Heritage Organizations

City of Thunder Bay Archives

Est: 1990

Contact Person: Matt Szybalski, City Archivist
Contact Information:
Location:
235 Vickers St. North
Thunder Bay ON

Mailing address:
500 Donald St. E.
Thunder Bay, ON P7E 5V3
Tel: (807) 625-2270
Fax: (807) 622-4212
Email: mszybalski@thunderbay.ca
Website: www.thunderbay.ca/archives
Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30-4:30

The City of Thunder Bay Archives preserves, promotes and makes publicly available the City's history by managing documents through systematic records management controls and standards. Archival holdings include a wide range of materials about the social, political, economic, natural and built history of the City. Visitors to the archives can access a database of all records, as well as directories and local publications. Reference assistance is also available.

The Archives holds open houses and puts on exhibits at various times during the year. Information on these and other programs will be available on the website. Tours of the Archives can be arranged by request.

The Duke Hunt Historical Museum

(Formerly Paipoonge Museum) *
Non-profit Est: 1952

Contact person: Lois Garrity
Contact information:
Location: 3218 Rosslyn Road (formerly location of the Rosslyn Village School)
RR 6, Site 5. Comp 10
Thunder Bay, Ontario P7C 5N5
Tel: (807)939-1262
Fax: (807) 577-3888
Email: opmuse@tbaytel.net

The Duke Hunt Historical Museum reflects the history of Paipoonge and surrounding area for the past 120 years. The museum is open from May 3 to August 31, Tuesdays to Sundays from 1 to 4:30 PM daily. School and group tours can be arranged during regular hours by appointment.

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Founders’ Museum & Pioneer Village

Non-Profit Est. 1962

Contact person: Aaron E. MoQuin
Contact information:
Location
Hwy. 61 & Gillespie Road
Mailing Address
264-307 Euclid Avenue
Thunder Bay, Ontario P7E 6G6
Tel: (807) 475-5114
Fax: (807) 473-4663
Email: info@founders.ca
Website: http://www.founders.ca
Village Hours: Noon to 8:00 PM

Take a Walk through the Past at this unique Northwestern Ontario Pioneer Village. The Pioneer Village was the dream of Fred Goodfellow, a teacher who realized the importance of preserving the past for future generations. The Village shops, trade buildings, home, church, school, community hall, train station and agricultural equipment recreate a pioneer settlement of the early 1900’s. Founders’ Museum & Pioneer Village gives the opportunity to visitors, and especially children, to relive and learn about the life style of the early settlers in our area.

Educational Programming

School tours are specialized and link up directly to the Ontario School Curriculum. Hands on experiences such as scrubbing clothes, sending a telegram, shopping in the General Store, and having lessons in a one room school house makes this an exciting learning environment. From the carpenter, cobbler and blacksmith shops, school house, church, general store, the shops in the Village Square, the home and the vintage cars, buggies and farm equipment there is plenty to explore from our rich past.

Program Availability

Programs are available daily beginning May long weekend until Labour Day.

Facilities are available both indoor and outdoor for groups to have lunch before or after their tours.

Catered lunch or dinners are available upon request. Please contact us for menu and cost per person. Adult evening group tours are available. Please contact us for availability.

To Book a Program

Programs must be booked a minimum of one week in advance.

Please supply the following information:

Date and time
Name of teacher/leader
Organization/School & Grade Level
Number attending
Number of Special Needs participants

• Please note that only 1 chaperone or teacher per ten children is recommended. This allows the children to absorb more of the history without distractions.

Fort William Historical Park *

Non-profit Est: 1973

Contact person: Sheena Albanese

Education & Lifelong Learning

(807) 473-2368

Contact information:

Mailing address:

1350 King Rd.

Thunder Bay, Ontario P7K 1L7

Tel: (807)577-8461

Fax: (807)473-2327

Email: sheena.albanese@ontario.ca

Website: http://www.fwhp.ca/

Through its living history program, the fort depicts the fur trade activities of the North West Company at Fort William, inland headquarters and site of the company's annual Rendezvous from 1803 to 1821. Fort William Historical Park is one of the largest living history sites on the continent.

