ELLIOT LAKE: Once a Vibrant Community

The following was written by the late Armando de Sousa for Luso-Ontario Magazine (2008) , translated to English by Paulo Pereira. Please see the original version by toggling the language bar to Portuguese or by visiting the page dedicated to Elliot Lake.

It is difficult for me to talk about Elliot Lake because I arrived at the start of 1968, at a time when they had already shut down several uranium mines…only Denison and Rio Algoma were operating at the time, while Nordic was in the process of closing and Quorque was about to open…the two mines maintained a workforce of about 700 each,  but all the others were decommissioned including one in Seprague, a copper and uranium mine. There was a small maintenance company that supplied all things necessary made of rubber to protect workers from sulphuric acid and stone wear.

In the golden years of the discovery and extraction of uranium, the city reached about twenty thousand inhabitants – between the city and mobile areas.  When I arrived, there were less than 7,000 inhabitants, many houses were empty, but the two new mines began to mobilize more people. The Portuguese community was not significant but in the 1970s it began to grow.  Those who arrived would find shelter in a half dozen homes owned by people they knew. 

As exploration grew, so did the city, and with it the parties began in the uranium capital of the world.  Then, the Portuguese, who were very active, formed a group and participated in the festivities of the city with a float, with the harvest and music of Alto Minho as themes, with a gigantic rooster of  Barcelos … Barcelos, our Portuguese symbol abroad…  The float ranked first in the parade.

In the beauty contest, Maria Sousa was voted Second Lady.

All this was accomplished without having support or being organized, just a few friends and the rubber company of which some Portuguese were part owners. A José Senra, partner and supervisor, arranged for a subsidy from the company and the miracle arose.

Following this, there was a trustworthy gentleman with a strong character who was part of the biggest Portuguese family here, from Alto Minho, who had already been involved in folklore groups in his hometown. He organized a get-together at his house and a Board of Directors composed of the most respected men was formed.

That family formed more than half the folklore group, composed of six pairs and instruments that included the drum and the flute, some of which were sponsored by the rubber company. It was all perfect; only the concertina man’s skills were unreliable. 

Many of the Portuguese were invited, but not all, and we were less than 200, but this strong man who was Jaime Pimenta managed to start it all. The Portuguese Folk Group of Elliot Lake was formed. It participated in several events in the surrounding areas… but  there were things that broke out within the community, and Jaime Pimenta’s house  was sprayed with graffiti… This man was upstanding, but he could not resist the pressure and returned to Portugal.

The new Executive, which was led by president Jose Senra and Secretary Armando Sousa, took over the club, bought instruments and formed a band. The group’s performances in Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, the Fair of Massey, and Elliot Lake were always a much-anticipated spectacle. Many social dinners were organized. One of our young ladies was named Queen of the Uranium Festival… and Queen of the Fairs! 

A Portuguese school was founded with books offered by the Consulate of the time, and the chanceler Manuel Sousa played a very important role at the request of Jaime Pimenta.

The fall of this club began due to the treasurer’s lack of ethics, when he did not present proper accounting, neither proof of tickets sold for fundraising, nor proper records for the funds in the club’s account.

The President and secretary resigned for not wanting to be part of a dishonest Board of Directors and a commission was appointed to manage the club with Manuel Leal as President… the folklore group was disbanded and it all ended in disagreements, and so the club was dissolved, and the treasurer of that time, in the mid-80’s, managed the funds that no one ever cared about from there on.

One of the parting members of this Board of Directors, Armando Sousa, started a television program in 1986 with the help of Consul Dr. António Tanger Correia and Luís Arruda, of the Portuguese Radio and Television (RTP), and the Consulate of New York, United States of America.  The name of the program was SOL da NOSSA TERRA,  showing the Portuguese news of the week and music by the artists of the time in a local channel, whenever the tapes came from Portugal, courtesy of the Portuguese airline. The  only thing in Portuguese in that  locality was this program. Armando Sousa began writing poetry for this program until his return to Toronto in August of 1993.

After Elliot Lake’s uranium mines were shut down, the city of ELLIOT LAKE became a jewel for those of the golden age. 

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