Steep Rock
The Men and the Mines
by Bruce W. Taylor
Steep Rock, The Men and the Mines is a comprehensive history of the very exciting development of the Steep Rock iron deposits near Atikokan, Ontario. This second edition of the original published in 1978, provides an enduring account of this massive enterprise.
The germ of the idea to write about the Steep Rock was planted soon after Bruce took up residence in Atikokan in 1969. He was curious about the background of the company with where he was starting a new career, and this curiosity was whetted through hearing Syd Hancock tell, in his own inimical way, stories about the men who found and developed the Steep Rock Range.
Bruce wondered why no one had ever written a comprehensive history of the very exciting development of the Steep Rock deposits. Syd Hancock, the obvious person to do so, assured him that he had no intention of getting involved in such a project, but if Bruce intended to do so he would assist him in any way possible. Bruce was only too eager to take him up on his offer.
Fortunately for this history, the management of Steep Rock, right from the earliest days, had the foresight to collect press releases and other information relevant to the development of the Steep Rock Range. A complete record of all Northern Miner clippings from 1938 to the early 1960s, as well as clippings from other newspapers during the period prior to the Diversion project has been of incalculable assistance. In addition to the press clippings, a complete file of back issues of the Steep Rock Echo, the news bulletin published by Steep Rock Iron Mines for its employees, and the company's annual reports, have assisted greatly in the writing of the history. For unlimited access to these and other files Bruce is most grateful to Steep Rock Iron Mines Limited.
Notes for this Second Edition: We have retained the original as far as possible with some notable exceptions:
We have increased the font size from the original for easier reading, and so page numbers from the original will be different.
We have taken the footnotes and made them endnotes starting on page 162, so that we could include them in a readable fashion at a reasonable font size.
The Index is expanded.
We hope you find these changes useful.
Go here for a look at the Index | Go Here for Table of Contents
978-1-989615-09-6 | WMPub#1051 | 5½" x 8½"
188 pages; 43 maps, illustrations and photographs; trade paperback | $14.95
Available In EBook Formats Here: $4.95 CDN | |
EPub format |
Kindle Format |
Table of Contents
5 Foreword
7 Discovery
21 Development and Disappointment
31 Negotiations
47 The Diversion
66 Draining the Lake
78 Consolidation and Expansion
94 Dredging
107 Production
119 Sharing The Wealth
130 The Modern Era
Photographs:
149 The People
150 The Engineers
152 The Original Development 1938-1940
152 The Consulting Engineers
153 The Esker Tunnel-Finlayson Lake
154 The River Diversion
155 Draining The Lake
156 The First Ore Mined
157 Dredging
158 Operation Up & Over
159 Production
160 The Modern Era
161 Selected Bibliography
162 Endnotes
178 Index