“Really well presented- excellent historical highlights” Heather and Gr. 7&8 students from Sioux Lookout “Great job on the displays and preserving history, Loved it! John and Kamla Krill from London, ON “Interesting” Jim from Scotland, UK “First time back since 1948” Carol and Bill from Kamloops, BC The Sioux Lookout Community Museum and Culture department have been busy during the fall and winter months. From planning and implementing events and programs, to continuing to work away at our collection database, and organizing the storage space; we are never short of things to do. The Department has seen an increase in visitors and participation in activities and events. More projects and partnerships have been created over the past few months and continued enthusiasm from staff, volunteers and the community helps us move forward with our plans. Our Department also oversees and assists with the Arts, Culture & Heritage committee as well as more recently the Mayors Committee on Truth and Reconciliation. This addition to our department helps create more partnership opportunities as well as expand our programming and events for the community. Museum & Culture Newsletter Fall 2016/Winter 2017 │Sioux Lookout Community Museum │807-737-1994 ext. 9902 Contents Featured Story 2 Featured Artifact(s) 3 Museum News 4 Past Events 5 -9 Upcoming Museum & Cultural Events 10 “What a well presented collection of fascinating things, especially loved the 1900 Washing machine that saves women’s lives” James from Perth, Australia
Transcript
“Really well presented- excellent
historical highlights” Heather and Gr.
7&8 students from Sioux Lookout “Great job on the displays and
preserving history, Loved it!
John and Kamla Krill from London, ON
“Interesting” Jim
from Scotland, UK
“First time back since 1948”
Carol and Bill from Kamloops, BC
The Sioux Lookout Community Museum and Culture department have
been busy during the fall and winter months. From planning and
implementing events and programs, to continuing to work away at our
collection database, and organizing the storage space; we are never
short of things to do.
The Department has seen an increase in visitors and participation in
activities and events. More projects and partnerships have been
created over the past few months and continued enthusiasm from
staff, volunteers and the community helps us move forward with our
plans.
Our Department also oversees and assists with the Arts, Culture &
Heritage committee as well as more recently the Mayors Committee
on Truth and Reconciliation. This addition to our department helps
create more partnership opportunities as well as expand our
programming and events for the community.
Museum
& Culture
Newsletter
Fall 2016/Winter 2017 │Sioux Lookout Community Museum │807-737-1994 ext. 9902
Contents
Featured Story 2
Featured Artifact(s) 3
Museum News 4
Past Events 5 -9
Upcoming Museum &
Cultural Events 10
“What a well presented collection of fascinating
things, especially loved the 1900 Washing machine
that saves women’s lives” James from Perth,
Australia
Featured Story:
Businesses and Tourism Industry
in Sioux Lookout
The Father of the local tourist industry in the Sioux
Lookout-Hudson area was without a doubt, Mike
Ament. Mike’s first camp, called Kenneally Lodge was
located on the West side of Little Vermillion Lake.
Guests arrived in Hudson via C.N., were taken by horse
and wagon into Big Vermillion. The camp, established
in 1928 was internationally known, with many famous
entertainers of that era, as well as literary figures
welcomed as guests. Each guide was provided with an
Elliot boat, a 1.5 H.P. Each had his own little cubby hole
to store their gear and were expected to clean their
boats each day after use, and for this they were paid
$3.00 per day.
Mike Ament
Who can forget Mike’s favorite line, “I don’t care what
they call me as long as they mention my name”; or his
sign on the door of his minnow business on Pelican
Lake, purchased after he sold his camps, “ we sell only
female minnows, the ones with a wiggle.” or his half
beard grown to celebrate the town’s 60th birthday.
Perhaps his most lasting contribution to the local
tourist industry was his introduction into Little
Vermillion Lake of small mouth bass in 1931 and 1932,
thus giving the tourist industry another game fish in our
waters. He told this writer that he released 32 parent
bass from his dock (14 in 1931
and 18 in 1932). Since then, this scrappy, highly
regarded game fish has spread throughout our
lakes with bass being caught as far away as Red
Pine Bay and English River Falls. Mike assisted in
the endeavor by deeds that live long after him, and
then anyone having the thrill of a fighting small
mouth bass on the end of his line has surely caught
a bit of Mike Ament’s irrepressible spirit.
In the 1930’s several other camps were
established. Probably the greatest growth in
tourist accommodations took place in the 1940’s.
Many advances have been made in the past 50
years. It’s hard to recall the one room log or frame
cabin, with a wood cook stove or air tight heater,
ice box ,gas lamps, other discomforts referred to as
“roughing it” . In the late 1940’s and early 50’s
housekeeping cabins rented for $4.00 per day for
4 people, American Plan with three meals was
$7.00 per day per person, boats rented for $3.00 a
day and a 10 H.P. motor for $5.00. Guides’ wages
by then were up to $7.00 a day.
