Pin Quest Ontario

During the 60s and 70s, Conmee hosted a Summer Solstice festival. For some reason, the festival was held over the Victoria Day weekend in May instead of on the actual solstice in June. 

Greenstone is an interesting outlier in terms of municipal geography in Ontario. Municipalities are generally required to have contiguous boundaries - that is to say the boundaries all have to be connected. In Greenstone however, the communities Nakina and Caramat are exclaves - meaning that they are part of the municipality, but their boundaries are not connected to the rest of the municipality. In order to visit the communities, you have to travel across a stretches of unincorporated territory.

Manitouwadge takes its name from an Ojibwa word that means “cave of the great spirit”. Manitou being the great spiring, and Wadge meaning cave. The three prospectors on the town logo are Roy Barker, Bill Dawd, and Jack Forster who found the mineral deposits where mining operation would begin in the community.

Nipigon takes its name from the nearby river and lake of the same name. It is derived from the Ojibwa “anemebegong” meaning ‘continuous water’ which is claimed to be a reference to either the far side of the lake being invisible, or the straight route of river from Lake Superior to Lake Nipigon. The Hudson Bay Company previously operated Fort Nipigon in the same area.

You could say that O’Connor’s logo was made to suit just this type of project. It was originally designed as a crest in 1982 by local resident Alana Syrjanen with trees, rocks, water and trilliums similar to what you see today. In 1995, former Mayor Ron Nelson redesigned the core elements to make the logo more versatile so it could be used on township vehicles and as a design for - you guessed it - a township lapel pin!

The local government offices for Oliver Paipoonge are in Murillo which was named after Bartolome Esteban Murillo: a Baroque painter from Spain who lived until 1682, never visited what would eventually become Canada, and has no connection to the community that would lead to his name being used. Instead, at the time the CPR established Murillo as a water stop, it was using the names of painters for stops along rail routes.

As of the 2021 Census, Red Rock’s population was 895. During World War Two, the population was much larger and the community had a different name to many of those living there. In 1940, “Camp R” was opened and served as a prisoner of war camp for 1,145 German prisoners until the site was closed in late 1941. 

Terrace Bay takes its name from a series of lake terraces that formed in the area around the shore of Lake Superior at the end of the last ice age while the water levels lowered into the great lake. Long after the ice age, in 1999 the community became home to an annual three day drag racing event called Dragfest that raises money for local charities.

An alternative pin for Terrace Bay featuring a coat of arms.

An alternative pin for Terrace Bay featuring a coat of arms.

A lapel pin commemorating the 50th anniversary of Terrace Bay's incorporation.

Thunder Bay is the original home of the Persian roll, a sweet fried doughnut shaped like a cinnamon bun, and topped with bright pink icing. Fierce debates rage regarding whether the icing is made with raspberries or strawberries, but Bennett’s Bakery who are credited with creating the treat have managed to keep their secret safe.