File photo of Mom, Elzire Dionne with the Dionne Quints Annette, Cécile, Émilie, Marie and Yvonne.
It was 75 years ago this week that a miracle was bestowed upon Oliva and Elzire Dionne of Corbiel, Ontario and in turn the North Bay area was thrust onto the world’s stage.
It was 1934 and the country was in the grips of the Great Depression when word that five tiny identical girls were born to the poor farmer and his wife made international news changing the fortune of the area’s beleaguered economy.
Their lives were nothing short of tragic starting with the the fact that at four months after they werer born Mitchell Hepburn’s Ontario government deemed the parents unfit and took custody of the girls. Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe took over the care of the girls and they were moved across the road to the Dafoe Hospital and Nursery compound. A public observation area was built around the playground and much like a zoo, thousands of pushed through to view the miracle five up close. In 1934 the Quints brought at least a million dollars in tourist revenue and at one point the figure was $51 million in tourist revenue for Ontario during the era quickly making the Quints Ontario's biggest tourist attraction surpassing Niagara Falls. Even Hollywood stars Clark Gable, James Stewart, Bette Davis, James Cagney and Mae West made the journey to see miracle girls. Amelia Earhart even made the journey to see the Quints six weeks before her unfortunate 1937 flight.
The girls were a hot commodity and companies like Karo corn syrup and Quaker Oats clamoured over each other to use the girls to pitch their brands. The girls even starred in four Hollywood films; The Country Doctor (1936), Reunion (1936), Five of a Kind (1938), Quintupland (1938), and were subject of the 1994 TV miniseries, Million Dollar Babies starring Beau Bridges and Roy Dupuis.
In 1998 the surviving sisters reached a monetary settlement with the Harris Ontario government as compensation for the exploitation they endured throughout their lives.
The surviving sisters Annette and Cécile now live in the Montreal suburb of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville.
This weekend the Dionne Quints Museum is marking the momentous anniversary with a huge birthday celebration Saturday.
Below is the full schedule of Saturday's events:
10:00
- Craft Tables open in Gift Shop — Birthday card and paper bag kite making!
- Community Card available for guests to sign
- Display of Past Newsletter binders and Vintage Post Card albums in Interpretive Room
- Screening of NFB documentary “The Dionne Quintuplets” in Interpretive Room
11:00
- Outdoor activities for children · Ball Toss · Horseshoes · Paper Bag Kite Flying
11:50
- Amy Bennett welcomes everyone,
- Mayor Fedeli welcome
12:00
- East Ferris Old Tyme Fiddle Club to play, closing the public announcement
- Cake, coffee, tours, games and crafts continue…
- Second screening of NFB documentary “The Dionne Quintuplets” in interpretive room
