To Those That Kept the Memories of Red Lake, Ontario, Canada

I would like to acknowledge that these following people were and are instrumental in keeping and telling the stories of the history of Red Lake: Donald Parrott, Margaret McDougall and John E Richthammer ("J.J").. Without their  foresight and  attempt to document the History of Red Lake, we would know very little of its History.

Donald Parrott

 
Donald Parrott was born  September 12, 1916 in Winnipeg, Manitoba of pioneer parents. He lived in several rural communities in Manitoba before his family settled in Norway House, Manitoba at the head of Lake Winnipeg in 1924 and he recalled the excitement caused by the Gold Rush to Red Lake in March 1926.

His family moved to western Manitoba in 1927 where he continued his education, working in the wheat fields in summer and in small logging camps during the winter holidays. He began working in a Manitoba Gold Mine in 1933, then moved to Red Lake in 1936 where he lived and worked for most of the rest of his life. He served overseas in the in the Canadian Armed Forces during the Second World War. In Britain he met his wife. They had a son and three daughters. He became interested in local history after the war and began to collect stories and photographs of the Gold Rush to Red Lake which he privately wrote and published in his book, a delightful and detailed history of the pioneers of this Gold Rush era.

He write: "Throughout the past centuries, the urge to acquire gold has had a profound influence on the destinies of men and nations. The earliest written reference to Gold is found in the second chapter of Genesis, verses eleven and twelve. The art of working gold was highly developed in the times of the Pharaohs of Egypt in 5,000 B.C. Among the earliest gold coins known were those of the Greek city of Lydeas in the 7th century B.C.

Gold was discovered in Ontario by Marcus Powell on the east half of Lot 18, Concession 5, Madoc township, Hastings County ir. 1866, a year before Confederation.

The first gold discovery in Red Lake, Ontario was in 1897, the same year as the Klondike discovery in Canada's Yukon Territory and also the Mikado Mine in Ontario's Lake of the Woods area. The Red Lake District has now far surpassed the Klondike in gold production as well as most other gold camps in North America. The Red Lake District still today 2002 is a strong gold producing area with much on going exploration."

Don wrote in 1976," Perhaps a century from now, people will read this book with the interest to see in their minds eye:The Prospector on the winter trail in a Gold Rush in 1926, sleeping in wool blankets on a bed of spruce boughs out in the open woods under the stars and cooking their meals of bacon, bannock, beans and black tea over an open fire."

Donald Parrott has now passed away, at the age of 86  but has left us with the words he has written and the pictures he had gathered and published in his books and I find it important because of my own family connection to Red Lake and the life and times of the early prospectors to share his stories with you who will take the time to read his words.

Photo by: John Richthammer (1985)

He researched and wrote two books called: "The Red Lake Gold Rush " and "The Second Gold Rush to Red Lake". (These books may be found at the "The Margaret McDougall Red Lake Library, Red Lake, Ontario, Canada."

He knew nothing of this technology called the "Internet" at the time of writing his books but had the will to share stories and Knowledge with others. His way of sharing the knowledge was by writing and publishing his book which actually had a small audience.

The world is a much different place today and our children and grandchildren know nothing of those times of so long ago so I will attempt to share some of these stories with you through the medium of the Internet through this web site.
 
 

The Red Lake Goldrush 1st Edition Author: Donald F. Parrott 1964	The Second Gold Rush To Red Lake, 1946 Third Edition Revised Author: Donald F. Parrott 1976
50 Years of Gold Mining Author: Donald F. Parrott	Gold Mining Spurs Air Transportation in Canada,  1926 - 1936 Author: Donald Fleming Parrott Editor: John E.L. Richthammer 1998

View Donald Parrott's Biography written  by: John E. Richthammer

May Donald Rest In Peace

Donald Parrott 1916-2002

 

Margaret McDougall

Margaret McDougall, Red Lake's first librarian and founder and promoter of :
The Red Lake Library and Museum

.

Photo by: John Richthammer (1988)

View Biography by: John E. Richthammer
 

May Margaret Rest in Peace

Margaret McDougall  1898 -1997

Margaret McDougall Red Lake Public Library 

Chief Librarian Arlene Johnson, Library Board Member Wendy Beidler and area historian John Richthammer stand during the Margaret McDougall dedication ceremony renaming the Red Lake Pubic Library in her honour. Photo  by: The District News/2002

Dedication Honours Area Pioneer Well known, respected and loved town pioneer Margaret McDougall who passed away in her 100th year in 1997  was honoured last Saturday July 20th, 2002 with the re-naming of the lown's library to the Margaret McDougall Red Lake Public Library. Margaret McDougall was the town's first librarian. Former historian John Richthammer delivered a fitting tribute to his longtime friend amongst a sizable crowd that had gathered in the Red Lake library for the dedication ceremony. Coincidentally the current library site is the exact location that housed the original Red Lake Library that was started by Mrs. McDougall and others in the old Hudson Bay Building and later Township Hall. A lengthy tribute and historical retrospective written by John Richthammer chronicliing Mrs. McDougalls life and accomplishments was published in the July 17th  2002 edition of the The District News and can been read here.View Biography by: John E. Richthammer.     Check out the  Margaret McDougall Red Lake Public Library WebSite for more information about the history and services of the library.

Red Lake-born John Richthammer grew up in Red Lake and at his parents’ two tourist camps.  He attended St. John’s R.C. School, Red Lake District High School and studied journalism and photography at Canadore College of Applied Arts & Technology in North Bay, ON. 

John achieved a B.A. in History and Film in 1996 at the University of Manitoba, where he is an M.A. candidate in Archival Studies.  He has completed the required coursework and will complete his thesis on mortality in early Red Lake in late 2005.

John is the longest-serving journalist in the Red Lake District, having written news, historical and life features, and photographed for local publications for the past 23 years.  Additionally, he continues to write columns for a wide range of international and national publications, such as The Globe & Mail.  He currently writes regular historical and life features for The Northern Sun News in Red Lake.

He was founding curator/director of the Red Lake District Museum & Archives for 12 years from 1981 through 1993, then continued his career in Winnipeg in corporate, government, academic, and private archives.  He has worked as archivist at the University of Manitoba Archives, James Richardson & Sons Archives, City of Winnipeg Archives, Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, and the Archives of Manitoba.

John greatly enjoyed three years in the Yukon Territory, where he worked as Klondike Centennial Archivist in Dawson City, Assistant Government Records Archivist at Yukon Archives in Whitehorse, YT, and at the Dawson City Community Library.

He has written numerous books, manuscripts and academic papers on the history of the area and its people, the best-known being “The End of the Road: A History of the Red Lake District,” a bestseller published in 1985.

John may be reached at: archivesguy@hotmail.com

Thank you to all of you for writing about my hometown of Red Lake, Ontario Canada.

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Background music
Thanks for the memories
Sequenced by:Deb Ackley 

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