2023 Marks 50 Years for the Copper Cliff Museum

A community event was held on Saturday, October 14 to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the Copper Cliff Museum. Residents came together to enjoy music, tours, family activities and refreshments, as well as remarks from the museum’s founding members and Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre.

“The Copper Cliff Museum is a valuable repository of our community’s rich heritage,” said Mayor Lefebvre. “It helps us bridge the gap between past and present, by providing a glimpse into the lives of the miners, the families, the workers and the innovators who helped shape the community of Copper Cliff.”

“Being one of the instigators of the museum is an accomplishment of which I have always been very proud. It is very exciting that the museum is still open to the public after 50 years,” said Lise Melhorn-Boe, one of the museum’s founders. “And it wouldn't be the museum it is, celebrating the history of our town, if townspeople had not jumped on board and donated family artifacts and shared stories.”

When INCO donated the log cabin to the former Town of Copper Cliff in the early 1970s, it was relocated from its original home on Clarabelle Road to its current location at 26 Balsam St., thanks to the incredible vision of a group of high school students. After their hard work renovating, conducting research and collecting artifacts, the log cabin later became a museum and opened its doors to share local history with the community in 1973. 

The Copper Cliff Museum is one of four historic Greater Sudbury Museums located across the city, alongside the Anderson Farm Museum, Flour Mill Museum and Rayside-Balfour Museum. The museums work to create accessible opportunities for education on the history and culture of the Greater Sudbury area both at physical museum sites and online.

The Copper Cliff Museum is now closed for the season and will be eagerly preparing to welcome visitors back in 2024. For updates on the latest museum news and events, follow Greater Sudbury Museums on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SudburyMuseums.