Frederick M. Connell

1883--1980

Got Inco medal in 1973:
"In recognition of the leading part he has played as a mine-finder and mine-maker, placing his name in the foremost rank of those whose names and accomplishments will always be associated with laying broad and firm foundations to one of Canada's greatest industries."

Worked on a number of famous mines. Let me tell you about them.
And then...

Spencerville Ontario--1906-- graduate from Queen's in Mining Eng.
Worked in Silver exploration in Cobalt;
Porcupine and Kirkland Lake gold rushes.

1920--1929; opened a number of mines Waite Amulet Mines; Central Patricia Gold Mines.

1938 formed the Conwest Exploration group; became all of Connell Mining.
Connell's Conwest.

1945-- teamed with Frobisher-- to make Keno Hill Mining to deal with Silver in the Yukon.
United Keno became largest single producer of silver in Canada.

1950-- took over claim Northern Bc.
Became an asbestos mine.

Oh yeah, and the OBE.

Robert J. Jowsey

1881--1965
"The Dean of Canadian mining"
a true "dog-team and canoe" prospector. I like that.
Worked through several different mining eras.
Many links to other Mining Hall of Fame figures.

Went to elementary school. Self-taught prospector.
Worked for Noah Timmins and found the Kirkland Lake orebody Gold.

WWI. Then went to Manitoba.
Teamed up with Thayer Lindsley. ---took over prospect of Sherritt Gordon gold mine.

Big deal was "God's Lake" development. Anecdote.
Far from Winnipeg. Self -financed.

WWII: War: Magnesium was in short supply.
Technique: learned Lloyd Pidgeon's dolomite/magnesium recovery tech.
Found near Ottawa.

PDAC. 3rd president.

Gilbert A. LaBine

1890--1977 "Mr. Uranium."
Anecdote here, but it's not a good one...
1930: Discovered the pitchblende at Great Bear Lake, NWT
(this is a location we're likely going to use.)
There-- yielded Uranium and Radium.

Self-taught. Found Eldorado Uranium at Great Bear.

1890. Born in Pembroke--began in the silver fields of Cobalt--
and then did some staking at Porcupine and Kirkland Lake.
Prospected with Hollinger, and Harry Oakes.

Went to Manitoba-- no luck for gold there.
He and brother formed company--Eldorado Gold Mines. again no luck.
But gave funds to explore Great Bear Lake and the Uranium.

Well, this is as good as it gets. It's THAT uranium. The uh, one with
uh, THAT history. Ahem.
"The Eldorado radium/uranium ore was so rich that it broke a stranglehold on radium then held by Belgium. But with a saturated market and stockpiles building, production at Eldorado was suspended until the advent of World War II and the sudden urgent demand for uranium - uranium used to produce the first atomic bomb, the bomb that at Nagasaki and Hiroshima ended the most devastating war in history."

Govt. took over Eldorado.

1934-- also did some gold in Manitoba--and that worked ok.
Gunnar Gold. then post War-- found large Uranium in Saskatchewan.

Called "Mr. Uranium."
FOR MORE Check this out on Eldorado.

John Williams "Jack" McBean

1913--1973.
geologist and entrepeneur.
worked on 3 gold mines in the Kirkland Lake region.
Worked on exploration in the arctic:
the Zinc/Lead discovery which became the Polaris mine.
Nice.
Lots of accomplishments.

Geology u of T/ Queen's.

WWII military.

1945 First resident geologist for Ontario Department of Mines
Joined Upper Canada Mines as chief Geologist.
found a great vein that kept mining going till 1970 anecdote?

1951-- drilling company in Kirkland Lake
1957 Back to Upper Canada.
In the 1960s started looking into energy resources of the Arctic--
this is when he discovered the lead-zinc on Cornwalis island-- Polaris.
ran out of money--
moved to Cominco to support.
from 1964. but not ready to go yet/ low prices.

1982. Cominco started it up.
Kept looking for oil.

W. AUSTIN MCVEIGH

1882-1975

Born near Ottawa in Quebec. Loved the outdoors.
Did early prospecting before WWI in Cobalt and Kirkland Lake for silve rand gold.
"learned basics of geology." Self-taught?

1926--went to Red Lake after hearing of gold strike there.
1936-- found a good strike; did good prospecting.
Made a great gold mine.

1938 went to Manitoba for the Sherritt Gordon Mines.

1941 prospecting in Lynn Lake (MB) found a good copper/nickel deposit--bu tit was too far.
1943 McVeigh returns--Magnetometer! uses it to find more.
Lynn Lake mine turned out to be a super-rich find. Made Sherritt cash.

Sir Harry Oakes

1874--1943 Excellent!
Prospector-- not Geologist.

"Adventure, fame and fortune all came the way of Sir Harry Oakes, the self-made prospector and mine-finder who transformed Ontario's Kirkland Lake district into one of the world's most famous gold camps."
Adventure! Lake Shore Mine was the first significant of the area.

Lake Shore-- made MAD amount of Gold.

Born American, Maine. went to school there. B.A.!

Roamed the world looking for gold.
Klondike 1899. Alaska, New Zealand, Australia, Mexico... Many more!
Adventure.
"A keen interest in geology"

1910 Went to Cobalt and Porcupine. Heard they were staked.
Anecdote: How he found the strike:
"After hearing about granite-that-might-be-porphyry occurring east of Swastika, he headed off with his prospecting tools and $2.65 in cash. Within days, he found porphyry containing a small, weakly gold-bearing quartz vein outcrop on the south shore of Kirkland Lake, which he arranged to have staked."

