Learning that the Iroquois Falls tourist information booth near Porquis is no longer operating is one of those times when memories come flooding back.
I was one of seven staff members at the original booth, in the summer of 1975.
It was a bit further north and closer to the turn-off onto Highway 67 into town, across from what was then Germain’s Esso and restaurant which, by the way, made excellent hamburgers.
We were on a federal government Opportunities for Youth grant, and borrowed the cabane à sucre from the Richelieu Club to use for our venture, in exchange for painting it. We chose the name “Info Iroquois” for our group and the booth.
Aside from me, our group was composed of Nicole Gaudet, Linda Landry, Jocelyne Fontaine, Bill Cummings, Ray Mousseau and Karl Jones.
We arranged to have information on all tourist attractions in the region via pamphlets supplied by the James Bay Frontier Travel Association.
Unfortunately, as many people still alive will remember, that was the year of the big strike at Abitibi that began in early July and lasted into the following February. It also meant cancellation of the Pulp and Paper Path woodlands and mill tours, shutting down what was really the only tourist attraction in Iroquois Falls.
Consequently, we weren’t very busy at the information booth. All we could do for the few people who did stop was direct them into Timmins for the gold mine tour or Cochrane for the Polar Bear Express.
And because we weren’t very busy informing tourists of what to see in Iroquois Falls (of course, the most common question was “Is there really a waterfall in the town?”), we connected with another Opportunities for Youth group in town that was helping seniors. We chopped wood, cleaned windows and reshingled a couple of garage roofs.
(Marc Durocher Photography)
I’m not sure how accurate this next point is, but we like to think we pioneered the tourist information booth for Iroquois Falls. It was back the next year and every year until, well, last year, I guess. I think town hall and the James Bay Frontier group operated it jointly in 1976.
I’m smiling while I’m writing this, remembering the good times six friends and I had together that summer. I’m also a bit melancholy about the end of the tourist information booth, but I’m reminding myself that as much as we’d like it to be, nothing is forever.