Stories of Northern Life

We currently have a special pop-up traveling exhibit on display in our Military Gallery. The exhibit is called Dear Sadie: Love, Lives, and Remembrance from Ontario's First World War, and was made by the Archives of Ontario. I am going to focus on the Love part, in light of Valentine's day coming up. I am going to share the story of Harry Mason and his love Sadie Arbuckle, then relate these war st...

Bon Soo, the winter carnival that holds a special place in the hearts of all of us who grew up in or near Sault Ste. Marie For this one special week, you enjoy the magic of what people can create with snow and ice, and the cold long winter doesn’t seem so bad. This year we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Bon Soo Winter Carnival ...so let’s learn a little more about its 60-year history!

In this episode, we give you a very brief history of the Historical Society, when they first found a space to build its collection, and the hunt to find a new space soon after. Though we all know where they chose to start the city museum, this year is the 40th anniversary of the Sault Ste Marie Museum when we first came together and opened the space here at 690 Queen Street E. (previously known as...

Over the years we lost a lot of great historic buildings, monuments, and what would be artifacts today due to terrible fires, catching a spark by surprise. Since 1889 the Sault Ste. Maire Fire Department has been there to fight those fires for us. There are so many significant fires that occurred, some with heartbreaking stories but some with little damage due to the Sault fire department. Listen...

This episode is an Interview with Ray Fox a Northern Ontario-based Anishinaabe Visual Artist and our current artist-in-residence. He’s been with us since April 2022 and is now at the end of his residency closing it off with an exhibition.  This is an awesome episode where you get to hear Ray's voice as he talks about his artistic journey, his time at the museum, what to look forward to for his upc...

We all know The Marconi Cultural Event Centre, as a place where we gather for events and eat penne and meatballs, but this building has housed much more than events and gatherings. Today we are not talking about the Marconi itself but a Marconi Society that’s just celebrated its 90th anniversary and is now in its 91st year running strong. The Elettra Marconi society is an all-ladies club that prom...

As we wrap up the last few days of 2022, we reflect on the year. We are going to talk about Historic moments globally, nationally, and locally. As well as what we accomplished here at the Sault Museum. 2022 was undoubtedly a difficult year for many, but it was also a time of growth and change. We showed our resilience and strength in the face of adversity and proved that we can work together to bu...

Today I thought I would pick up this small red book from the collection, with a few crayon scribbles on the pages, a loose spine, and illustrated pictures featuring 5 short Christmas stories. Listen to your host share a short story in the spirit of the season of love, and giving!  Happy Holidays from the Sault Ste. Marie Museum!!! 

Today we are going to get into some of the Traditions and Customs of the Regiments specifically over the holiday season, as that is just around the corner. We learn about an annual custom for Canadian forces to have a Christmas dinner, but with a twist, and another tradition that dates back many centuries called New Years Levee.

Gladys H McNeice was a post-secondary educator but was known by many for her work as a regional historian and author.  At time stamp 4:45 the episode turns into an audio recording from a Historical Society Meeting where Gladys talks about her research of the Ermatinger Family and the Ermatinger Old Stone House.  So you can end the episode in just under 5 minutes or continue to listen as Gladys her...

In 2009, The City of Sault Ste. Marie, in collaboration with the Sault Ste. Marie and Area Local Immigration Partnership established a flag gallery on Foster Drive in front of City Hall. Your host Mairi talks about her, and her mom's experience raising a flag in 2009 and chats about the flags that were added to the flag gallery ever since.

William Armstrong first made a name for himself as a civil engineer – through his work on some of Canada’s early railways – and as a pioneer in the use of photography for industrial purposes. But it was his art that has given him a place in history! He was one of the Artists in the 1800s that traveled through Sault Ste Marie and illustrated its early history.  Souces: https:/ / www.thunderbaymuseu...

