The Mine Centre Mining District, Ontario, and Adjacent Territory in the United States

Abstract

Recently the writer visited the Mine Centre district and was much impressed by what he found there. In the old days the country was so wooded that prospecting was a very difficult proposition, but now, that the fire of some years ago stripped the country of all vegetation, every ledge and vein is visible and the prospector will have no difficulty in finding good ore outcrops, if such are in the region, as facts demonstrated they are. The region is a gold country, as is well known. The ore seems to be found in ledges and veins of quarts protruding up through the Kewatin series. A small vein just west of the depot at Mine Centre, a vein not thicker than my hand, showed free gold, and almost any vein in that region, however thin, carries some gold. This was a great mining center in the latter part of last century. But in that time it was terribly handicapped on account of the inaccessibility of the region. There was no railroad then and all supplies had to be hauled 100 miles through an almost trackless wilderness in winter. In addition, those who opened the mines expected to find high-grade ores in quantity. The Canadian Northern Railroad having been built through the region and the improved methods by which low-grade ores can be handled at a profit now make mining in the district profitable. Mining under experienced and economical management will pay in this district. Even with the railroad running through the region, the mines are yet much handicapped, as roads are not built to the mines, or if built need to be much improved. The Foley mine is putting in a telephone line to Mine Centre and to offset its poor road the management contemplates putting in a large gasoline boat to ply on Rainy Lake between the mine and Fort Frances, Ont. Furthermore, if the road is not made passable by the government from Mine Centre, the company will have its coal hauled by barge from Ranier to the stamp mill for fuel instead of hauling it out from Mine Centre.