What events, disasters, etc. are at risk of being forgotten by time in your province?
The Suzanne E
https://www.redriverancestry.ca/SUZANNE-E.php
The Suzanne E was a small fishing vessel that plied the waters of Lake Winnipeg from 1946 to 1965. She was only 27 metres in length and 75 tons, much smaller than some of the steamboats that also made their way up the 400+ km length of Lake Winnipeg like the famous SS Keenora.
On Friday, September 24th, 1965, the Suzanne E headed out with a crew of ten for the Saturday catch off of McBeth Point in the north basin of Lake Winnipeg.
On-board "Suzie" was Captain Richard Charles Johnson, 32, of Stonewall, First Engineer William Petoski, 24, of Hnausa, Second Engineer Richard Zillman, 63, of Hodgson, Cook Christine Settee, 58, of Riverton, Crewmen Bjorgvin August Holm (58, Arborg), Tache Everett (23, Berens River), Allan Clemons (20, Selkirk), Deckhands Clifford Everett (24, Berens River), Charles Donovan Cook (19, Selkirk) and Passenger Peter Goosehead, 25, of Jackhead Harbour.
That Friday started off with a beautiful morning, but the barometer was dropping quickly that day according to the Goldfield's captain, Clifford Stevens. Stevens took the Goldfield out that morning from Princess Harbour but soon took refuge at McBeth Point, the barometer dropped so low it was clear a storm was brewing. The Suzanne E seemed to have ignored the readings of its barometer, making its way past Gull Harbour where it could've taken refuge, but instead continued northward.
Early in the evening, that beautiful day took a turn, winds exceeding 100 kph whipped the lake. Clifford Everett would later testify that he went to bed shortly after supper but was awoken by the turning of the boat. The boat was violently rocking and the Captain decided to turn the boat back towards Gull Harbour, but soon, the Suzanne E was on its side, submerging the side hatch which was left open and the only door to the bunkhouse, where most of the crew had been. Within two minutes, the Suzanne E was gone. Cook Christine Settee was seen face down and swept away into the waters, but Captain Johnson, Clifford Everett and Allan Clemons clung to some wreckage, a makeshift raft. When they neared Deer Island, Allan Clemons slipped into the water. Captain Johnson and Clifford Everett drifted southwards through the channel, it snowing on and off, towards Gull Harbour, where a boat, perhaps the Lady Canadian, passed them in the dark night. Despite yelling for the ship, they were not heard and continued drifting. Some eight to nine hours after the disaster, Captain Richard Johnson succumbed to the chill waters, the air temperature also below zero. Alone, Clifford Everett was carried onto the shores of Black Island and dragged the body of Captain Johnson onto the beach on the morning of Saturday, September 25th. Everett saw the lights of a fishing cabin on the island and notified them of the disaster that took place the night before. Soon, news of the Suzanne E's loss spread to the entire Lake Winnipeg fishing community.
Over the following two years, the bodies of some victims were recovered, the bodies of William Petoski, Richard Zillman and Peter Goosehead were washed ashore in 1966. Two attempts were made to raise the Suzanne E from its shallow grave only three kilometres north of Grindstone Point, where it lay at the bottom of Lake Winnipeg at a depth of only 14 metres. On one of the unsuccessful attempts in 1967, the body of Bjorgvin August Holm floated to the surface. The bodies of Tache Everett, Clifford's younger cousin and that of Allan Clemons were never found.
Clifford Everett died in 1998 at the age of 57, the sole survivor of Lake Winnipeg's worst tragedy, he was quiet about his experiences in the years after the disaster, but he spoke to the CBC in 1996 for a short documentary about the Suzanne E, which can be watched at the following link
http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2676229174
Lake Winnipeg's worst tragedy seems to be little known and being forgotten over the years. Some have called it the "Edmund Fitzgerald of Lake Winnipeg", yet there is no plaque, no commemoration, no book, just the memories that seem to be following the path of the Suzanne E.