Visit a place where people, animals, heritage buildings, and the natural surroundings unite to create a unique 19th-century destination for interdisciplinary learning! Fort William Historical Park allows young people to exercise their imaginations by teaching them about the early days through sight, sound, smell and touch. When groups arrive at the Fort, they become actively involved in history as they interact with interpreters that accurately depict Fort William as it was in the early 1800s. Preserved accurately, Fort William Historical Park deepens our understanding of fur trade history, and allows visitors to learn in a stimulating environment.

Educational Programming

Fort William Historical Park aims to enrich students' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of our shared history through hands-on, minds-on encounters with the past. The Fort offers over thirty curriculum-based programs designed for students in grades K-12. Programs vary in length from 1.5 hours to 48 hour and support learning expectations in Social Studies, History, Geography, Science & Technology, Arts, Native Studies and Health & Physical Education. The Fort also offers custom-designed programs upon request. Overnight Adventures provide students with an unforgettable immersion experience that has students getting into costume and living the life of the fur traders. The Bell House and East House are renovated with bunks, a common room, kitchenette, and washrooms and showers provide comfort for overnight stays. Day camps are offered for children throughout the summer and during March Break.

Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame & Museum

Non-profit                Est: 1978
Contact person: Diane Imrie
                          Executive Director
Contact information:
219 May Street South
Thunder Bay, Ontario    P7E 1B5
Tel: (807)622-2852
Fax: (807)622-2736
Email: nwosport@tbaytel.net
Website: http://www.nwosportshalloffame.com/
The Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame & Museum is a wonderful educational resource for teachers and students of all grade levels and a heritage focused facility available for community groups, service clubs, day camps, sports teams and youth organizations. Located at 219 May Street South, in downtown Thunder Bay South, the facility includes a sports museum featuring exhibits on a variety of different sports, a hall of fame honouring athletes, builders and teams from throughout the region, and a reference library and archives for research purposes.

Educational Programming
Educational programs have been created to provide students from all across northwestern Ontario the opportunity to learn about their rich and proud sports heritage. An excursion to the Sports Hall of Fame provides students the chance to participate in a structured program to learn about people, places and things. By viewing artifacts and photographs from the past they can develop a greater understanding of community history and gain an increased sense of community pride. Located in downtown Thunder Bay South, an excursion to the Sports Hall of Fame can be combined with a visit to the Brodie Street Library, City Hall or the Thunder Bay Museum, which are all within close proximity and walking distance.
In addition to on-site education programs, there are also a variety of Sports Heritage Education Resource Materials available for use in the classroom. These resource materials have been designed to follow the Ontario curriculum expectations, to assist teachers with the delivery of sports history education, and to build pride in citizenship among the youth of our communities. These resource materials provide Lesson Plan ideas for such subjects as Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies, Physical Education, Art, History and Geography and are divided into grade levels including Grades 1-2; 3-4; 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12. The lessons include both individual and group activities, and individual and group work projects. Copies are available on-line at www.nwosportshalloffame.com (or can be requested by calling 622-2852 or via email at nwosport@tbaytel.net. By combining in-class activities with an excursion to the Sports Hall of Fame, students are provided with a wonderful learning experience.
Program Availability
School Programs are available Monday to Friday, morning and afternoon. Evening and weekend tours are available for community groups upon request. Programming opportunities also occur during the summer and during March Break.
To Book A Program
Programs must be booked a minimum of one week in advance.
Please supply the following information:
Date and time
Name of teacher/leader
Organization/School & Grade Level
Number attending

Ontario Genealogical Society

Non-profit        Est: 1961

Contact person: Please contact the branch through
                            the website or mailing address

Contact information:
Thunder Bay Branch of OGS
Box 10373
Thunder Bay, Ontario    P7B 6T8
Website: http://www.ogs.on.ca/

The Thunder Bay Branch of the Ontario Genealogical society is in place to encourage and bring together all those interested in the pursuit of family history.

