THUNDER BAY – The City of Thunder Bay has launched a new online historical exhibit. In complement to the 2010 Municipal Election, it features past Mayors and Councils of Thunder Bay, Port Arthur and Fort William.
Listings of Council Members going as far back as 1884 are available, and the exhibit displays biographical information for the 60 Mayors of the past 130 years, as well as digital copies of the Mayors’ formal portraits. The exhibit can be used for quick reference, or as a starting point for understanding the cities’ political history. In addition to this website, the public are also invited to visit the City Archives at 235 Vickers St. N. to conduct historic research.
Much of the research for this exhibit was prepared by students hired under the City’s Summer Student Employment Program and Co-op Student Placement Program, working with staff at the City Archives. These programs are a great opportunity for young people to gain experience with historical research and writing for the public.
CBC Radio’s Great Northwest Morning Show will be running a Historic Trivia Contest for the week of Monday, Oct. 4, engaging citizens on their civic history and drawing from these now readily-available historic records.
The exhibit is compiled from information held at the City of Thunder Bay Archives, the Thunder Bay Public Library, the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, Lakehead University Library Archives, and published sources. The Mayors’ portraits are managed and digitized by the City’s Public Art Program. Documentation is kept by the City Archives of every Municipal Election as part of the public record.
For more information visit: www.thunderbay.ca/PastCouncils.