fort William. In addition to his medical practice, he was a close colleague of long-serving MP Dr. R.J. Manion.
Earlier Dean family members lived in Hamilton County and in and near Brighton, Ontario. Records of their lives, especially including financial and land documents, correspondence, and photographs, are also included in this fonds, having been collected and passed down within the family.
The first series of this fonds consists of genealogical research material, including publications and correspondence. The rest of the fonds is organized roughly by generation within the Dean family; however, files were not split, so many generations may be reflected within a single file.
A set of articles and published works by economist Harry G. Johnson.
Records of Reverend Toivo Johannes Pajala (1903-1972), minister of Saalem Pentecostal Church.
Toivo Pajala was born Dec 31, 1903, in Vimpeli, Finland. His family was Lutheran, with some ties to the Pentecostal Church. Pajala migrated to Canada at age 19, and was in Port Arthur at least by 1923. For many years he made a living as a bushworker.
Religion became an important part of Pajala's life: he became Laestadian, then Pentecostal. He attended the Western Bible College in Winnipeg for two years, and then was ordained in 1946 in Toronto. He married his wife Sylvia in 1949 shortly before returning to Port Arthur.
From 1949 to 1963, Pajala was pastor of Saalem Finnish Pentecostal Church in Port Arthur. In 1951, he established a Finnish-language Pentecostal radio program on CKPR, particularly reaching bushworkers and others in rural areas, and people unable to leave their homes. He was also well known for supporting immigrants to the region, and providing funeral services when others would not.
Pajala spent 1963-1967 as a pastor in Waukegan, Illinois. After 1967, he officially retired, and returned to Port Arthur, where he was still active in the church. His death was in 1972.
Most of the records in this fonds relate to either Pajala's religious education in the 1940s (organized by class or by notebook) or the sermons he gave in Finnish or English, in Port Arthur and by radio (organized loosely by theme.)
The last few files of the fonds relate to a project after Pajala’s death: to interview those who knew him and memorialize him. The book “Kansanpappi Toivo Pajala,” written by Tellervo Kähärä and available in the Library, is a result of that work.
Sans titrePamphlets, photographs, newspapers, magazines, account books, ledgers, membership books, and manuscripts for the Scandinavian Workers Club of Port Arthur.
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.
Records were created, held, or gathered by Cairine Budner over the course of her association with the Thunder Bay Finnish Canadian Historical Society, and other local heritage organizations and sports organizations.
The fonds includes
- Records of the operations of the Thunder Bay Finnish Canadian Historical Society
- Records of the operations of the Thunder Bay Historical Society, Thunder Bay Art Gallery (National Exhibition Centre), Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame
- Oral history interviews created with the TBFCHS and Multicultural History Society of Ontario
- Historical photographs and documents gathered from the community, including sports photographs, records of the Finnish Building Company, and minutes of the Nahjus Athletic Club
Photographs and documents from the Silver Islet Mine and Silver Islet Store, including ledgers and a chart.
A rich deposit of silver was discovered on Silver Islet in 1868. A small island at the tip of the Sibley Peninsula, the mine was built deep below the waterline, and relied on breakwaters and pumps. Silver Islet was mined until 1884, when pumps failed, and the mine was flooded. The small community built on shore to support the mine is still inhabited.
Consists of photographs of particularly mining development in Northwestern Ontario in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as the waterfront and shipping, local scenery, and notable figures. Also includes some correspondence; railway construction plans.
Lloyd Arthur Dennis (1923-2012) served as Co-Chair for the Provincial Committee on Aims and Objectives of Education in the Schools of Ontario (1965-1968) and was the co-author of the report “Living and Learning," commonly referred to as the Hall-Dennis Report. The fonds consists largely of records related to the Committee; the research, development, and writing of the Report; and responses after the Report's publication.
The records include:
- Committee documents and hearings
- Committee correspondence
- Research & reference documents
- Preparing the Report
- Responses to the Report
Dennis was born in 1923 in Aspdin, ON. He served in the Canadian Armed Forces 1942-1946, and earned a B.A. and B.Ed. from the University of Toronto. He began teaching elementary school in 1948, and worked as Principal at several schools from 1957-1965.
