Successes and challenges were discussed at the Elliot Lake Historical Society’s annual general meeting on October 9 at the Elliot Lake Secondary School cafeteria.
President Maria Murphy-Foran, who chaired the meeting, said the board of directors had to be “tenacious” when starting up the non-profit organization. “Governance is what we are all about,” she said, explaining that the society is governed under both the Ontario Non-Profit Corporation Act and the Ontario Historical Society Act.
The society was incorporated in November 2022 and started operating in January 2023.
They received start-up funding of $7,000 from the Solutions Group, a project of Economic Development when that organization shut down.
Other funding has come from Elliot Lake Retirement Living, who gave them a donation of $3,500 for equipment in 2023, and another $4,000 this year.
Murphy-Foran gave thanks to these organizations as well as others who helped the new society get off the ground: Jack’s Ski and Bike Shack which provides storage for their equipment, Mount Dufour Ski Hill for offering them meeting space at the beginning, and now Elliot Lake Secondary School for use of their cafeteria for meetings. She also thanked the media for their support, both The Standard and ElliotLakeToday. She said The Standard has offered them access to the paper’s archives on microfiche for the years 1957 to 1991.
“We also work closely with the museum and library,” said Murphy-Foran. “We try to partner as much as possible with other groups.” The Elliot Lake Public Library offers use of the library on one Saturday afternoon per month for the Ancestry Program, where members of the public may go and get help on searching their ancestry."
The historical society’s board of directors include Marie Murphy-Foran, president, Laurie Blake, vice-president, Margaret Dean, secretary, Doug Souliere, Sharon MacMillan, and two new directors elected October 9, Marjory Smith and Ed Pearce. The position of treasurer will be decided at a future meeting.
Murphy-Foran also thanked Sharon MacMillan for her work as a researcher; she went through all the books the society has on Elliot Lake and catalogued them. “We do an awful lot of research,” said Murphy-Foran. “We have papers from the first opening of Rio Algom.” She said one of the first things the society was going to do in the new year is to invite members to work on the Rio Algom project, wearing white gloves, going through all the papers and picking out stories to highlight.
Going after new funding will also be a priority of the society in the new year. “We now have two years of financial records so we can now apply for grants,” said Murphy-Foran.
The society just contracted with someone to create a website at a cost of about $3,000. Other plans include continuing with their speakers’ forum, becoming better known in the community, doing pop-ups – going to Collins Hall and showing what they do at information fairs, holding a Remembrance Day event at the Legion, hosting an event for different cultures in the community to share their information, and recording on video individuals’ personal stories.
“The goal of the society is to maintain continuity between our past and our future,” said Murphy-Foran, “by preserving a trail of how we arrived at where and who we are today.”
Following the annual general meeting, there was a presentation on the history of Mississagi Provincial Park.
Upcoming talks include the topic “The History of Radon in Elliot Lake – Then and Now,” on October 30, with speaker Luc Lance, a Canadian-National Radon Proficiency Professional (C-NRPP). It is possible that 100 homes in Elliot Lake may be tested for radon.
On November 13, the topic will be “War Time Memories by Linda Finn,” presented by Murray Finn and Jacque Grummett. The presentation will include a display of Finn’s latest artwork.
On November 27, the historical society offers an evening with historian Bill Garneau, “a moderator of people who lived in Elliot Lake.” The public will also have an opportunity to explore editions of Rio Atoms, Rio Recorders and Denison Nucleus magazines. The historical society welcomes any magazines or newsletters from the past.
In all cases above, the speakers begin at 7 p.m. and the doors open at 6:30 p.m.
The society is open to new members for an annual fee of $10. They meet at the Elliot Lake Secondary School cafeteria monthly. For more information contact them by email at [email protected].