The tourist business like many other businesses
has seen many changes. Camps have changed
hands but several in this area are operated by the
second generation. The average camp , if there is
such a thing , has 6 to 10 modern cabins, is family
owned and operated ,and in many ways has the
same problems that faced the earlier owners: tight
money, short seasons, big investments for
equipment, and shortage of qualified people to
guide. The ice going out in the spring, rainy, windy
days on end, can assume monumental
proportions. To paraphrase an old bush pilots’
creed “long periods of inactivity suddenly
interrupted by frenzied labor”. This then is the
tourist industry in Sioux Lookout.
Moosehorn Lodge- 1950
Story and photos taken from Tracks Beside the Water,
Sioux Lookout and District Historical Society; Inter-
Collegiate Press; 1982, page 170-171. Information taken
from the 1952 edition of the Sioux Lookout Post.
2
Featured Artifact
THOMAS FASANO FAMILY & Fasano’s Confectionary
1930-1982
Thomas Fasano was a sawmill sawyer who worked
in Minaki and Kenora for many years, marrying
and bringing up his family in Kenora. Later he
moved them to Winnipeg where Mrs. Fasano kept
a boarding-house for school teachers.
In 1929 he came to Sioux Lookout to work as a
sawyer for the late George E. Farlinger. Wishing to
bring his wife and daughters here, he bought some
property from the late Frank Cosco, where his
family home was established.
In 1930 he took over a soda fountain and
confectionary store from Elmer Olson, who had
gone into the jewelry business. The store was
located in the Florence Building, which was
occupied on the adjoining side by a bakery owned
and operated by Edwin Florence.
Many years later the entire building was bought
by Mrs. R.C McIver, and as her business expanded,
she needed extra space. So it came about that
Fasano’s Confectionery was built onto the family
home, where it is still being operated by the
youngest daughter, Mrs. Betty Morrison.
Mr. Fasano died in 1942, and Mrs. Fasano in
1949.The business, Fasano’s Confectionary, was in
in operation from 1930 to 1982.
Advertising Sign
A handmade wooden sign for Fasano’s Grocery
and Confectionary. This sign has been painted
white, has raised black letter and a red painted
border. It was hung either from a wire on top, or
from two hinges on one side.
Date: Unknown
Object ID: 1983.26.2
Donated by: Betty Fasano
Story and photos taken from Tracks Beside the Water,
Sioux Lookout and District Historical Society; Inter-
Collegiate Press;1982, page 425. Information taken from
the 1952 edition of the Sioux Lookout Post.
3
Museum News
For the fall and winter our goal has been to continue to encourage community members to stop into the
Museum. We did this through a variety of programming and events as well as through making some minor
changes to the Museum. The museum has also been a big part of promoting and partnering with the
Mayor’s Committee on Truth and Reconciliation and the Arts, Culture & Heritage committee initiatives.
The Oral History Interviews that were conducted in 2014 have been digitized, edited and converted to an
IPad for visitors to sit back and listen to. More interviews have been conducted by Arts, Culture & Heritage
Committee member Jennifer Hancharuk and have been edited and added to the collection. Some of these
interviews were also edited further so they can be used in the Bush Plane Exhibit this summer.
The museum staff are working away at planning a major overhaul with inventory and database
organization, the purpose of this project is to ensure everything is accounted for and included in the
museum’s collections database program. This will allow for better use and management of the collection.
This year to tie in with the Mayor’s proclamation that 2017 is a Year of Truth and Reconciliation for Sioux
Lookout. The museum has promoted educational events surrounding the topic of the Residential School
system. Some events include hosting viewing(s) of the Secret Path with special guest Pearl Wenjack,
documentary showings to classrooms and putting together a small exhibit on the Pelican Lake Residential
School.
We are never short of things to do and look forward to continuing to protect, preserve and promote our
local history and culture with the community and our visitors.
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Museum Visits
Past Museum & Cultural Events Sept 30th- Oct 2nd– Culture Days
To celebrate Arts and Culture the Sioux Lookout Community
Museum partnered with various musicians, the Chamber of
Commerce and the Sioux Lookout Public Library to provide free
participatory and interactive activities to respond to the growing
recognition that a vibrant arts and cultural sector contributes
directly to a healthy and stable society. Over the weekend, we
hosted a Famers Market, Open Mic event, Music Festival and Free
crafts for kids.
Oct 2nd, 23rd, Nov 6th, 20th & Dec 4th, January 28th, Feb 11th, 18th and March 4th – Craft Days at the Museum
To encourage creativity and the arts in kids, the museum hosted several crafts days. The craft days were well
received with a variety of kids and ages in attendance. Museum staff
were on hand to help facilitate the
crafts and a $2.00 craft fee was
collected to help cover the costs of the
supplies.