Today’s artist in subject came to our town in the earliest years and his work became so famous it's not in the Smithsonian. And that person is George Catlin. George Catlin was an American adventurer, traveler, lawyer, author, and painter. His collection of works is the largest pre-photographic material of North Americans. All though he wasn’t the first to document Indigenous groups in Canada and t...

Who is Paul Kane? He was one of Canada's most traveled painters. He traveled by horseback, canoe, and on foot to paint buffalo herds, fur traders, and Indigenous encampments. Kane made 68 known sketches of this area from 1845-1848 Canada was still very underdeveloped at the time, and he helped paint a portrait of what the country looked like. And Paul Kane immersed himself in the land and the peop...

🎼That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed When the gales of November came early 🎶 The S.S Edmund Fitzgerald was a Great Lakes bulk cargo vessel, the largest ore carrier on the Great lakes for 13 years until 1971. It was 729 feet long, 75 feet wide, 39 feet high, and 13632 tons empty. It set seasonal haul records 6 times, often surpassing its own records in its short 17-year lifespan until...

Nicole Curry our Collections Assistant reads to you an article written in 1996 about a murder mystery that happened in Sault Ste Marie Michigan. Now this case is 176 years old and still unsolved with not enough evidence to truly convict a murderer. Your host, Mairi adds more points of research to the characters and case to help you make your own verdict!

There are many artists that came to the Sault to capture the “Stories of Northern Life” and in the 1800s that looked a lot different than today. If it weren't for these artists writing, painting or illustrating in some way. We would have very few resources in understanding the way of life. In the upcoming episodes, I will be going through a number of artists that stopped or stayed awhile in Sault...

There is no better place within the city limits to see the fall colours than Hiawatha Park! Your host Mairi Talks about where Hiwatha and Kinsman Park 97 got their name, the park features, wartime involvement, changes in ownership, and its natural beauty of course! Let’s talk about the park and lodges' rich history! Information sourced from articles found in our collections here at the Sault Museu...

Back at it again answering your Q’s This time your host sits down with Alicia and Nick, making our education and outreach department! So the questions will be directed towards events, partnerships, workshops, education initiatives and what we do to make the museum more inviting and engaging for youth and adults of all ages. You will also feel like you get to know a little more Alicia and Nick pers...

This will be the second year September 30th marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. On September 30th we also recognize Orange Shirt Day. We will give you a brief description of the day, what it symbolizes, what's happening in the Sault for it, and resources. So let's get into it... _____________ Here is where we got most of the info https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaign...

We are answering your questions about our museum staff and the Sault Ste. Marie Museum itself. Your host sits down with Will, Ric, and Nicole and talks about the job, the people and this unique space we call YOUR Museum! Want to know about the Clock Tower? The Creepiest artifacts we have in the collection? What Will our Executive Director and Chief Curator has in his personal collection? and more!...

Marking the passing of the Queen, we remember the time she and Prince Philip stopped on their Canadian tour in Sault Ste Marie! Despite the wrongdoings of the crown, the visit of the Queen and Prince Phillip was a significant event for Sault Ste Marie, for a prominent figure to visit our small northern city. It was important to many people around town. The intentions of this episode are to share w...

It's that time of year, back to school. This episode talks about Sir James Dunn Collegiate and Vocational School as well as the man behind the name. 

The city of Sault Ste Marie has a long history of hockey, skating, curling and most importantly a love for sports. The need for areas in this area has been around for decades and I don't think that need will die off any time soon... We are going to talk about some of the arenas in Sault Ste Maire's history: The Gouin Street Arena, the Sault Memorial Gardens and all the name changes of the newest S...

This character we are talking about today was a Canadian politician and businessman who was active in Canada in the mid-to-late 1800s. He is notable for quite a number of accomplishments around the Algoma district, which obviously makes him very relevant to Sault Ste. Marie's history. If you don't know much about him, you hopefully will by the end of this episode. Episode is written by Justin Bret...