The 1950s Archives | Opportunity on the Mile of Gold: How Diversity Shaped Kirkland Lake

Wilson’s Lumber Camp

Wilson’s Lumber Camp was active in the Kirkland Lake region around 1954, when these photos were taken. The logging industry was often the preferred work for many Scandinavian […]

Kirkland District Hospital, 1950s

The Kirkland District Hospital grew from a small two-storey building in the town’s early days into a sprawling building with wings to accommodate services and specialists.

Dancing the Night Away

KLCVI was not only a place of learning, but of socializing. School dances, and weekly dances organized by groups in the community, allowed young people to meet informally […]

Hebrew School Students

After school classes were one way families in the community passed down their cultural and religions traditions.

“League for the Liberation of the Ukraine”

This image was titled “Ukrainian Society – League for Freedom of Ukraine”, but it may actually be a photograph of Kirkland Lake members of the “Canadian League for […]

First Communion Dinner

Religion and cultural traditions were strong in the many ethnic communities that made up Kirkland Lake in the 1950s. Ukrainian Catholic children are pictured here at their First […]

Joe Dash Baseball Team

Local business owners sponsored many seasonal sports teams in the Kirkland Lake area, including men’s wear merchant Joe Dash. Top row, left to right: Doug Preston, Gus Plager, […]

Macassa Mine Rescue Team, 1957

Mining is hazardous work, and to prevent fatalities underground, each mine had its own rescue team. These men wore breathing apparatus and were trained to remove injured miners […]