Lise Vaugeois MPP Visits Nipigon Historical Museum

 August 19, 2023

Blueberry Blast  Festival

Betty Brill showing Lise Vaugeois the Nipigon River before and after the Dams went in and flooded it out.

This is the World Record Brook Trout Display.  With new addition a full mount real fish morphed into the exact size of the World Record Brook Trout. In 1915 it was split and both sides were mounted on birch bark and displayed across Canada and the US (Sportsman Show) The US side burnt in 1974 and our side burnt in 1990.  The record remains unbroken 108 years straight.

Betty Brill and Gord McKenzie with photo by Art LaFramboise

of the Nipigon River Bridge 

A gift from the Township of Nipigon

for fifty years with the Nipigon Historical Museum

1973-2023

THE BLUE AND YELLOW TOUR WITH MP PATTY HAJDU

 

THE BLUE AN YELLOW TOUR

Friday Aug. 11, 2023

1:30 PM

Nipigon Historical Museum

Greet and sign in  (photo)

We will start your Blue and Yellow Tour at the World Record Brook Trout Display.

As our Federal Member of Parliament for Thunder Bay- Superior North, you represent us to  Canada and the World.

Having a World Record Brook Trout that has retained its World Record status  for 108 continuous years since it was caught in our mighty Nipigon River July 21, 1915, is a unique feature of your Riding.

After the Fur Trade frenzy FISHING the Nipigon became a world enticement.

As you can see from the wall map, the last Hydro dam built at Pine Portage took out every lake, rapid and waterfall including Virgin Falls as its flooding created Forgan Lake 73 years ago.

So, that is why it is so important what Fred Dean and Rob Swainson are doing  to establish a solid history of the Nipigon River that was when it ran wild , untamed and free.

Fred has pixel painted 100 historic black and white  photos to create the Nipigon River in Colour as a lasting tribute for our mighty River that was, but is no more.

As Rob Swainson says it is recognized that  without the Indigenous guides’ knowledge of the River and their amazing paddling and portaging skills likely no fisherman nor photographer would have reached  the upper Nipigon.

(Moving to the round table)

Some years ago a young man named Warren came to the museum with an Ojibway language Hymn book published in Nipigon in 1931. He was very proud of it and left it as a loan for display in the Nipigon Museum.  A short while later he died in a train accident.

In July of this year we received an Ojibway language hymn book , Published in Nipigon 1931,in the mail from Mary Turk in Haines Junction, Yukon Territory.  She was sorting through the shelves of Bishop Hectors small church when she came across this hymn book. She thought it best that it be returned to its source, Nipigon. Thus Nipigon Historical Museum was chosen for its safe keeping and display.

 

 

On the wall here and assorted places around the museum you will see the Woodland Art of Isadore Wadow.

(Move to the Rock Images)

Rock Images have been found in about 31 locations in and around Nipigon Bay.  The most famous of them, The Maymayguishy is slowly wearing away.

What they depict may be Spiritual; tell a story; give directions or be just artistic creations.

(Move to Archaeology cases)

Another unique  feature of your Riding is the McCollum Collection which dates back 3500 years.

The uniqueness comes  from the inclusion of lithics and copper in an (assumed) grave site.

The copper dates back to a Culture 3500 years ago.  Two pieces of this copper originated from the Isle Royale copper pits.

In the other case the lithics are from an island in South Lake Nipigon and they date into the Archaic period of 5000 years ago.

The Pottery sherds range over 1200 years of occupation in one area of South Bay, Lake Nipigon.

As you can see there were a few different Cultural names assigned to this pottery.

(Move to Paddle to the Sea case)

Coming forward in time we have the children’s book “Paddle to the Sea” first published in 1941.

82 years later it is still published.. The author Holling Clancy Holling visited Nipigon in 1939 researching his book.

The National Film Board made a movie of this book.  This is a still from that movie . The daughter of  Director Mason donated this to the Nipigon Historical Museum.  Children at a Waterford Michigan school studied the book and carved little “Paddles” which they sent to St. Edward School and that class  threw them in the Nipigon River off the Morning Star.  Another little boy celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the book by carving his own “Paddle” and flying to Thunder Bay with his family and driving to Nipigon to throw it in the Nipigon River. He lived in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

NIPIGON can still entice the World.

(End Tour)

BOTH SIDES NOW... WORLD RECORD BROOK TROUT

 

Ode to The Nipigon 73 years after

 We had a Mighty River

That ran Wild , Untamed and Free

We had a Mighty River

That drew the World to see

Now only rocks and trees remain

To edge the gently flowing waters

Of a Once Mighty River

That ran Wild , Untamed and Free

B. Brill August 6, 2023

HMCS NIPIGON

 

HMCS Nipigon (J154)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other ships with the same name, see HMCS Nipigon.

Name: Nipigon

Namesake: Township of Nipigon

Builder: Dufferin Shipbuilding Co., Toronto

Laid down:  4 July 1940

Launched:  1 October 1940

Commissioned:  8 November 1941

Decommissioned:  13 October 1945

Identification Pennant number:  J154; 188 (1952)

Honours and awards:  Atlantic 1941–45,[1] Gulf of St. Lawrence 1942, 1944[2]

Fate:  Sold to Turkey, 1957

Turkey Name:  Bafra

Acquired:  29 November 1957

Commissioned:  13 January 1958

Out of service:  1972

Identification:  P-121

Fate:  Registry deleted 1972

General characteristics

Class and type:  Bangor-class minesweeper

Displacement:  672 long tons (683 t)

Length:  180 ft (54.9 m) oa

Beam:  28 ft 6 in (8.7 m)

Draught:  9 ft 9 in (3.0 m)

Propulsion:  2 Admiralty 3-drum water tube boilers, 2 shafts, vertical triple-expansion reciprocating engines, 2,400 ihp (1,790 kW)

Speed:  16.5 knots (31 km/h)

Complement: 83

Armament:

1 × QF 4 in (102 mm)/40 cal Mk IV gun

1 × QF 2-pounder Mark VIII

2 × QF 20 mm Oerlikon guns

40 depth charges as escort

HMCS Nipigon was a Bangor-class minesweeper that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. She saw action in the Battle of the Atlantic and the Battle of the St. Lawrence. She was named for Nipigon, Ontario. After the war she was sold to Turkey and renamed Bafra. She served as such from 1957 until 1972.

