Silver Centre Rediscovered
by Peter Fancy
When the mining camp life of Silver Centre abruptly halted in 1932 another story started emphasizing strong-minded people willing to endure a marginal existence scavenging cobalt and silver ores left behind in abandoned mines. Hard times not only for Silver Centre but also for the old Cobalt camps' wasteland some twenty miles away. 
Yet out of these economic death throes essential character emerges: mining strength rebuilds during the Second World War; Temiskaming silver mines re-open in the post-war years. And miners rediscover their daring courage. Silver Centre Rediscovered follows in detail the leaseholding years during the 1930s.
Depression, the World War's stimulating demand to produce cobalt metal, started the shift of mining activity to the Cobalt camps. This post-war resurgence was based coincidentally on Keewatin-diabase ground identical to that of Silver Centre's. So interest gathers. Continued underground probes of Silver Centre's unexplored rocky regions climaxing in a full scale 1960s development point to immense potential. More Keewatin-diabase rocks discovered most likely hold silver-cobalt minerals far in excess of the treasure discovered there in Silver Centre's glorious past.
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ISBN: 0-88954-314-3 | WMPub# 1191 | 8½ x 11"
168 page Hard Cover with Dust Jacket many illustrations, sketches and photographs | $24.95
Table of Contents
168 page Hard Cover with Dust Jacket many illustrations, sketches and photographs | $24.95
List of Photographs
Acknowledgments
Foreword
I . One Closing Day
2. Like Bats Appearing
3. Under the Curious Stars
4. In the Full Moon's Light
5. Cobalt Bloom
6. Another Sun's Early Glow
7. Light Pushes Through
8. The Lake Shines Back
9. Stones Skimmed With Moss
Bibliography
Index
List of Photographs
I . Frontispiece - Prospect Avenue, Cobalt, 1907 VII
2. Frontispiece - Armstrong Street, New Liskeard, 1907 VII
3. Frontispiece - Ferguson Avenue, Haileybury, 1906 VIII
4. Frontispiece - Steamship Meteor, Lake Temiskaming IX
5. Frontispiece - A Sunday stroll, Haileybury, 1906 IX
6. Frontispiece - A Sunday picnic, Old Mission, 1907 X
7. Frontispiece - A September picnic, Chief's Island, 1901 X
8. A prospector's feast 4
9. Dr. James Mackintosh Bell 4
10. Keeley Mine, number 3 shafthouse and mill, HR 19, 1925 5
11. Frontier Mine, number 3 shafthouse, HR 16, 1925 5
12. Lorrain Trout Lake Mine, Number I shafthouse, HR 103, 1925 6
13. Silver ore nugget, Crompton HR 25 property, 1925 6
14. Frontier bunkhouse; from left: Gordon Loach, Jay Kenty, 1925 7
15. Frontier miners; from left: David Ricknell and Bill Skogberg relaxing at Absalom Gibson's old cabin, north shore of Gibson Lake, 1926 8
16. Frontier miners; from left: Eric Soderstrom, Carl Carlson, unidentified friend outside new bunkhouse 8
17. Baseball game on the Keeley Slimes, Silver Centre, 1926 9
18. Part of "the Keeley Crowd", 1926 10
19. Wright Hargreaves Mine, Kirkland Lake, Ontario I I
20. Lakeshore Mine, Kirkland Lake 12
22. Picking gold highgrade in Hollinger Mine stope, Timmins, 1919 13
23. Loading ore cars, Hollinger Mine, 1919 13
24. Mucking machine, Hollinger Mine, 1919 14
25. Electric haulage motor, Hollinger Mine, 1919 14
26. Haileybury aerial view, June 25, 1926 15
27. Shaft sinking crew, Canadian Lorrain Mines, 1927 16
28. Main Street, Haileybury. Looking east from Rorke Avenue intersection, 1924 17
29. Wellington Street, New Liskeard, 1928 18
30. New Liskeard Beach, 1928 18
31. Miller's house, Silver Centre, 1933 19
