As the Sault’s political leaders and business figures manage the present and plan for the future, Jo Bumbacco devotes much of his time to the community’s past.
The 32-year-old Algoma Steel employee and Sault native launched his Facebook page entitled Old Soo in 2018, the site filled with photographs and text telling the stories of the community’s oldest buildings.
“It all started from my time living in Toronto. I lived there for about seven years and fell in love with their built heritage. So when I moved back to the Sault I had a more developed eye for the buildings we have,” Bumbacco told SooToday.
The photos and stories shown on Old Soo are drawn from old newspaper articles - many of them from the Sault Ste. Marie Museum or Sault Ste. Marie Public Library - as well as donated photos and, occasionally, YouTube videos.
“Once I started discovering more about the history of our city I was hooked because we have such a deep and rich history here, and a long one. There’s no shortage of material to go on,” Bumbacco said.
His love for the Sault’s old buildings and the stories they tell also stem from his education and family.
“I did have a really good history teacher in high school but I would say it comes from my dad’s side of the family. He always told me of Jamestown when it was Little Italy,” Bumbacco said.
The Old Soo Facebook page is a labour of love for him in his spare time.
“Anytime I’m not at work I usually try to work on a post before I go in, so I’d say I spend three or four hours a day on it.”
“My favourites would be the Hussey Block and the Coronation Block across from the Gardens, the Dawson Block where Coch’s Corner was and the property surrounding the old St. Mary’s Paper mill. That’s always a favourite place to go exploring,” Bumbacco said.
He is especially interested in the Canal District’s red sandstone buildings that date back to the days when Francis H. Clergue was building his industrial empire in Sault Ste. Marie.
Bumbacco, when asked, said there are some figures from the past who he would have liked to meet.
“I suppose Francis Clergue would be one of them, W.H. Plummer would be another, and anybody from the Sault’s pioneer days like Colonel John Prince, who’s still buried in Bellevue Park.
“It’s a public place now but it was Prince’s property, so it gives you perspective on how Bellevue Park has changed the area since then,” Bumbacco said.
The Facebook historian says the Sault has done well in preserving its older buildings.
“I think it’s gotten better in the last few years though we’ve lost a few gems, like the brewery and the smoke stack, the Norgoma’s gone, the St. Luke’s Cathedral parish hall and the Sacred Heart Convent on Herrick Street.”
Bumbacco - who currently serves on the Sault Ste. Marie Municipal Heritage Committee and the Historic Sites Board - shared some advice.
“I would say when you’re walking or driving around town look around you and see what’s around you and start noticing these things. It wasn’t until I came back from Toronto that I started noticing them and I had lived here all my life before that. I would say just stay curious about the background of things. There are still a lot of things that are around and hopefully going to be around for a long time to come.”
As for the Old Soo page, Bumbacco said “I’ve been getting a lot of young followers, especially people in high school or college, and it’s refreshing to see that they’re taking some interest in it.”
“All I want to do at the end of the day is to get people interested in this stuff no matter how old they are, but if I can get younger folks to view the city in a completely different way, then I think I’ve done a good job.”