Public Lecture: The Rise and Fall of Thunder Bay's Two Professional Sports Franchises in the 1990s

Join us on 28 January at 7:30pm for a presentation by Bryan Wyatt on "The Rise and Fall of Thunder Bay's Two Professional Sports Franchises in the 1990s."

Bryan will discuss the rise of professional hockey and baseball in Thunder Bay in the 1990s. It will look at the development of the Thunder Bay Thunder Bay Hawks, which went on to be the Thunder Bay Senators and Thunder Bay Thunder Cats before the franchise was eventually sold and moved to Rockford, Illinois. He will also discuss the development of the independent Northern Baseball League, and the ensuring history of the Thunder Bay Whiskey Jacks. The franchise went through a couple of ownership changes, and eventually led to a re-location to Schaumberg, Illinois. The lecture will also focus on the similarities of the professional organizations, and the impacts on both fan bases, increasing cost of operation due to a large part of the businesses located in the United States and the eventual demise of both franchises as a locally-operated entity.

This presentation will be in-person and online. Complete information and how to register can be found at https://thunderbaymuseum1.wildapricot.org/event-5968101/Registration 

This presentation is part of the 2024-25 Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society’s Lecture Series sponsored by the Department of History. 

Since 1908, the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society has been regularly holding talks on a wide range of topics on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Thunder Bay Museum (425 Donald Street East) from September to April. All presentations are free and open to the public.