Partner City
Red Lake
Sunset Country
The region around Red Lake has been home to many Indigenous peoples for thousands of years, using the numerous lakes and rivers as a highway between the Great Lakes in the south, Hudson's Bay in the north, and Lake Winnipeg in the west. Fur trade posts were set up in the region by Europeans in the early 19th Century. By the 1870s Europeans were beginning to arrive prospecting for minerals. Gold was discovered in the 1890s, but due to the region's remoteness, there wasn't much further exploration until 1925, when Lorne and Ray Howey, among others, staked the claim that would become the huge Howey Mine overlooking Howey Bay. A frenzied gold rush began, the last in North American history, as thousands of prospective miners flew in on seaplanes and staked claims all around the region. For a time the Howey Bay Airport was the busiest in the world. Several other communities grew up around nearby mines, which are all today part of the Red Lake Municipality. These include Balmertown, Cochenour, Madsen, McKenzie Island, and Starratt-Olson. The mining tailed off over the course of the 20th Century, and tourism has come to take a central role in the local economy, as people travel from all over the world to experience the remote wilderness, abundant fishing, and beautiful wildlife the region has to offer.
This project was made possible thanks to the generous support of Highway 105 Tourism and the Red Lake Heritage Centre. Major funding was provided by Evolution Mining. Contributions were also made by Destination Northern Ontario. Destination Northern Ontario is one of 13 not-for-profit regional tourism organizations funded by the Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. We are the largest tourism region in geography, the second largest in expenditure, and the only region that includes sub-regions. Destination Northern Ontario coordinates, aligns and invests in sub-regional programs and leads in identified pan-northern management functions, co-ordination of marketing, product development, workforce and industry training, and investment attraction with the ultimate goal to significantly increase tourism revenues in Northern Ontario. Increased visitation and yield are achieved by delivering programs designed to enhance existing tourism products and developing new tourism opportunities for the North.
We respectfully acknowledge that Red Lake is on the un-ceded lands of the Anishinaapek of Red Lake; the traditional lands of Lac Seul and Wabauskang First Nations, and Treaty 3 territory.
Tours
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Red Lake
Then and Now Photos
Head of Howey Bay
Ca. 1930s
A view towards downtown Red Lake from the head of Howey Bay.
Driving by the Inn
Ca. 1940s
Two cars pass each other in front of the Red Lake Inn, a storied hotel in Red Lake's history that survives to this day.
The Balmer Mine
Ca. 1960s
Looking down 5th Street towards the Balmer Mine, one of the few gold mines in Red Lake that is still operational.
Overlooking the Bay
Ca. 1940s
A photo of Howey Bay taken from the headframe of the Howey Mine, affording an excellent view of the mine facilities and the rugged countryside.
View Across Howey Bay
Ca. 1920s
A shot of Red Lake's skyline, showing a number of important buildings that once consisted of most of the downtown. It appears none of the buildings visible have survived to the present, having been lost to fires or development.
Howey Mine in Winter
Ca. 1930s
Looking across a frozen Howey Bay in winter, we have a great view of the Howey Mine which once dominated the landscape. You can also see an aircraft on skids parked on the frozen lake.
