A set of posters created or kept by Pride Central on the Thunder Bay Lakehead campus: demonstrating a variety of LGBTQ+ events on and off campus.
This fond consists of master tapes and related materials from Kuvakulma, the monthly Thunder Bay-produced Finnish-language television programme.
Kuvakulma was produced between 1990 and 1998 by Pirjo Hirvonen and a team of volunteers, working at the McLean Hunter television station. The programme was an hour long, and focused on Finnish community happenings in Thunder Bay and Canada. Many episodes also featured segments from Finland, and brief English-language segments.
Pirjo Hirvonen was born in Finland, and moved to Thunder Bay in the 1980s. She has worked in multiple Finnish-language media in Canada, including writing for Canadan Uutiset, producing Kuvakulma and the Finnish-language religious programme Tiimalasi for television, and the weekly radio programme Ulkonainen for Lakehead University Campus Radio (CILU).
The records consist primarily of several decades of research data from the study of water quality in lakes. Prepas, who is Professor Emeritus of Natural Resource Management at Lakehead University, was also formerly employed at the University of Alberta. Much of the research was conducted on Alberta lakes, with some performed in Northwestern Ontario as well. A significant portion of the third accession consists of slides and print photographs showing research activities.
The records also include some teaching notes and course materials, as well as some correspondence and administrative material.
Records relate to the work of business and industrial development and policy throughout Northwestern Ontario.
The role of the Northwestern Ontario Development Association / Northwestern Ontario Development Council was to support and promote business and industrial development across the Northwestern Ontario region. This involved supporting individual businesses and entrepreneurs; organizing and carrying out research on existing and potential industries and availability of services in the region; facilitating the flow of information between governments, researchers, existing businesses and prospective businesses; and advocating for the needs of Northwestern Ontario to multiple levels of government. Transportation, utilities, and financial incentives are recurring themes; mining, forestry, manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, and more are also heavily reflected in the records.
These records reflect the work of Alexander Phillips as General Manager of NODA/NODC, and include correspondence with municipalities, government, business leaders, entrepreneurs, colleagues in other regions, and others, and cover a wide variety of subjects. The division of records into series reflects how they were initially kept and filed by NODA; searching within the collection will be valuable to researchers as files related to a particular subject may be found in multiple locations.
Phillips' own files are also integrated into this collection, and so records reflecting his work with the Quetico Provincial Park Advisory Committee, the Mississippi River Parkway Commission, and various other organizations can also be found within the collection. There is additionally a small amount of personal material.
Northwestern Ontario Development AssociationThese 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.
The records consist of daily logs and banding data for birds observed at the Thunder Cape Bird Observatory.
Thunder Cape Bird Observatory (TCBO) is a joint project of the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources - Wildlife Assessment Program (OMNR-WAP), and Bird Studies Canada, working in partnership with Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, and the Canadian Coast Guard. (TBFN)
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.
Records relating to Steve Mantis's work in injured workers' rights and advocacy, including with: Thunder Bay District Injured Workers Support Group; Ontario Network of Injured Workers Groups; and the Worker's Compensation Board (WSIB). Records of research projects. New Directions Speakers' School. Poverty reduction initiatives. Bay Credit Union Social Responsibility Committee. Run for MPP in 2011 Ontario election as NDP candidate for Thunder Bay-Superior North.
While records are divided into series by organization/association, it will be clear to readers that the work of many of these organizations overlaps and interconnects. Mantis's role was often as a connector, building synergy and solidarity between organizations.
Mantis, SteveRecords of the Northern Ontario Pastoral Institute, a nonprofit organization providing clinical pastoral education in Thunder Bay. Established in 1990 and dissolved in 2025. A member organization of the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education, which later became the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care.
Primarily records of the Board of Directors, including meeting minutes, correspondence, and financial records. These originated with and were kept by two long-time board members, Ernie Epp (a Board member since 1990 and long term Treasurer), and Rev. Ed Long (a Board member since 1990 and former Treasurer and President.)
There are also records relating to programming, and relating to pastoral services in Thunder Bay and the surrounding region.
The records document Ruth Tye McKenzie’s life and career as an exhibiting artist. They also reflect her career in business as owner of the Painted Turtle Art Shop.