32. Miller's house, Silver Centre, 1933 19
33. Stanley Miller on Keeley Hill, Silver Centre, 1935 19
34. From left: Sterling Grant, Gordon Loach, Jack Caverley at Silver Centre, 1926 20
35, Hattie Cameron in front of post boxes in Brennan's store, Silver Centre,1926 21
36. Beside the Silver Centre Public School, 1935, from left: Lilian Miller, Sybil McCracken 21
37. Working claim HR 509, South Lorrain, 1932; from left: Norman Maiden, Bill Long, Harry Miller 22
38. Working claim FIR 509, South Lorrain, 1932; dewatering the old shaft with a bucket 22
39. Working claim HR 509, South Lorrain, 1932; Bill Long empties the bucket, Norman Maiden holds the rope 22
40. Working claim HR 509, South Lorrain, 1932; Roy Miller drives the tractor hitched to the shaft bucket cable 23
41. Working claim HR 509, South Lorrain, 1932; the old bunkhouse up Maidens Creek 23
42. Mill-Wights Mine, HR 69 and 70, South Lorrain, 1938-1940; Billy Ross feeds Roy Miller's pet bear at Maidens Bay 25
43. Mill-Wights Mine, HR 69 and 70, South Lorrain, 1938-1940; company truck tips back with heavy load on Maidens Creek Hill 26
44. Mill-Wights Mine, HR 69 and 70, South Lorrain, 1938-1940; from left: Miss Wight, Irene Miller, Gladys Miller, Miss Wight, Lilian Miller,
45. Mill-Wights Mine, HR 69 and 70, South Lorrain, 1938-1940; ninety foot trestle to sixty ton mill in background 26
46. Mill-Wights Mine, HR 69 and 70, South Lorrain, 1938-1940; the old Canadian Lorrain shafthouse 27
47. Picking the Nipissing Lorrain dump, 1943; from left: Stan Miller, Bob Scott, Olive Quevillon, Gladys Miller, Irene Miller 28
48. Maidens Creek road past Nipissing Lorrain Mine dump, 1938 28
49. Nipissing Lorrain Mine loading bin, 1938 28
50. Steamboat Keego 29
51. Camp Lorrain, Lake Temiskaming, 1935 30
52. Photographer Alex Maclean's view of Lake Temiskaming, 1940 30
53. Bonin's Matabitchuan house; from left: Mrs. Teale, Mrs. Bonin, Mrs.Phelps, Ruby Phelps, 1912 31
54. Jonason family, 1928 31
55. Jonason's farmhouse, Montreal River, 1920 32
56. Jonason's barn from left: Dan Jonason Jr., Ken Jonason 32
57. Jonason's house and hired hand, 1920 33
58. Captain Henry's tugboat Zara at the Shepherd-Morris Landing, Matabitchuan River, 1923 33
59. Brady Lake area miners, 19 10; second from viewer's right stands Eddie Holland holding bear cub 35
60. Looking across Brady Lake towards the old Lumsden Mine buildings and the , British Canadian Power company substation atop the hill 37
61. Hauling 1,640 pound silver nugget from Gem property, Giroux Lake, 1909 38
62. Early Cobalt Snowmobile 39
63. Eplett's delivery truck 39
64. Going underground at Agaumco Mine, 1942 44
65. University Mine, JB 8, headframe, 1943 44
66. University Minc lease crew, 1943 44
67. Intersection of' Silver Street and Grandview Avenue, Cobalt, April 6.1943 46
68. Silver Miller Mines, 1946, old Lumsden mine office and shafthouse. 49
69. Silver Miller's number I shafthouse, 1946 49
70. Silver Miller crew, 1946 50
71. Silver Miller miners up from underground, 1946 51
72. Silver Miller Mines highgrade, 1947, from left: Roy Miller, Art Wilcox, Harry Miller 54
73. Silver Miller Mines highgrade on display at Temiskaming Testing Laboratories office, 1947, from left: Arthur Cole, Harry Miller 54
74. Sinking Silver Miller number 4 shaft, 1947 55
75. Silver Miller Mines number 4 shaft, 1947 55
76. George McLeod at Silver Miller's Brady Lake office, 1948 56
77. George McLeod and Harry Miller at Brady Lake, 1948 56
78. Drifting Silver Miller's number 4 vein silver shoot, 1948; from left: John Matson, Henry Chortier 57
