In July 2007 I had the opportunity to visit an abandoned mine site aproximately 150 air miles north of Red Lake, Ontario. The mine was shutdown during the recession of the 1920's as a result of the stock market crash of that era. At its peak production the mine was a fair sized town complete with bowling alley, and brothel. After shutdown the site remained a ghost town for around 7 decades. In the 1990's the site was officially closed. All the structures were torn down and the shafts were capped and fenced. Standard safety practice when it comes to the decommissioning of a mine. There really isn't a whole lot of information avaiable online about this bit of history. This is perhaps a result of its remote location. The map below shows an aerial view of the mine. The mine is the barren stretch of land which is somewhat obscured by a cloud north of the "A" pointer. Click the "X" to get rid of the speech bubble.
The following pictures were taken while exploring this moonscape. It was the visit to this former mine that was part of the inspiration for the MINE project. This particular site is by no means an example of what happens to all mines. For a better understanding of mine reclamation refer to the CLRA website. The primary reason this landscape remains a scar in sattelite imagery is its location. It is possible to drive a 4 x 4 vehicle to the location in winter, however it is a 13 hour drive on ice roads. It would take considerable funding to fully remediate this site. From what a local told me it took 2 years of physical work to accomplish what what was done in the 1990's. While it would be an ideal location to help remediate further it would be well beyond the means of the MINE project. By posting these pictures it is intended to extend knowledge and dig into history. Afterall history is one of the best ways to learn about what we as humans do. Click on image for larger picture.
If there is someone who reads this that knows more about the history of this site please get in touch with me. I would love to get a more complete history on this page. Or perhaps write a wikipedia page about it.