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THE BATTLE OF THE GERALDTON [sic] HOTEL Just before Christmas 1934, the first beverage roomlicence was issued for the community; up until that timebootleggers were the only outlets for liquor. Liquor andbeer could be obtained only by sending to Port Arthur,now Thunder Bay. Mr. Foster Draper, owner [sic] of the Geraldton Hotel, atthat time wasContinue reading “Part 6 – [Geraldton : An Alternative History]”

[GERALDTON BEGINS]Two lands groups were formed, Geraldton Lands Limited,by Joe Errington, Stanley Fitzgerald, and Lawrence [MacDonald].They [swore] an [affidavit] at Toronto [on] January 31, 1934. Geraldton Realty was started by J.M. Beamish, H. Hogarth,and J. Bushey[,] with A. Hodgins as office manager. The first town map covered an area from Third [Ave. N.] toFourth Ave.Continue reading “Part 5 – [Geraldton : An Alternative History]”

[FIRST DISCOVERIES]The first knowledge of gold being used as trading commoditycame at Longlac Hudson BAY Post during World War 1 when TonyOklend traded $700.00 worth of gold for supplies. Tony livedfor [many] years in a cabin on Magnet Creek. Tom Johnson prospected with Tony Oklend and together they weregiven credit for the original claims ofContinue reading “Part 4 – [Geraldton : An Alternative History]”

IN THE BEGINNING The Precambrian Era caused great [upheavals] of the earth inthe Northern part [of] Canada. On four occasions the [glaciers]flowedand retreated only to return again. Eventually there weregreat [upheavals] caused by volcanic action and great lavaflows[, causing] folding of the underground. Underground[, extremely] hot water circulating formed fissuresin the rock . As theContinue reading “Part 3 – [Geraldton : An Alternative History]”

In my files, I came upon a typescript authored by Ginger Ball, dating to the 1980s. The script is untitled, so I granted it this title. My own history of Geraldton, “. . . And the Geraldton Way: A History of Geraldton and District Up to 1947” was published in August 1987, in time forContinue reading “PART 1 – [Geraldton: An Alternative History]”

[Frontmatter – Page i] Geraldton 50th Anniversary Committee : 1937 – 1947 This book is dedicated to the many citizens of Geraldton who so often have said “The Right Way, The Wrong Way, and The Geraldton Way.” By Ginger Ball, Chairperson of Book Committee[,] Tom Currie, Myra Korkola, Marylin Power, Marilyn McMahon[,] and Chuck Jones[,]Continue reading “Part 2 – [Geraldton : An Alternative History]”

I had made arrangements to meet Dina Quenneville, Manager of Community Relations, at 1:00 p.m. Monday. Heading south, I started snapping pictures at Barton Bay bridge. The natural gas pipeline that will feed the mine’s power plant has been buried under First Street East. Soon it will soon be buried under Main Street and underContinue reading “GREENSTONE MINE UPDATE Oct 3, 2022“

Doors Open 2022 Thunder Bay Sixty-nine years ago, I was introduced to Chapples (as we called it then, and spelled it). In 1953 our family had moved to Geraldton, and Chapples was the biggest retail store in town. On September 10, 2022, sister Sue and I drove to Victoriaville Mall in Thunder Bay at theContinue reading “THE CHAPPLE BUILDING OR CHAPPLES“

Doors Open Thunder Bay 2022 On Saturday, September 10, my sister Sue and I looked for the N.M. Paterson Building at 1918 Yonge Street, Thunder Bay. Yonge Street in Thunder Bay? Someone has a sense of humour. We navigated to the swing bridge on James Street and spotted the building across an impassable divide. WeContinue reading “N.M. PATERSON BUILDING”