ATIKOKAN — Whether they still live there or reside far away, people with a connection to Atikokan now have an easy way to learn or reminisce about what life was like in the former mining town decades ago.
Every single page of every Issue of the community newspaper published weekly between 1950 and 2006 has been scanned and posted online by the Museum of Atikokan.
"In terms of a historical research tool, it's pretty invaluable," said Michael McKinnon, co-publisher and editor of the Atikokan Progress. "I've seen lots of changes in the 40 years I've been here. It was a real boom town in the 1950s, and there was talk of growing to 25,000 people because of the volume of iron ore in the ground they knew was here."
McKinnon said as mining technology improved, the ore was extracted more efficiently by Steep Rock Iron Mines and Caland Ore, so productivity increased without having to bring in more workers.
By 1980, all mining operations had ceased.
Atikokan's population never got beyond 4,000, according to Statistics Canada data, and the most recent census counted 2,642 residents.
McKinnon, who produces a regular column highlighting the town's history, said the community was isolated and very close-knit in the early years.
"There was no link to Thunder Bay, other than rail, until the mid '50s. There was no road link with Fort Frances until the '60s, and that meant Atikokanites had to entertain themselves, and they did. You can see that for sure in the old papers, the way all the different clubs and organizations worked to put on events, how much support there was for local sports, for local choirs, local theatre. All those things were popular and very well-attended."
One conspicuous difference between that era and now is the price of food.
In 1955, an ad by a local supermarket listed T-bone steak for 79 cents a pound, and bacon for 59 cents a pound.
Although newspapers in many communities are struggling to stay afloat, McKinnon said there's no current plan to shut down the Progress, but he's ready for retirement and hasn't found anyone interested in taking it over.
"We've been able to hold on to a core group of advertisers, and with our partnership we're printed by the Fort Frances Times...We're keen on the local news, and we'll keep producing it as long as we can."
He lauded the newspaper's partnership with the Museum of Atikokan.
"This is my life's work, and it's going to be preserved long after we're gone, so that's nice to know," McKinnon said, adding that editions published over the last 18 years still have to be scanned and posted.
The online versions are complete but not currently searchable, but there is a searchable database at the museum.
Its curator, Patti Nagle, came to Atikokan from southern Ontario, and said she enjoys reading the old newspapers to learn what the community was like in its early days.
One thing she's noticed is the lack of service clubs compared with decades ago, but other aspects of life in Atikokan haven't changed.
"Community members still help each other out. Just like in the 1950s, when there were articles about building outdoor rinks for the kids. While we have our outdoor rinks now, there are also other initiatives...All kinds of organizations are having activities for the kids. So I think it's kind of neat that, right from the start, Atikokan people have been helping each other out."
Nagle believes the online access to the old newspapers will make it easier for people to conduct research or just read about past events for fun outside of museum hours or in distant communities.
"It gets people knowing about Atikokan...So many people were here when the mines were active, and when they closed they dispersed. This allows access across Canada for whoever has access to the internet."