We also partnered with a local Henna
Tattoo artist who attended two
sessions providing henna tattoos for a
small fee. The artist later donated her profits back to the museum.
Oct 6th & Nov 17th, Jan 29th, March 5th – Paint a Piece Night for
Kids & Youth
The Museum & Culture division hosted two evenings for kids to
stretch their creative minds. The instructor guided the kids
through a specific painting. Everyone who attended were able to
take their masterpieces home and hopefully found some new
confidence for creating more artwork.
5
Oct 20th & Dec 1st, Feb 15th, March 30th – Sip, Dip and Paint Night
The Museum hosted additional Sip, Dip and Paint Nights in the fall
and winter. The purpose was to
offer a fun creative evening out
for individuals and support a
local artist at the same time.
The instructor guided the
participants through a specific
painting while they sipped away
at their wine and enjoyed
flexing their creative minds. In
the New Year we hosted our
first ever coupled painting,
where couples could choose to create two paintings separately but
also tied together, which was meant to coincide with the Valentine’s
Day theme.
Oct 22nd – Lake of the Woods Beer Tasting Fundraiser
A sold out event with 150 people in attendance. The evening was
hosted by the Sioux Lookout
Community Museum and
Gillons Insurance and
located at the Royal
Canadian Legion.
Participants were provided
with 3 samples
of beer and
delicious
appetizers,
prepared by the Pelican Lake Sandwich Company. It
was another successful museum fundraiser bringing
Kenora’s finest beers to the community while providing
a meaningful social event for community members.
Oct 28th – Haunted Museum & Feature Film
The museum was once again transformed into a haunted
museum for an evening of screams and excitement. The
Community Museum partnered with the First Step
Women’s Shelter to provide snacks for purchase during
the haunting and feature film viewing of Monster House.
The event
was well
received with
over 300
people in attendance.
6
Nov 25th – Moonlight Madness
The Sioux Lookout Community Museum partnered with the Chamber of Commerce to host Moonlight
Madness. The Museum was open and offered free hot chocolate and crafts, while outside the lighting of
the tree ceremony took place along with having a variety of
vendors selling various items on the main floor of the
Heritage Railway Station.
Dec 4th- Crafts & Photos with Santa
The Museum partnered with Rexall Pharmacy to host free crafts and photos with Santa. Families were
welcome to stop by and engage in some Christmas themed crafts and hop on Santa’s knee for a quick
photo-op. Henna tattoos were also provided. The event was well attended and enjoyed by all.
January 19th, 2017 – Pearl Wenjack and the Secret Path Viewing & Discussion Panel
The Museum partnered with Equay-wuk Women’s Group and Queen Elizabeth High School to host two
viewings (daytime & evening) of the Secret Path film, followed by a
discussion panel consisting
of special guest Pearl
Wenjack, Mayor Lawrance,
Garnet Angeconeb
(survivor), Larry Henry
(Treaty 3 rep/health
support), Chief Clifford Bull
(survivor). Pearl Wenjack also attended Pelican Falls High school to
discuss the residential school system and participate in another
viewing of the Secret Path film. The evening viewing was well attended with over 100 people in
attendance. The “We were taught differently” exhibit from Lake of the Woods museum was also on
display and a cake was shared to celebrate Chanie Wenjack’s birthday.
7
January 29th- Arts, Culture & Heritage Committee- Artist and Craftspeople Open House
The Arts Culture and Heritage Committee in partnership with the museum hosted its first public meeting
to connect with various individuals within our community with special cultural or artistic skills. The
purpose was to develop an ongoing conversation about how we can all work together to share our skills
with each other. The committee learned from the attendees that there are so many people within our
community with skills and abilities that could be shared and the committee wants to help create those
partnerships, by offering workshops and developing an
online portal of artists, craftspeople and individuals with
cultural skills so they can get the exposure they want.
February (variety of dates) – African Caribbean Black Heritage Month
The Museum in partnership with The Arts, Culture & Heritage Committee, Equay-wuk Women’s Group,
the Sioux Lookout Anti-Racism Committee (SLARC)
and the Sioux Lookout Public Library offered a
variety of film viewings and discussions surrounding
the topic of African Caribbean Black Heritage
month. Daytime viewings were held at the Library
and evenings viewings were held at the Museum. A
Proclamation was also released on Feb 1st, declaring
February African Caribbean Black Heritage month.