Dennis joined the Provincial Committee on Aims and Objectives of Education in the Province of Ontario first as Secretary and Research Director, and became Co-Chair with Justice Emmett Hall in 1967. After the Report's publication in 1968, he was responsible for public interpretation, and gave many speeches and presentations across the province.
Correspondence, diaries, and reports related to the philosophical and social theories of Dr. Douglas J. Thom, professor emeritus of education at Lakehead University.
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.
Sans titreMaterial 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.
Recording of an oral history conducted with Rose Allard (1909?-2002) by her daughter Sandra Allard, beginning December 16, 1981. Rose Allard was the child of Italian immigrants to Northwestern Ontario. In these interviews she speaks about her family, childhood, and life in Port Arthur and in Beardmore.
The fonds includes one diary, with entries made sporadically between 1938 and 1952. Entries relate to family, to the work of mink farming, and to weather and wildlife.
Also included are 24 photographic postcards, most attributed to E.C. Everett of Nipigon. Images are primarily of scenery and life in the Nipigon region.
Arthur Ellsworth "Elza" Swaim (1881-1953) was CNR section foreman in Larson, Ontario, where he also established and earned renown for a large mink ranch. He lived in Larson with his wife Josephine "Josie."
Records relating to Daniel John "Jack" Coghlan (1934-2018), early professional diver born in Fort William. He began his career in the Thunder Bay region and later worked around the world, living in California, Australia, Alaska, and Hawaii.
The collection consists of digital copies of photographs, news articles, and documents, as well as written stories contributed by family and friends. Articles relate to Coghlan's career as a salvage diver (Superior Diving & Salvaging Co.) including attempts to salvage the Gunilda and other shipwrecks. Through this era, he was frequently referred to as a "frog man" in news articles. In later years he worked supporting offshore oil development.
The collection was assembled by Sam Coghlan, Jack's brother.
Correspondence and papers of the Pigeon River Lumber Company, primarily in the 1930s and 1940s. Includes the original Letters Patent. Many of the records relate to lands in the Township of Pardee.
Note that file 82A also includes a partial Port Arthur voters' list, used as scrap paper.
Raili Margaret (Virta) Charnesky (1936-2022) was born and raised in Port Arthur to parents Kalle and Impi Virta, both immigrants from Finland. Raili worked in the Mining Recorders Office, Ontario Department of Mines, in Thunder Bay, and became the Mining Recorder for the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines in Sudbury and Toronto. She retired in 1993 after 40 years of public service.
These records primarily reflect family relationships, particularly the early death of her brother Olaf in 1951, and the deaths of her parents Kalle (1961) and Impi (1983). Records include family & genealogical information, photographs, memorial books and sympathy cards.
The fonds consists of materials transferred from the Faculty of Natural Resources Management at Lakehead University to the Archives. Currently, this is primarily a set of forest management maps covering Northwestern Ontario.
Records relate to the planning of the Mid-Canada Development Corridor Conference taking place at Lakehead University in August 1969.
This conference brought together 150 invited delegates to examine questions of industrial and economic development through the mid-North of Canada.
“Purposes of the Mid-Canada Development Corridor Conference: To examine into the practicability of a continuing long range economic development and land use plan for the urbanization, industrialization, populating and general development of Mid-Canada; and to this end to use the concept of a Mid-Canada Development Corridor as a focal point.
And if such a long-range economic development and land use plan is found to be both feasible and practicable, then to formulate recommendations and suggested courses of action to be delivered to the Federal and Provincial Governments, to financial, commercial and industrial sectors of the National Community and to Canadian Universities.”
The Mid-Canada Development Corridor concept was first brought forward by Richard Rohmer, and research was carried out by ACRES Research and Planning Ltd. This work highlighted the potential for industrial and economic development in the "mid-North" of Canada, the swath north of the most highly populated areas, where resource extraction and settlement were happening on an ad hoc basis. The argument was made that it would be beneficial to Canada to plan transportation corridors, city-building, communications, and more so that settlement and industrial development would happen in a more rational manner. Despite the high level of interest at the time of the Conference and multiple tours and visits held afterwards, the concept was not embraced by government, and was not much discussed after the early 1970s.
These records include correspondence and meeting notes related to the planning of the Conference.