75 Years Of Fish And Game In Greenstone
Geraldton Club Compiles Its History
by Edgar J. Lavoie
In May 1939, sporting people launched the Geraldton Fish and Game Association. Seventy-five years later, Kenogamisis Fish and Game Conservation carries on the tradition.
Fish & Game attendees: Some of the attendees inside the lodge, from L to R: (sitting) Anne-Marie Gélineault, Claude Lafrance, Nathalie Gélineault, Normand Gélineault, Robert Gélineault, Karen Lemaich; (standing) Michel Lafrance, Brad Lemaich.
Monday, August 4th, the Fish and Game held an open house at its lodge near Second Bridge, the main narrows of Kenogamisis Lake. People dropped in to peruse the new history, thumb through an old membership ledger, and talk about the good old days.
The history book, compiled by Michel Lafrance, current president, required him to talk with old-timers, piece together facts from documents, and spend countless hours reading archived copies of the community newspaper, Times Star, preserved since 1946.
Fish & Game trophy wall: The lodge hosts memorabilia that tell their own stories.
Lafrance learned that the original purpose of the organization was to assist the Department of Lands and Forests in stocking local lakes. In 1946, the group adopted the name of Kenogamisis Fish and Game Protective Association in order to “further the cause of good sportsmanship”. A news article stated that the membership committee comprised representatives from each of the four operating mines and two members from the town. The membership fee was set at $1.00, the money to be used “for stocking of lakes and streams in the vicinity” with speckled trout, small-mouthed bass, and lake trout. Of course, activities included fishing trips.
Up to 1954, the Association had no lodge or clubhouse. In that year it purchased part of a mining claim from Oklend Gold Mines Limited for the sum of $1.00, and erected the log building which still stands near Second Bridge today.
Lafrance discovered that the site had originally been utilized by logging trucks, which dumped their loads into the lake. The logs were rafted down the lake, driven down the Kenogamisis River, and then gathered into rafts on Long Lake and towed to the south end. They ended up at the Terrace Bay pulp and paper mill. Metal anchor pins from that era are still poking from the lakeshore bedrock.
In 1955, the association added a log-built kitchen unit, and then in 1976, built a frame extension with a bank of windows giving views of the lake.
Fish & Game anchor pins: Michel Lafrance, President, points out one of the anchor pins left from the old-time logging industry.
People who dropped into the lodge on Monday included Claude Lafrance, Michel’s brother, who is Vice-President of Geraldton Snow Club, which also utilizes the lodge. “I love history,” said Claude, who has been teaching that subject at Château-Jeuneness High School in Longlac. He said he did not help his brother compile the history and was amazed at its quality.
Claude’s financée, Nathalie Gélineault, found the membership ledger fascinating, especially the fees mentioned. The ledger covers the years 1965 to 1971, all entries being handwritten. Fees for adults were set at $2.00, and for “juniors”, 50 cents. In 1966, memberships numbered 395, an astonishing figure. In 1965, there were 166 memberships sold, and in 1967, 112. From 1965 to 1971, the number never fell below 100 and sometimes exceeded 200, but from time to time, there is confusion about either dates or total numbers.
One interesting item is that in 1966, the association’s banner year for memberships, there is this notation: “PAYROLL DEDUCTION PAID BY MCLEOD MINES”. A contribution of $2.00 a piece came from 38 miners. In that year, MacLeod-Cockshutt was the only operating mine.
The lodge has several interesting items, including prize trophies, mounted specimens, and photographs. There is an unlabeled item that Lafrance identified as the “Bulls–t” trophy: it is a pitchfork.
The introduction to the history, written by Michel Lafrance, noted that the first president, back in 1939, was Nibs Barker. Barker was a well-known bush plane pilot. Lafrance has compiled a long list of past presidents, but the written record is not very helpful in identifying their terms of service. The two oldest surviving past presidents are Elgin Ratushniak and Ed Kolody.
The bulk of the history book is reproductions of pages from the Times Star dating back to 1946. In his intro, Lafrance remarked about the experience of entering the lodge: “It’s almost like walking into a time capsule.” The same remark can apply to the Times Star pages.
The history of the club is a litany of fishing derbies, suppers, dances, parties, outdoor activities such as swimming for the kids, and of course, community service such as fish stocking.
Fish & Game Al Cresswell&Michel Lafrance: Al Cresswell of CFNO and Michel Lafrance pose in front of the lodge.
Monday afternoon, Al Cresswell of CFNO.fm (radio) dropped into the lodge to say goodbye. He had already conducted an interview with Lafrance that was to be aired the following morning.
Meanwhile, outside, children swam or kayaked, sunbathers soaked up the rays, and campers relaxed in front of their RVs. In summertime, the lodge and its grounds are a mecca for recreationists of all stripes.
A copy of the new history book can be seen at the Geraldton Branch of Greenstone Public Library.
