The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor The recorded history of Flin Flon is scattered across a medley of sources. There are the yellowed newspaper clippings in the basement of the library and the black and white photos tucked inside family albums throughout the community. There are the dog-eared high school yearbooks in your father's closet and the fast-fading memories that exist only in the minds of community pioneers. Shepherding all of this history, and more, into a central location is the aim of the Flin Flon Heritage Project, a website as practical as it is ambitious. 'We're just capturing whatever information we can get,' says Richard Lyons, who is spearheading the site along with friend Doug Evans and a team of hearty volunteers. Though Lyons and Evans now live in Winnipeg, they have not forgotten their Flin Flon roots. So when Evans approached Lyons with the concept of the site last spring, there was no hesitation about moving forward. Work underway Within a few weeks work was underway on the website. The first draft is now online with dozens of photos, Reminder articles and even videos of events like the demolition of the South Main head frame. With over 40 menu destinations, it's an addictive place for anyone with an interest in the far-reaching annals of Flin Flon and area. Sections include 'Famous & Honoured Citizens,' paying homage to individuals like Wes Montgomery, the Flin Flon-born radio icon, and Joyce Henderson, who co-authored 1974's Flin Flon history book. The 'Early Days' section features photos of log houses and water wagons that vividly illustrate the town's rather humble beginnings. Under 'Events' are more photos covering happenings such as the famous Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting strike of 1934 and the ever-popular Trout Festival. Then there's the 'Mystery Gallery' of photos that remain, well, a mystery. As with all other photos, visitors to the site are invited to submit any relevant information they may have. See 'Imme...' on pg. 3 Continued from pg. 1 'Part of the format is like a Wikipedia-type format where you can actually add to (the information),' says Lyons. 'Some stuff is going up there with practically no comment, just a file name, and people can then comment on what they think is in that picture _ people, places, things.' While those behind the website will strive to gather information on all eras of the community, the immediate focus is on the distant past. That makes sense. After all, many of Flin Flon's early pioneers are already deceased, and those who remain are rapidly disappearing as time marches on. 'Once they're gone, that history is gone,' says Lyons, a former city councillor who left Flin Flon in 1989. Lyons hopes website volunteers can gain access to the pioneers' photos and have their memories preserved either in writing or through digitally-recorded interviews. 'I've been trying to get people to start writing their histories _ their personal histories, their family histories, their organizational histories,' he says. Though time is not on the website's side in many respects, volunteer support is. Lyons has helpers across Flin Flon, indeed Canada, who share the goal of a one-stop historical shop. One volunteer is currently scanning all Hapnot Collegiate yearbooks dating back to 1944; another is accessing the archives of Manitoba universities for any pertinent data. A different helper, Phil Gies, brings a special expertise as he already operates a website called Flin Flon in the '50s, another virtual trip down memory lane. Supply photos The committee that oversees the Flin Flon Library's archives has also become involved, supplying a number of photos for scanning and posting. When it comes to locating people who are interested in lending a hand, the Heritage Project's Facebook page has proven invaluable. 'On that we have all kinds of dialogue going on,' Lyons says. 'There's people submitting pictures of their high school class or friends of theirs, so that will be sort of our informal kind of (gathering) place.' The Heritage Project website is fairly basic now but will grow more sophisticated with time. It will even include a search engine to let visitors find whatever information they desire. 'If you look up 'RCMP,' you'll get the RCMP involved in the strike back in 1934 or you'll see the RCMP at their 75th anniversary,' Lyons says. A key to the website is its flexibility, the willingness of its creators to adapt as needed. 'We don't have any fixed ideas about what it's going to be other than we want it to be growing, we want it to be representative, we want it to be reflective,' Lyons says. For Lyons and Evans, the project is clearly a labour of love. The tab to date of under $1,000, mostly to pay the webmaster, has come from the retirees' pension incomes. For Lyons, it's money well spent. He derives immense satisfaction from how the site has rekindled interest in Flin Flon among the many ex-pats scattered throughout Canada and beyond. For him, that type of reaction, combined with the volunteer support the website has received, reflects the essence of Flin Flon. 'Was it because they were northern people or was it because they were just remote people?' Lyons says. 'It's hard to know why Flin Flon people gelled and connected the way they did. But I think a lot of the development of the community was based on that. People needed each other to survive and that made for a better community.' Visit the Heritage Project website at FlinFlonheritageproject.com.
