The oldest snowmobile in Labrador is being restored to its original working condition thanks to the efforts of a group of researchers including alumnus Jamie Brake, an archaeologist with the Nunatsiavut Government.

Mr. Brake is heading up a team who plan to return the historic machine to its glory and drive it on the Labrador coast as it did 100 years ago.

That work is the focus of a special presentation Mr. Brake will deliver on Thursday, March 19, in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

“The snowmobile is significant because it is Labrador’s first snowmobile and because this kind of technology dramatically changed life in Labrador,” said Mr. Brake, who holds a bachelor's degree and master's degree in archaeology from Memorial. “Snowmobiles today are part of everyday life here and are critical for many important cultural activities for multiple populations in the region.  The fact that we even know which was the first one, that we knew where it was, and the fact that it survived to the present day is amazing.”

The snowmobile – a converted Ford Model T – was unearthed in Labrador several years ago. It was brought to Labrador with the second Rawson-MacMillan Subarctic Expedition in 1927.

The American scientists used the machine to move material to build the research station. When the group travelled to Labrador, they took a modification kit with them, allowing the explorers to remove the front two tires of the truck and add them to the back. They also attached two skis to the front, allowing the vehicle to glide over snow and ice, carrying wood, supplies and people.

The restoration plans are in full swing with parts of the machine recovered and transferred to Nain where a conservator has assessed them. Mr. Brake says the snowmobile was shipped to a machine shop on the Great Northern Peninsula where it is being pieced back together.

“We hope to have it back in Nain, in working condition, during the 2016 shipping season,” he said. “It will be kept and maintained here in Nain where we can display it by using it. We hope and expect that it will continue to generate great interest in Labrador history and in the importance of preserving and learning from that history for many years to come.”

Using journal entries, photographs and silent film footage, Mr. Brake’s presentation will offer clues about the research the American scientists were doing almost a century ago and how the historic snowmobile was used in that work.

His presentation, titled Recovering Labrador’s First Snowmobile, takes place Thursday, March 19, from 7-9 p.m. in room 250 at Memorial’s Labrador Institute, 219 Hamilton River Rd., in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Organized by the Office of Alumni Affairs and Development, all are welcome and admission is free. A reception will follow.

To RSVP, please contact Alumni Affairs and Development at 1-877-700-4081 or rsvpalumni@mun.ca.