Ontario Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Culture Programs Unit

Contact person:
Andrew Hinshelwood
Archaeology Review Officer

Contact information:
Ministry of Tourism & Culture
435 S. James Street
Thunder Bay, Ontario P7E 6S7
Tel: (807)475-1632
Fax: (807)475-1297
Email: andrew.hinshelwood@ontario.ca

The Culture Policy, Programs and ServicesDivision of theMinistry of Tourism and Culture is responsible for the implementation of the Ontario Heritage Act, and for advocating archaeological and cultural heritage protection through appropriate provincial legislation. Public education and promotion of heritage protection is a key component of the Division’s mandate.

Thunder Bay Historical Museum

Non-profit                Est: 1908
Dr. Tory Tronrud     Curator

Contact person: Christie Parry, OCT, HBA, BEd
                              Education Services Manager

Contact information:
425 Donald Street East
Thunder Bay, Ontario    P7E 5V1
Tel: (807) 623-0801
Fax: (807) 622-6880
Email: info@thunderbaymuseum.com
Education Department: education@thunderbaymuseum.com
Website: www.thunderbaymuseum.com

Programs:
The Thunder Bay Museum's exhibits and artifacts provide a rich and illuminating historical backdrop that allows students to immerse themselves in the past while making local connections to what they are learning in the classroom. We offer fun and engaging programs for students of every grade, designed specifically to fit into the Ontario Ministry of Education curriculum expectations.

Every year thousands of students participate in Museum programs to learn about their own community’s history and about the lives of their ancestors through direct involvement and participation in the activities. They leave the Museum with a wider appreciation of the significant role history plays in all of our lives.

For a full description of the following core programs or a list of temporary programs, visit our web site at: www.thunderbaymuseum.com

My First Visit To The Museum - Preschool to Gr. 2
Ojibway Stories - Preschool to Gr. 2
Folk Games - SK to Gr.4
Amy's Story - Gr.1 to Gr.3
Early Settler Children – Gr. 1 to Gr.3
Land of the Sleeping Giant – Gr. 1 to Gr. 6
Step Right Up: The Medicine Show - Gr. 2 to Gr. 6
The Ojibway - Gr. 3 to Gr. 12
Can You Dig It - Gr. 4 to Gr. 10
Immigrants to the Lakehead - Gr. 4 to Gr. 12 & ESL
History Made by Hand - Gr. 4 to Gr. 12
We Remember - Gr. 4 to Gr. 12
Silver Islet - Gr. 4 to Gr. 12
Shipwreck! - Gr. 4 to Gr. 12
Scavenger Hunt - Gr. 4 to Gr. 12
1920's & 1930's - Gr. 7 to Gr. 12

School Kits on a variety of topics are also available. Contact the IMC (625-5162).

Program Availability:
Programs are available Monday to Friday, morning and afternoon. Temporary exhibit presentations are only available when listed (Please see web site).

Outreach Programs:
The Museum offers programming in your classroom. One hour-long outreach programs may include such activities as viewing artifacts, an audiovisual presentation and an activity relevant to the theme. Temporary exhibit presentations are not available for outreach program. We can provide custom workshops for Electives Programs.

To Book a Program:
Programs must be booked at least one week in advance. Please be prepared to supply the following information:
- Date and time (with alternatives)
- Name of program
- Name of teacher/leader
- Name of school/group
- Grade and number of students
- Teacher’s email address

Fees:
There is a fee for each class to assist in part with defraying the cost of materials. The fee covers admission charges for required teachers/chaperones. There is no fee for schools with a School Membership.
The fee schedule is as follows:
$25 minimum per class - onsite programs
$50 per class - outreach programs
$25 per additional class for outreach programs on the same day
$100 School Memberships (6 visits for the price of 4)
$3 each additional adult chaperone

Thunder Bay Military Museum

Non-profit Est: 1992

Contact information:
The Armoury
317 Park Street
Thunder Bay, Ontario
P7B 1C7
Tel: (807)343-5175
Fax: (807)346-4022

The Society has been appointed by the Commanding Officers of the Thunder Bay Army and Navy units to operate the museum. The museum exists to collect, preserve, display and interpret artifacts and details of the history of the military units and personnel from Northwestern Ontario in particular, as well as related Canadian and Commonwealth military history. The Museum represents all three services: navy, army and air force. Tours may be arranged by contacting the Museum.