Time Capsule
City Hall Time Capsule
On July 18, 2008, an exciting discovery was made in the Thunder Bay City Hall during renovations: a time capsule. This time capsule was found behind a placard in the entrance of City Hall. It contained artifacts, pictures and documents from 1903 that had been deposited in a time capsule during the reconstruction after the fire. Numerous additions were made to this collection in 1966 with the opening of Fort William's new City Hall.A second time capsule was also discovered in the base of a podium that had been built for the occasion of the 1939 royal visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. This podium was constructed out of old office furnishings and scrap materials by city engineers, and later was re-finished in 1973 for a second royal visit. The base of the podium contained two letters and a poster for the events of the 1939 visit.
The official opening of both time capsules occurred on July 22, 2008 at the City Hall by Mayor Lynn Peterson, with many city staff, members of the public, and local media in attendance.
Many items from the capsule have been placed on display in a cabinet in the Victoriaville Mall, while the rest of the collection will remain in the Archives until the current City Hall renovations are complete. All items will be returned to a new time capsule that will be placed in City Hall after the renovations. Items from the current era will be added to the time capsule, and it will be sealed once again. The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society will be running a contest for the public's opinion on what the new additions should be to the time capsule.
A complete list of items found in the time capsules can be found underneath images.
Items found in the main time capsule:
- Daily Times-Journal, October 10, 1903
- 1874 pamphlet: Mining on the North Shore by Peter McKellar
- Canadian Trade Review, September 1, 1899, featuring an article on Fort William
- Industrial Review and Greater Ontario Business Directory, October 1, 1903
- Fort William Financial Statement, 1901
- Fort William List of Voters, 1902
- Coins and stamps from 1903 and from 1966
- Souvenir booklet from the formal opening of City Hall, 1966
- List of Visitors for City Hall opening ceremony, 1966
- Photograph of ribbon-cutting ceremony, 1966
- Photograph of unveiling of mural at new City Hall, 1966
- Photograph of 1966 City Council and Executive
- Photograph of old City Hall
- Photographs of the demolition of old City Hall, 1966
- Photograph of new City Hall
- Official Program of the Fort William Diamond Jubilee Celebration
- Fort William, "Seaport of the Prairies" brochure
- Fort William Statistical Information, 1963-1964
- Lakehead Henderson Directory, 1966
- Lakehead Telephone Directory, 1966
- Report, The Municipal and Public Utilities Building of the Corporation of the City of Fort William, 1966
- Fort William Voter's Lists, 1965
- City Treasurer's and Personnel Report, 1965
- Greetings from City Hall Staff of 1966
- Municipal Manual, 1963-1964
- Committee Members for Civic Recreation Committee and Parks Board, 1966-1967
- Estimates for Fort William Tax Rate, 1966
- Two maps of Fort William from the Planning and Development Office
- 1965 Map of Ontario
- Eaton's Spring/Summer Catalogue, 1966
- Book In the Face of Danger, by G.F.G. Stanley
- Tales of the Tom-Tom booklet
- Audio recording produced by CJLX broadcasting
- Daily Times-Journal, March 29, 1966
- Daily Times-Journal, Thursday May 26, 1966
- Daily Times-Journal, Saturday May 28, 1966
- Two LPs produced by the Fort William Male Choir: Moods in Music and Men of Music
- Fort William Male Choir 1965 Christmas program
- Program of the Fort William Male Choir Conductor's 20th Anniversary Concert, 1966
- Unopened Envelope from the Fort William Male Choir
- 1966 penny
Items found in the podium time capsule:
- Two (2) letters regarding the royal visits of 1939 and 1973
- Sports Week Advertisment for Royal Visit, 1939
About The Exhibit
The Port Arthur, Fort William and Thunder Bay City Hall exhibits and the Time Capsule display were made possible by the City of Thunder Bay Summer Student Employment Program.
Special thanks must be given to:
- Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, for the generous contribution of images, as well as access to research resources,
- Lakehead University Northern Studies Resource Centre, for providing sources for research,
- Lakehead University Library Archives, for the use of images,
- Thunder Bay Public Library, for the use of newspapers on microfilm,
- SAFE Coin and Stamp Supplies, for advice and specialty supplies.
City of Thunder Bay Archives series used for research include Port Arthur City Clerk's Files, Fort William City Clerk's Files, Thunder Bay City Clerk's Files, Aerial Photographs, Thunder Bay City Clerk's Photographs, and Thunder Bay Planning Department Photographs.
Other reference sources used in this exhibit are:
- Beaulieu, M. "In Public's demand: Entertainment in Fort William's First Town Hall, 1892-1903." Papers and Records XXXI(2003): 3-20.
- Cleveland, Jacquie. "McGillivray Square." August 1982: 1-12.
- Ed. Epp, A. E. and T. J. Tronrud. Thunder Bay: From Rivalry to Unity. Thunder Bay: The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society Inc., 1995.
- Mauro, J. M. The Golden Gateway of the Great Northwest: A History of Thunder Bay. Thunder Bay: Lehto Printers Limited, 1981.
- Scollie, F.B. Thunder Bay Mayors & Councillors 1873-1945. Thunder Bay: The Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society Inc., 2000.
To learn more about this subject, as well as any other historical information on Thunder Bay that interests you, please visit or contact the City of Thunder Bay Archives.
| Address: | City Archives 235 Vickers Street N P.O. Box 800 Thunder Bay ON P7C 5K4 |
| Tel: | (807) 625-2270 |
| Fax: | (807) 622-4212 |
| Manager: | Matt Szybalski, Corporate Records Manager and City Archivist |
| Tel: | (807) 625-3390 |
| Email: | mszybalski@thunderbay.ca |