Ruth Tye McKenzie was born October 6, 1929, in Edmonton, the youngest of 3 children. She attended the Ontario College of Art, and graduated in 1952. She lived in Dundas, ON, for some time, exhibiting in Hamilton, St. Catherines, and other southern Ontario locations.
In 1976 she moved to Thunder Bay with her family, and became a key part of Thunder Bay's artistic community. She opened the Painted Turtle Art Shop in 1983, and ran it for 20 years until selling to new owners in 2003. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions across the province. Ruth Tye McKenzie passed away January 31, 2023.
As well as this archival collection, many of her works are held in Lakehead University's art collection.
Papers relate to research, teaching, and the union, community, and political activities of Dr. Ernst Zimmermann, professor of history and Dean of Arts at Lakehead University.
Claude Garton was a teacher and botanist. He amassed a collection of over 10,000 plant specimens, which were donated to form the Herbarium at Lakehead University. These records relate largely to his plant observations and collections.
Dr. Penny Serafina Petrone (1925-2005) taught at Lakehead University's Faculty of Education. She was also an author, researcher, and traveller. The records reflect her research on Indigenous literature and culture and on the history of education in Canada; her writings including memoirs, personal records, and records of travel.
The records are divided into series as follows:
Records of Dr. Pradip Sarbadhikari (1938-2020), professor of political science at Lakehead University from 1964 to 1999. The records reflect his teaching and research (including peace studies and Asian studies), as well as participation in international associations and conferences. Of particular note are records relating to participation in the Canadian International Development Agency's Centres of Excellence programme.
Pradip Ranjan Sarbadihkari was born in Calcutta, India, and also studied at London and Utrecht. He brought his family to Thunder Bay in 1964 to join the faculty of the new Lakehead University, and taught until retirement in 1999. These records were donated through the library probably shortly after his retirement.
Records of Keewatinase, the Department of Indigenous Education, Faculty of Education, Lakehead University. A significant amount of the material relates to Native Language Instructors' Program, NLIP, after 2001 known as Anishinaabemowik.
The records include reports and administrative records, program newsletters, yearbooks, student and instructor handbooks, and ephemera.
Languages represented in the program include Ojibwe/Anishinaabemowin, Oji-Cree/Anishininimowin/Severn Ojibwe, and Cree/nēhiyawēwin.
Faculty of Education, Lakehead UniversityRecords 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.
Faculty of Education, Lakehead UniversityMargaret (Peggy) Tripp was a professor of Biology and of Women's Studies at Lakehead University. She was involved in the creation of the Women's Studies program, and taught until shortly before her death in 2008.
This small collection includes six photographs of Tripp with colleagues and students, two diplomas from the University of Colorado, and a Lakehead University presentation folder.
Tripp, PeggyThe 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.
Fonds consists of three reports related to heritage in Northwestern Ontario, created by the Government of Ontario. Michelle Greenwald was an author of two of these reports.
Ministry of Culture and Recreation, OntarioCard 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.
The Lakehead Social History Institute is a partnership between historical researchers at Lakehead University and members of the Thunder Bay community. Active since 1997, the Institute supports and promotes historical research in the Northwestern Ontario region. The Institute facilitates research, trains new researchers, disseminates information about historical resources, conducts workshops, assists educational and community organizations, supports historical publications, and encourages local groups to preserve archival materials.
The fonds includes meeting minutes, correspondence, research projects, funding applications, workshop materials, membership lists, and publications. It also contains records of collaborations with educational institutions and community organizations, reflecting the Institute’s commitment to advancing historical research and public engagement.
Lakehead Social History InstituteThe Canadian Injured Workers Alliance was founded in 1990 as an umbrella organization of injured workers' groups across Canada. It has engaged in advocacy, research, and the creation of educational information for members. Records relate to the labour movement, disability, legal and legislative rights for workers, and the operation of the organization.
Canadian Injured Workers AllianceThe fonds consists of New Democratic Party (NDP) campaign and fundraising material. Reference documents have a national focus; some materials address local candidates and campaigns. Most records are 1980-1987; there is also a small amount of material related to the 2015 federal election.
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
Text and photographs comprising a biography/memoir of Dan Ward, who worked and travelled across Northern Ontario in the early 20th century. The material covers the period 1880-1940. This text is based on Ward’s handwritten memoirs, and stories told, and edited and compiled by Crandall Benson, his son-in-law.