The Snow Lake Mining Museum opened June 10 for the 2019 season. Museum chairperson Paul Hawman said it takes a big effort to open every year due to their location.
“It’s an old bus garage, so it’s just a great big old building and it gets very cold inside. It’s obviously not heated. In the spring, we have to open it up. That big cement slab just holds the cold. During the winter, we have to take all of our photographs down and put them into warm storage. We just have to reassemble things, get the building opened, get power on, get the water hooked up, get the toilet working again and hang our pictures.”
Hawman said the mining museum’s showcase pieces don’t need much maintenance.
“It’s all equipment and big stuff,” he said. “And what little stuff and sensitive stuff we do have, as I say, we put it away in storage for the winter. So it’s got to be a little bit mobile. Everything else just stays out.”
Hawman loves their location, explaining the bus depot has a connection to the local mining community.
“The bus garage is kind of apropos too, because those were the buses that were only used for the for the mine runs to take the guys out to the mines to go to work,” he said. “So it’s it’s kind of good that we’ve got that space.”
The museum offers guided tours seven days a week during the summer, but also books special events during the year as well.
In August, the museum will host “Rock Doctor Day,” where people can bring in different rocks and have them analyzed by industry experts.
Hawman said the museum has worked to become as interactive as possible, especially for kids.
“Kids can actually pan for gold. It’s not real gold, but chunks of iron that have been painted golden. We’re up front with that, but it gives you the same experience,” he said. “They can also stake a claim. We have a claim set up in the bush right behind the museum where they can go and walk the claim and record it and come back in and get a little certificate. Another one for Rock Doctor, they can tour the museum by themselves inside and find placards with different types of rock that are explained on them and they can book them on their little sheet and get their Rock Doctor certificate.”
This year’s big project for the museum is setting up outdoor displays so the museum can still have value while closed.
“People can come after hours, or when we’re not around, or even after season,” he said. “People can come to the site, look at the displays and have them explained to them. So that’s our main project this year is to get those signs up and get them the placards on them and get them there for the public.”
The Snow Lake Mining Museum will be open until Labour Day weekend.
