AOD Open House – Beautiful Collection of Memories

On April 18th the community of Wawa, some of its partners and Algoma Ore Division retirees and former employees held the first AOD Open House since the operations ceased nearly 25 years ago.

The Open House was held at the Michipicoten Memorial Community Centre, and the Municipality offered transportation via the minibus. Once you walked through the banquet room door, one could see multiple display tables of AOD artifacts from its former days of operations. Many tables were filled with photo albums from the company’s construction in the 1930s to its final days of operations, to its demolition in 1998.

Photos showed the open pits to the underground mines to the sintering plant but the best was seeing so many retirees and former employees; as well as youngsters and curious people walking through and viewing photos and videos – all talking of the good old days of AOD. As for me, it brought back the memories of my childhood going on school tours and my father bringing me and my brother along to go to the payroll office or the company stores. My best and favourite memories were when my father would take us through the massive car wash that was meant to clean machinery and he would let me roll my window down to pull the massive rope to activate the water. And of course, who could forget the annual family fun days the company used to host.

All in all the short afternoon, this open house was certainly a beautiful sight of memories and remembrances of wonderful people from its old days.