5 More Things You Probably Didn't Know About Thunder Bay

A few years ago, we had great success with an article where we discussed 5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Thunder Bay, but that implies that there may be only 5 lesser-known things about our city, when in fact there is a treasure trove of fun facts to dig up and learn about.

Here are 5 MORE Things You Probably Don't Know About Thunder Bay...

1. We are the sunniest city in Eastern Canada

Thunder Bay averages 2121 hours of sunlight annually, with 305 days each year having at least some bright sunshine; 46% of all daylight hours are sunny.

This obviously leads to great outdoor exploration and adventure opportunities year-round for visitors – but for those of us that live and work here, we needed a way to enjoy more of that sun in the evening after work so….

2. We invented Daylight Savings Time

Germany is considered the first country to have implemented Daylight Savings Time in 1916, and the Canadian government officially introduced Daylight Savings Time in 1918, but the folks in Port Arthur and Fort William (now Thunder Bay) had first implemented seasonal time shifting in 1908!

A Port Arthur business man, John Hewitson, with the desire to enjoy an extra hour of summer sun, petitioned the councils from each town, both of which observed Central Time, to adjust the clocks to Eastern Time in the summer months and switch back in the fall. Both towns agreed, and on May 1, 1908 they “sprung ahead”.

Two years later, the Province of Ontario granted both cities permission to remain permanently on Eastern Time, meaning that sunset in Thunder Bay happens a full hour later than in Toronto in the summer months. In the winter, the extra time isn’t quite as long, about 30 minutes, but every extra minute of bright sun counts in a Canadian winter.

Visitors to Thunder Bay are amazed at the length of the days and some of the best vacation memories happen on those long summer nights.

3. The Birth of Buffalo Springfield

One night in 1965, at a long-gone place known as "the 4D" (The Fourth Dimension) near where present day Simpson St turns into Arthur St, music history was made; where the founding members of iconic 60s rock band Buffalo Springfield first met.

Famous Canadian rocker Neil Young, not yet famous at the time, was fronting a Winnipeg-based band called The Squires. The band got a gig opening for an American touring band, The Company, in Fort William and it is at this show where Neil met Stephen Stills for the first time.

A year later, while simultaneously chasing their dreams and being stuck in Los Angeles traffic, Stills spots Young in a nearby car. The two reunite and the rest, as they say, is history. Buffalo Springfield was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

4. The Poppy was Picked Here

 In 1921, a French woman inspired by something she had seen while in the United States, proposes the poppy the official symbol of Remembrance around the world.

Upon arriving in Canada, Anna Geurin’s first stop was Port Arthur and a meeting of the Great War Veterans Association at the Prince Arthur Hotel. The members at this meeting voted to adopt the poppy as its “Flower of Remembrance” and the tradition was born in Canada.

To this day, in the lobby of the historic hotel, is a plaque commemorating the event.

5. Waverley Park is the 2nd Oldest Park in Ontario

The first route on the Dawson Trail followed the route up present-day Waverley St. In 1871, after it became apparent that horses carrying heavy loads would not be able to make it up the hill a second road was cut on the path of present day Red River Road, and the land between the two was designated as park land by the Province.