From the archives of the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre:
Canada Day, or Dominion Day as it used to be called not that long ago, seems to have been a quiet affair in the gold camp.
The first issue of the Porcupine Advance, published in 1912, describes a massive baseball tournament featuring teams from Timmins, South Porcupine, and Cochrane. Crowds gathered around the hot, dusty field to witness three exciting rounds of the popular sport.
Timmins’ players were apparently more interested in their brilliant, new uniforms, because on two occasions they let players from the opposing team steal bases. The “most exciting game of the day” was played between South Porcupine and Cochrane where only one run was scored in 7 innings.
Festivities were just as sedate twenty years later when the only celebration noted in the paper was the Dome Mine’s annual field day. Free ice cream and lemonade was offered to all their employees and their families. A vigorous sports programme livened up the party and included all the favourite races such as the three-legged, the egg and spoon, and the sack race.
Each week, the Timmins Museum: National Exhibition Centre provides TimminsToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past.
Find out more of what the Timmins Museum has to offer at www.timminsmuseum.ca and look for more Remember This? columns here.