Design and description

A British design, the Bangor-class minesweepers were smaller than the preceding Halcyon-class minesweepers in British service, but larger than the Fundy class in Canadian service.[3][4] They came in two versions powered by different engines; those with a diesel engines and those with vertical triple-expansion steam engines.[3] Nipigon was of the latter design and was larger than her diesel-engined cousins. Nipigon was 180 feet (54.9 m) long overall, had a beam of 28 feet 6 inches (8.7 m) and a draught of 9 feet 9 inches (3.0 m).[3][4] The minesweeper had a displacement of 672 long tons (683 t). She had a complement of 6 officers and 77 enlisted.[4]

Nipigon had two vertical triple-expansion steam engines, each driving one shaft, using steam provided by two Admiralty three-drum boilers. The engines produced a total of 2,400 indicated horsepower (1,800 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph). The minesweeper could carry a maximum of 150 long tons (152 t) of fuel oil.[3]

Nipigon was armed with a single quick-firing (QF) 4-inch (102 mm)/40 caliber Mk IV gun mounted forward.[3][a] For anti-aircraft purposes, the minesweeper was equipped with one QF 2-pounder Mark VIII and two single-mounted QF 20 mm Oerlikon guns.[3][4] As a convoy escort, Chedabucto was deployed with 40 depth charges.[3]

Service history

Nipigon was ordered as part of the 1939–1940 building programme. The minesweeper's keel was laid down on 4 July 1940 by Dufferin Shipbuilding Co. at Toronto and the ship was launched on 1 October later that year. She was commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 11 August 1941 at Toronto with the pennant number J154.[5]

After commissioning, Nipigon was assigned to Sydney Force beginning in October 1941. She remained with this unit until 17 January 1942. She then spent periods of service with the Western Local Escort Force (WLEF), Halifax Force and Newfoundland Force. In June 1943, when WLEF divided its escorts into groups, the ship was assigned to EG W-1 as a convoy escort.[5]

In early 1944, Nipigon underwent a refit, beginning at Lunenburg and completed at Liverpool. After completing workups, she was assigned to Halifax Force again until it was disbanded in 1945. She then performed various duties along the Atlantic coast until paid off at Sydney on 13 October 1945.[5] She was laid up at Shelburne, Nova Scotia.

Following the war, Nipigon was placed in strategic reserve at Sorel, Quebec in 1946. She was reacquired by the Royal Canadian Navy in 1952 and refitted in preparation for active duty. The minesweeper was given the new pennant number 188, however she was never recommissioned.[5] In 1953, Nipigon was re-rated as a coastal escort.[6] She was sold to the Turkish Naval Forces on 29 November 1957 and renamed Bafra.[5] The vessel sailed to Turkey on 19 May 1958.[6] She served until 1972 when her registry was deleted.[7] The ship was broken up in Turkey in 1972.[8]

Cherish is the word

 

CHERISH” IS THE WORD

So, now, too,  our Nipigon River is History for the past 70 plus years.

The Pine Portage Hydro Dam, constructed in 1950, was the complete inundation of all lakes, rapids and waterfalls on the Nipigon River, from Pine Portage to Virgin Falls, creating Forgan Lake.

Thanks to Artist, Authors and Photographers we know what we lost.  Therefore, our Nipigon River that was shall not be forgotten.

This year, 2023, marks  50 years since the Nipigon Historical Museum  opened in 1973.

As a special project these black and white photos from 1893 to 1938 have been brought  into full colour, pixel by pixel, by Fred Dean.  While Fred and Rob Swainson  are still working on a slide/video of 100 plus photos showing the original black and white and the ultimate colour, Rob has put together a 24 page teasing selection of photos now in colour.

Available at the Nipigon Museum Gift Shop.

The Nipigon River in Colour 1893 to 1938

The digital colourization art work of J. Frederick Dean

Compiled and edited by Rob Swainson

Publication of the Nipigon Historical Museum celebrating 50 years 1973-2023

“In 1889 A.R. Macdonough wrote in Scribners Magazine: “Unless it is cherished the glory of the Nepigon may fade and the story of its marvelous attractions may become a tradition of the past.”

50 YEARS AND COUNTING

 

50 YEARS AND COUNTING

The making of the museum.

It was People and people and More.

How do we name them ALL?

It was Domtar and Multiply and Auto Glass

It was the Ministry of Culture; Winter Works; and Wintario

It was Carter and Sawchuck

It was Noble and Ross and Arthurs and Hamilton

It was Jack Stokes

It was the schools and the Library and the Businesses

It was your Parents and Grandparents, your Aunts and your Uncles.

(Or You)

And, weaving them all together was Buzz Lein.

Please come visit and see their legacy that survived the disastrous fire of 1990 and has grown again.

Thanks to Cultural Spaces Canada 's massive grant for display cases in 2008.