Forgotten Communities: The Commercial Fishing Villages of Parry Sound explores the fishing villages established along the Georgian Bay and how their own success led to their demise.
Commercial fishermen in the 1800s and early 1900s lived a hard life. In order to remain competitive and earn their living they adapted and innovated, creating more and more efficient tools of their trade. As the industry boomed in the late 1800s remote seasonal fishing villages bloomed across the bay, including those on the Bustard and Mink Islands.
Courtesy of the Dave Thomas Collections. Photo of the "Dolphin" tug boat, taken in 1939. It belonged to the Parr family who worked on Mink Island.
Men would spend their summers working, bringing their families with them. Unfortunately, by the 1940s the industry’s supply of fish was heavily depleted and suffering negative effects from the introduction of a variety of invasive species. The exhibition will be on display in the Museum’s Founder’s Room from March 6, 2019 – December 21, 2019.
Exhibition Highlight
Mackinaw boats were the ideal vessel for travelling along the Georgian Bay. They were originally rigged as sailboats. By the turn of the 20th century, they became outfitted with engines.
Formerly housed in the E. Roy Smith Gallery, our Mackinaw boat was moved to be apart of this exhibition, as well as, make room for a future renovation. Watch the video below to see how we moved it!
