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.
French writer, poet, and politician Alphonse Lamartine once stated, 'History teaches everything, including the future.' Have better words ever been written in explanation of a museum? The phrase evokes the thought of how having history on display reminds us of the toil and hardships of the many who preceded us. As well, it conjures the belief that viewing history arouses ideas _ many have been inspired and kept from reinventing the wheel by a welltimed trip through a museum. History is also something that repeats, and S n ow La k e ma y o r Clarence Fisher embodied that concept with something he said on the afternoon of May 24. 'Mining is our past, mining is our present, and we're very happy to say that mining is our future,' said the mayor from the podium situated at a mid-point in the museum. There Mayor Fisher kicked off the Snow Lake Mining Museum season opening, which (as it did last year) coincided with t h e c e l e b r a t i o n o f P r o v i n c i a l Mi n i n g Week. 'I think it's really valuable to know where you came from and I also think it's very important that it sets us on a pathÉ (where) we know where we are going from here,' the mayor continued in his remarks. In addition to praising Snow Lake's history, Mayor Fisher had some suitable words for companies such as Hudbay, Redpath and Dumas. He also acknowledged the role that unions such as the Steelworkers have played in helping individuals build up their lives, and fight for safe and fair working environments. 'Mining these days has really changed,' the mayor continued. 'It is a very different business from when I was a kid. It is a complex, very expensive, global business these days. It is operated under strict environmental law and the mines built today are very different from mines that we had in the past. They are an essential part of the Manitoba and Canadian economy. 'But more than that, I think it really goes to show that minerals are a very central part of all of our lives.' Mayor Fisher also read a statement from MP Niki Ashton. 'I'd like to congratulate the Snow Lake Mining Museum and the Town of Snow Lake for your recognition of Provincial Mining Week and for the benefits that mi n i n g b r i n g s t o Manitoba and to our area,' read the statement. 'I'd like to acknowledge the work of municipal leaders such as Mayor Fisher and the councillors in working on behalf of Snow Lake in its interests in mining. I'd also like to acknowledge the great work of the Mining Museum team in ensuring that we all know our history and gain some insight on the way forward. 'Mining has played a central role in building our north. Miners and those working throughout the industry in our communities have helped shape the region. While mining communities like Snow Lake and all others have experienced challenging times, we recognize the bright opportunities that exist in our region, when it comes to mining. Congratulations on celebrating this important week and a very bright future ahead. I wish you a great day in Snow Lake.' See 'Over' on pg. 11 My Take on Snow Lake Marc Jackson Snow Lake Writer Continued from pg. 9 Following the MP's statement, Derek Imhoff, project superintendent for Dumas Mining, stepped forward and presented a cheque in the amount of $750 to Paul Hawman, chair of the museum board. Tony Scheres, mine manager for Hudbay, also took to the podium. Scheres noted that the company was happy be present for the annual opening of the Snow Lake Mining Museum, pointing out that Hudbay has been a part of mining in Snow Lake for over 60 years. He gave an overview of past Hudbay operations and gave an update on Lalor 's progress, adding that the new Lalor concentrator was still in the engineering phase with construction slated to begin in 2014 and completed in 2015. Scheres closed by a c k n owl e d g i n g t h e hours of volunteer work that are put into the museum. 'With our rich history and bright future, it is our pleasure to be able to contribute to the Mining Museum,' he said in handing another cheque for $750 to Hawman. Bob Forsyth, safety supervisor at Redpath Mining, advised he had a cheque from Redpath for $1,000 to present to the museum. He also gave a brief recap of Redpath's history in Snow Lake. 'Redpath celebrated 50 years in 2012 and in '62 they were here sinking shaft for HBM&S,' he said. 'So we're back, we're happy to be back. We're just working on three and a half years now at the Lalor project for the Hudbay group. Hopefully it will be a long and a great working relationship.' Forsyth congratulated Hawman and the individuals who staff the museum. He also made note that Hudbay should be recognized for presenting each school child who went through the museum on this day with a small sample of Lalor's rich ore. Finally, Mayor Fisher called Hawman forward. Hawman explained that Provincial Mining Week happens every year in Manitoba; however, to the best of his knowledge, Snow Lake was the only place in the province celebrating it this year. 'So we're unique and of course we knew that,' Hawma n s a i d wi t h assurance. See 'Reno...' on pg. 13 Continued from pg. 11 He continued pointing out some of the new projects at the museum, which include major renovations in the entrance and office area done through grants from the Town of Snow Lake and the Tourism Secretariat. He also spoke of a new exhibit opening shortly called 'Staking a Claim'. 'You will actually be able to walk a claim, record all the information from it, come back into the (museum) office, and actually receive a certificate saying that you staked a claim,' he said. Hawman also talked about a Lamp Room Exhibit. 'We have a few lamps (used by workers to see underground) here, but don't really have a lamp room,' said a genial Hawman. 'So thanks to Hudbay, we now have a lamp rack, and a full set of lamps that will be going up in the museum as a display. 'Al s o t h a n k s t o Hudbay, we have a lot of mine rescue equipment that they gave us this year. We are going to expand our mine rescue display with a new Haskel Pump, a couple of Dreger testers and some safety lamps, and again, I think that we likely have the premier mine rescue display in the province _ maybe even in the country.' Hawman closed by stating the museum would be having new siding installed in the coming weeks and that it would be done via a work bee. Hawman called forward curator Dori Forsyth and fellow board member Mona Forsyth. He noted that this was a surprise for Mona. 'Mona has been on the board since its (the museum's) inception,' he said. 'She started in about 1993 and we didn't open until about 1996, so she is the longest-serving board member and has contributed a lot of hours and time and we would like to acknowledge it with a lifetime membership.' To a round of applause, the curator presented the life membership to Ms. Forsyth. Hawman then thanked the many sponsors of and contributors to the event, as well as curator Dori Forsyth and her family, who had been at the museum non-stop for several days leading up to the celebration. 'And looking like they actually enjoyed it,' Hawman joked. Wrapping up, Hawman noted the museum had two gents from the Reed copper project and a display of the mine complete with core samples on hand. If anyone was interested in an overview, they were urged to catch up with Steve Polegato and Brent Christensen. The total number of visitors to the museum on opening day was 157. My Take on Snow Lake runs Fridays.
