Lewiston was a significant center for snowshoe clubs in the 1950s, boasting 17 different organizations. These clubs were popular, even drawing participation from other New England towns with large French-Canadian populations.  Each club was distinct, with its own unique uniform and organizational structure. Pins, like the ones seen here, represent the various clubs that once called Lewiston home. The former home of the Le Montagnard snowshoe club, The Public Theatre (located downtown at the corner of Lisbon and Maple Streets), became the central meeting place for international snowshoe conventions. The building’s ground floor previously housed a movie theater called The Ritz, which closed in 1983.