Pioneer Spirit, a sculpure by Ernie Fauvelle, in commemoration of the Great Fire of October 4, 1922. This sculpture is located in Harbour Place Park in Haileybury, Ontario.
The Great Fire of 1922 was a wildfire burning through the Lesser Clay Belt in the Timiskaming District, Ontario, Canada, from October 4 to 5, 1922. It has been called one of the ten worst natural disasters in Canadian history.
The preceding summer had been unusually hot and dry. Fire rangers, anticipating the upcoming "burn" season, had requested to stay in the area but permission was not granted. They left at the end of the fire season in mid September, leaving the area without fire protection services. In the fall when burning permits were no longer required, farmers and settlers started to set small brush fires to clear the land. But the dry conditions had persisted and on October 4, the wind turned into hurricane-force gales, fanning the flames out of control and combining the brush fires into one large inferno.
Over two days, the fire consumed an area of 1,680 square kilometers (650 sq mi), affecting 18 townshipsin Ontario. It completely destroyed the communities of North Cobalt, Charlton, Thornloe, Heaslip, and numerous smaller settlements. In all 43 people died.
One of the hardest hit towns was Haileybury, which burnt down within 3 to 6 hours. Thick smoke caused panic and confusion. The town's residents were forced to take refuge in the cold waters of Lake Timiskaming and cover themselves with wet blankets. The fire destroyed over 90% of the town, killing 11 residents, leaving 3500 people homeless, and causing $2 million of damage.
Ernie Fauvelle was born and raised in the Temiskaming Shores area of Northern Ontario, one of Canada's more important mining, lumbering and farming districts, and is now living in Haileybury, Ontario.
His own experiences and the stories told by his father and other pioneers, have given a special realism to his art.
He discovered the magic of clay in the early seventies and since then has been working full time in his studio creating his unique sculptures, original, one-of-a-kind pieces along with a successful line of Limited Edition pieces.
He calls his work "narrative sculpture" and favors portrayals of those who work in mining, logging and the early settlers of the area. His work is in many private and corporate collections around the world.
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Text from the plaque:
THE HAILEYBURY FIRE
One of the "Ten Worst Disasters in Canadian History" occured on 4 October 1922. Within six hours ninety per cent of the Town of Haileybury was destroyed by a raging bush-fire. Strong westerly winds had thrown burning embers onto the town and then changed to hurricane force from the north sweeping the fire unchecked through the area. Known locally as the "Haileybury Fire", the conflagration covered in all an area in excess of 300,000 acres to the north. Here 3,000 people were left homeless while eleven perished and damage exceeded two million dollars. The lakeshore provided safety for the refugees who proceeded to rebuild, although on a much reduced scale.