79. Harry Miller checks silver highgrade of number 2 vein, 1948 58
80. Silver Miller Mines' new Brady Lake mill, 1949 59
81. Local mining men and guests 60
82. Harry Miller is his Brady lake office with a map of South Lorrain on wall 61
83. Silver Miller Mines' number 4 shafthouse at Brady Lake, the main production way 62
84. More Silver Miller highgrade; from left: Milt Halstead, Ted Houghton, Art Wilcox, Harry Miller 62
85. Harold Kenty holds 1,000 ounces of silver from Colonial Mine's 1040 foot, winze level, 1950 63
86. New LaRose shafthouse and concentrator, 1951 64
87. New 300 ton ore bins installed at LaRose concentrating mill, 1951 64
88. LaRose mine captain, Ben Morin, examines silver-cobalt vein on the 157 foot level, 1951 65
89. Miner Kenty and his dog, Nipper 66
90. Northern Ski Club members, 1946 67
91. Northern Ski Club, overlooking clubhouse, Cross Lake and Silver Cliff mill to left rear 68
92. From left: Milton Halstead Gus Shartner, Dan Hellens, 1952 70
93. Cobalt Square, 1907 72
94. Cobalt Square, 1916 74
95. Cobalt Square's welcome to W.W. I soldiers returning, 1919 74
96. Cobalt Square - snowbound, 1915 75
97. Sliver Circle Mines drill fig on Trout Lake, South Lorrain, January, 1952; notch in hill at left is surface expression of Beaver Lake Fault; notch in hill near right side is surface expression of Woods Fault; white patch on hill is Trout Lake Lorrain Mines' number 2 dump; The diamond drill rig is just off shore left of centre. 77
98. Canadian Lorrain Mines' crew, 1924-1925 78
99. Cobalt, July 1, 1917 celebrations, Buffalo Slimes 81
100. Cobalt, July 1, 1917 celebrations, Buffalo Slimes 82
101. Cobalt, July 1, 1917 celebrations, Buffalo Slimes 82
102. Cobalt drilling contest, August 18, 1909 83
103. Silver Miller Mines' parade float, Old Home Week, 1953 83
104. Mining crew at the Victory claims, 1946, Bill Taylor kneeling front row right 87
105. Haileybury seaplane dock, 1946 88
106. Silver Miller Mines presents cheque to Cobalt town; from left: Cobalt Mayor Ken Buffam, Harry Miller, John Tovell, Temiskaming M.P.P. Caddy Taylor 92
107. Temagami Sunimer Resort, 1947 101
108. Deer Horn Mine, 1966; from left: Jim Armstrong with two shareholders, Dr. Crawford and son 103
109. Temporary office building at Keeley-Frontier Mines, Silver Centre, July, 1961 106
110. Bob Raeburn checks pipe blowing water from number 3, Frontier shaft, July 1961 108
111. Temporary headfrarne over number 3 Frontier shaft; mine crew poses for picture, July, 1961 108
112. Bob Raeburn surveys temporary headframe site while shaftwater gushes, July, 1961 109
113. Completing new number 3 shafthouse and combined office-dry building, October, 1961 109
114. La Forest contractors erect stiff legs for permananent headframe over number 3 Frontier shaft, July 19, 1961 110
115. Winter sets in at Silver Centre, December, 1961 111
116. From left: Charlie Belec, Bill Harnmerstrom and Roger Gareau examine silver highgrade samples 112
117. Roger Gareau talks with number 3 hoistman, Leo Gagnon 113
118. Building the Keeley-Frontier crusher and grinding plants, May 1, 1962 114
119. Kirkland Townsite Gold Mines, Kirkland Lake, 1931 116
120. Kirkland Townsite Gold Mines, Kirkland Lake, 1931 116
121. Silverfields Mine, Cobalt 129
122. Opening of Silver Summit Mine, 1963; from left: Brad Streit, J.J. Gray's son, Murray Cooper, J.J. Gray, unidentified, Louis Cadesky, Milt Halstead, Arthur White, George Buchanan 130
123. Chunks of silver highgrade from the Cadesky vein at Glen Lake Silver Mines, 1965, from left: Len Heikkila, Wes Daneyleyko, Tom Fraboni 130