10/03/02: The History of a Symbol

[Nic Name]

North of Toronto, Canada, there's a town called Swastika.

There's a map and discussion in the Toronto thread of the Cellar.

http://cellar.org/showthread.php?s=&...2&pagenumber=3

Located just west of Kirkland Lake, Ontario, Swastika is less than an hour drive along highway 66 towards the Quebec border. This unincorporated township, located in the county of Timiskaming, has a population of around 545 and gets its name (and heritage) to a different time of the 20th century. During the early days of the century there was a lot of gold mining in this area. In 1911, brothers Bill and Jim Dusty found gold at a nearby lake, and named the mine after a visitor's good luck charm -- yes, a swastika.

At the outbreak of World War Two the Ontario government tried to change the name of the town to Winston (after Winston Churchill), but local residents protested the desecration of their name. It was not uncommon to see signs all over the town at this time saying; "The hell with Hitler. We came up with our name first!" So the name stayed.

btw: The swastika as a symbol of Nazi Germany was usually displayed as having been rotated at a 45-degree angle. As a symbol used by such religions as Jains, Hindus and Buddhists, on the other hand, the swastika is presented as upright, a distinction that should be recognized by illustrators.