1912! Gold! Kept going. Found more stuff.
Then returned to Kirkland Lake.

1918: Tenacity paid off--the Lake Shore Property.
Huge mine.

His career was aptly described by The Northern Miner as "a monument to the opportunities of gold mine prospecting in Canada".

Stephen P. Ogryzlo

1911--Alive (?)

Here we go. Stephen Ogryzlo. Traveled the world. Made discoveries.
Let's see what kind. Many diverse accomplishments.

Began in Dauphin Manitoba. Got a degree.
1934 at 23 was youngest ever to get a PhD. in geology. (anecdote?)

1930s--37 Worked at Kirkland lake as Geologist. Became Mine superintendent.
used a special drill.

In 1938 was sent around the world to explore. Indonesia.
Malaria!

1951-- found Asbestos in Quebec. Black Lake. (nice name)
Rich. Still running now.

1957 joined Patino group in Toronto. Explored copper at the Chibougamau mine in Quebec.
discovered mines there too.

In 60s partnered with Rio Tinto in Spain. -- helped get Patino all over world.

70s retired.

Paul Penna

1922--1996
mine maker. executive.
AgnicoEagle. looking for gold in Canada.
Born in Toronto.
Started as a broker/financier.
1962--took over Agnico, a Cobalt area Silver mine.
turned it around and made it great.

then switched to gold in Quebec at Dumagami.
Did a big mine there called LaRonde. Ore and Copper.
dug up lots of gold.

Don't learn much about this guy, just his digging programs.
Finally did stuff
in Kirkland Lake / Larder Lake area.

William S. Row

1904-1984
The Kerr Addison mine near Virginatown, Ontario (QC/ON border between kirkland lake and Noranda and Val D'or. Huge Gold mine.

Row was a mine manager--joined in 1937 and worked that mine into huge production.
From a tiny amount--to 10 million ounces in 1982. Nice.

Mining engineer, born in ontario. Went to McGill.
worked in Peru, when young--then Frood in Sudbury, then Kirkland Lake.
then became mine supervisor at Kerr mine.
Became the Vp/And directoor.
Chairman of Noranda in 1974. Cause he knew what from what.


Direcotr of MAC and the OMA.
Lots of awards.

Affectionate here--known as "Old-time Miner" -- that an anecdote?

Robert M. Smith

1932--1998
"The Soul" of Barrick Gold.
Worked with Peter Munk on making Barrick gold profitable.
Munk=business. Smith-technical team expert. COO.
Developed mines worldwide. Tech innovations. Environment.
Haileybury Ontario--prospecting. Heard of that.
Mining engineering at U of T in 50s.
Worked at many companies.
Joined Barrick in 84 when his company was acquired (camflo)
Became huge Gold producer in quebec: low cost.
Worked on Holt-McDermott gold in Kirkland lake. big mine action.
Goldstrike? What's that. where is that? Oh it's in Nevada. he did huge on it.
increased gold recovery.

oh and he was big up on education.

James Edgar Thomson

1906-1982
Worked for the Ontario Department of Mines-- is that a govt. body?
Then the Ontario Geological Survey. Definitely a Govt. Body.
A Geologist.
Discovered copper-zinc Ore bodies--Geco/Willroy/
Hemlo area--Gold mines too.
So he was a finder. A hunter. Mapper. Cartographer.
He was a get out there and walk around guy. "Boots and Hammer".
Mapped Larder Lake/ Kirkland Lake.
Did some mapping of the Sudbury basin.
Chief Geologist for Ontrio.

Joseph B. Tyrell

1858-1957 *wow that's 99 years!
"conquered the Canadian north."
Canada's senior geologist, mapmaker, explorer, mineralfinder.
two centuries.
Ontario.
Canadian Geological Survey in 1880s. GSC.
Led expeditions in Alberta.
He's the dinosaur guy--
Found in 1884 the Badlands in Red Deer Vallery.
Discovered coal in Drumheller.

1890s--went on another expedition. Canoe guy.
Across Manitoba; mapped the whole north.
Found stuff around Thompson and Flin Flon.


In 1898-- searched for gold in Yukon.
In 1907 set up consulting-- and recommended Timmins' Hollinger mine as good investment.
in 1920 joined board of Harry Oakes' lake shore gold mine.

Invested in mining in 1924 at Kirkland lake= Gold!

cartographer. wife worked big on stuf too: Women's Miners in Canada.

William H. Wright

1876-1951.
Discovered the "Kirkland Lake Break" which made 7 gold mines.
Founded the Globe and Mail. (hearst?)
WrightHargreaves Mine was the largest in Kirkland Lake
born in England.
Did prospecting early at Cobalt and Porcupine.
Brother in law--Ed Hargreaves.

1911-- Big discovery story.
Quartz outcroping. Rich find.
Staked many claims.
Hargreaves sold-- Wright kept it on.
Prospector.


Three mines: Sylvanite; Lakeshore; WrightHargreaves.
sold Sylvanite to 'Harry Oakes'-- link through.

Went to WWI. Served as a private--even when already a millionaire. Whoa.

Founded G&M in 1936. That's a big deal.

Anecdote--kept backpack/prospecting gear in room in Barrie till he died.