Women’s History Month: Honouring Becky Johnson & Judy Thorburn
by Lori Nelson
Becky Johnson
Judy Thorburn
March is Women’s History Month and The Muse | Lake of the Woods Museum and Douglas Family Art Centre would like to recognize women who have made a significant contribution to The Muse over the years and whose work in the heritage/cultural sector inspires us.
We would like to recognize Judy Thorburn and Becky Johnson. In 2011, Becky approached the Lake of the Woods Museum with an idea to commemorate those from Kenora who served in World War I. What developed from that idea was the Kenora Great War Project which included two exhibitions (Husbands, Sons and Sweethearts, 2014, and The Homefront, 2018) and an incredible database of information that includes the stories of over 2,000 men and women who served in the Great War and who called Kenora home at some point in their lives. Learn more at www.kenoragreatwarproject.ca
Becky and Judy have worked tirelessly, volunteering their time, knowledge and research skills, for over 11 years to build this amazing local history resource. While there were many community members involved, Becky and Judy have done 75% of the research. We honour them this month!
Did you know?
Kenora’s Huskie the Muskie was built as a special roadside attraction during the building of the Trans-Canada Highway in the 1960s. The name Huskie was chosen because it was submitted with a slogan: Huskie the Muskie says, “prevent water pollution”