February 23rd – Truth and Reconciliation Committee Open House
The Mayors Committee on Truth and Reconciliation (members include: Marie Lands, CAO Ann Mitchell,
Mayor Lawrance, Chief Bull, Cllr. Joyce Timpson, Darlene Angeconeb, Garnet Angeconeb, Kelly
Anderson, Angela Carter) held their first public meeting
to discuss the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s
Calls to Action and the municipalities’ response to them.
The attendees were broken into sub-categories
(Business, Historical, Social and Political) and discussed
in smaller groups what needs to be done locally and
later returned to have an overall discussion. Attendees
were invited
to assist the committee by getting involved in the sub-
committees and discussing these topics further throughout
the year.
8
February 26th-March 26th– Vibe Arts Mural Project
The Museum partnered with Vibe Arts from Toronto to connect with the local kids and youth in Sioux
Lookout to participate in a Canada
150 themed mural, which will be
on advertising display boards in
Toronto’s Subway for the summer
months. The mural will then
return to Sioux Lookout to be put
on display in its permanent
location. The project had over 10
kids sign up and contribute, connecting our small town with the big city.
March (variety of dates) – Racism Awareness Month
The museum partnered with SLARC to promote Racism Awareness Month, where a variety of activities
and events were held throughout the month. The museum hosted an Art Against Racism Showcase &
Competition to encourage adults, kids and youth to use any medium (poetry, music, art, film) possible to
illustrate racism awareness.
9
Upcoming Museum &
Cultural Events March-May- Conversational Italian Classes. The Museum has partnered with Manuela Michelizzi to
provide conversational Italian Classes. The program consists of 10 one hour sessions. Located at the
Heritage Railway Station.
April 1st – Ukrainian Egg Decorating Workshop. Offering an afternoon of Ukrainian Egg decorating
facilitated by our Arts, Culture & Heritage Committee member Jennifer Hancharuk. 1:00pm-4:00pm at
the Heritage Railway Station.
April 1st - Dibajimejig – Telling our Stories. Hosted by the Museum and Arts, Culture & Heritage
Committee. Join us for an evening of storytelling from area elders. The evening begins with a premier of
The Grandfather Drum, with an introduction from the story consultant and translator, Fred Suggashie.
Admission: $10.00 or PWYC (funds collected will be given to the presenters). 7:00pm-9:00pm
April 8th, 22nd, May 13th – Craft Days. Offering an afternoon of crafting for kids for ages 4-12+. Located
at the Heritage Railway Station. Bring the kids for an afternoon of creativity, imagination and fun filled
crafts. $2.00 fee applies.
April 9th, 23rd, May 7th, 14th, 28th & June 4th – Art Mural Project. A Canada 150 Initiative, funded by the Community Foundations of Canada and Sioux Lookout Museum. Offering mural workshops for kids and youth to create a Canada 150 themed mural to be displayed throughout Sioux Lookout. The completed project will be on display on National Aboriginal Day, June 21st. Workshops facilitated by Chelsey Greig from 10am-2pm. For Ages 8+. Limited spaces available. Sign up at the Recreation Centre, 53 Front street.
May 18th – International Museum Day at the Heritage Railway Station. Stop by to view the mini exhibit on the Pelican Lake Residential School, museum displays and enjoy a BBQ lunch on us to celebrate International Museum Day. Book your class or group tour TODAY!!
June 1st- August 9th – By the Seat of your Pants Exhibit Stop by the Museum to view an exhibit on our regional bush pilots. It's a travelling exhibit from the Lake of the Woods Museum. This exhibit provides a history of bush flying in our area. Exhibit Open: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday & Saturday Noon-4pm, or book a private tour.
June 22nd – Canada 150 Colour Run. In partnership with the Recreation & Culture Department. Join us in a 5km Colour Run celebrating Canada 150. Register at the Recreation Centre, 53 Front Street. Fees apply.
June 25th – Canada 150 National Canoe Day Stop by Cedar Bay Recreation Complex between 11:00am-1:00pm for a day of activities, crafts, Fundraising BBQ, canoe skills and view the short film “The Canoe” by Goh Iromoto. In partnership with Friends of Cedar Bay, First Step Women’s Shelter and the Recreation & Culture Department.
June 29th – Canada 150 Kick off Parade. In partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Recreation & Culture Department. Register your float at the Chamber of Commerce. Line up begins at 5:30pm, Parade starts at 6:00pm.
August 4th – 13th – Blueberry Festival Events. Digs for Kids August 11th, Arts and Craft Sale August 11th & 12th. Museum extended hours and Travelling Exhibit on display. More to come…..
Please note: the above information is subject to change without notice. Other events like Art Showcases, workshops, mini exhibits may be scheduled after this has been distributed. Please keep an eye out for events and program postings at the Heritage Railway Station, Recreation Centre, Fresh Market Foods, or on the municipal website/Facebook page or Sioux Lookout Community News Facebook page.
