Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre

10/09/2026

10/08/2026

There is still time to register to be part of these fantastic workshops!

10/08/2026

A very big thank you to Braden and Marcus for joining us last night from the The Muse - Lake of the Woods Museum and Douglas Family Art Centre. We had an interesting discussion on repatriation, and found out what steps they have taken to get closer to creating a fair, and long lasting policy.

If you still want to have your say, you can connect with the team to share your thoughts. We hope you will share your knowledge, and opinions. Follow the QR code on the bottom right of the event poster for more details.

10/08/2026

In the early days, Cochenour was merely a group of thirteen mining claims in the bush east of McKenzie Island with no central town site. The first housing available consisted of 12 cabins along the shoreline between Sabourin Airways and Sandy Point. Although, it was established in 1939, as a result North America’s last gold rush, Cochenour was not a ‘boom’ town like other mining-based communities in northwestern Ontario . The opening of the Cochenour-Willans Mine brought miners from all over who were seeking employment. By 1940, the mine was employing 107 men. Most of the employees lived in the bunkhouses at the mine site. As the number of families steadily increased, mine management began planning for a proper town-site. This included providing homes for the mines indigenous workers. The first houses built were white and with green roofs, located on William Street.

McKenzie Island was already thriving when both Balmertown and Cochenour were built. Essential services such as, a school, hospital and store were available on the island. McKenzie Island and the Cochenour Willans Mine provided residents with resources until the town was constructed. One of the first buildings was a school for grades one to eight, built in 1946. As the town continued to grow, businesses began moving into Cochenour to take advantage of potential opportunities. In 1940, the Hudson’s Bay Company opened a store and according to Peter Joensen (one of Cochenour’s original residents) sold “everything.” In 1949, Frank Reid opened a general store when the Hudson’s Bay Post moved out of Cochenour. Frank moved his business into the large building, which is now an apartment building on the corner of Elliott and Mill Streets.

In the 1940’s, traffic to the area steadily increased with two major developments. In1948, the Cochenour Airport was built and almost two years later, Highway 125 extended to Cochenour. Suddenly the little town was much less isolated and opened to the rest of the district. As a result, Cochenour began participating in regional athletics and competitions.

(Source: Archives/ End of the Road)

10/07/2026

On Tuesday, October 13th, Dr. Robert Galway will be presenting The Canoe that Grew Wings: Prospectors' Airways and the transformation of Canadian Mineral Exploration as part of the Red Lake Speaker Series. Join us at the Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre at 6:30 PM to hear this fascinating lecture.

10/07/2026

Jean E. Smart was one of Red Lake's Early Nurses. Born in 1911, She came to the Red Lake district in the 1930s. Jean's sister was also a nurse, and was married to James Cawley, one of Red Lake's teachers. Eventually Jean moved on to Labrador. When the 2nd World War hit, Jean served as a nursing sister at the Grenfell Mission in Africa, where she met Isie Smuts, the daughter of the Prime minster of South Africa at the time. Nursing was a big part of the Smart family's legacy. In fact, her daughter would go on to become a nurse, as would her granddaughter. Jean Smart passed in 2006.

10/06/2026

In the early days of Red Lake, young immigrants were faced with overwhelming challenges; however they embraced their new location with enthusiasm. Many new immigrants did not speak the language or know the cultural ways of Canada but they worked very hard and adapted quickly. The mine discouraged these families from investing money into their homes since the ore was low-grade. Furniture was often homemade; chairs were made from cheese barrels and cupboards from wooden crates, originally used to hold dynamite. Carrying water up from the lake by yoke and catching supper in Howey Bay were commonplace.

Food supplies were brought in by scow. The amount of fresh fruit we have available today at the local supermarket was rare for new comers in the early days. At 8 PM every Thursday, the meat scow left Hudson and arrived in Red Lake the next morning, after the twelve hour non-stop trip. One freeze-up lasted so long that the meat was dropped by parachute onto the ice in Howey Bay from a plane.

The mine grew vegetable for their cookery in a four acre garden. Pigs fed off the scarps and cows provided meat and dairy to the area. In the mid-1930s Jack Slobodian and Walter Tuzyk established “The Red Lake Dairy” located where Howey Bay Camp is today. Dairy products were delivered by horse and cart.

10/06/2026

On Tuesday, October 6th, the Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre will be closed for a private function. We will reopen with our normal hours on Wednesday October 7th.