History:Â
Gold was first discovered on the site of the Kerr Addison Mine in 1911. In 1938, a new manager would take over making the mine one of Canada’s highest producers.
The mine’s smelter produced large quantities of sulfur dioxide and arsenic that caused vast damage to the town’s vegetation. By the 1970’s, when production would begin to fall off, snowfall in the area was actually tinged pink.
In 1987, Kerr Addison was bought out by Golden Shield Resources. This company went into receivership by 1989. The following year, Deak Resources Corporation took ownership and was itself taken over in 1993 by Gwen Resources.
By 1996, after producing over 10,457,000 ounces of gold, the property was sold for taxes.
Personal Commentary:Â
This was actually a great exploration. We regretted leaving this one for last as the light was beginning to dwindle, and wind becoming ever colder. This site is going to certainly warrant a second visit soon.
You’ll note in the gallery a picture of what appears to be a large hole in the ground. In all honesty, the photographs do not... cannot... convey the size of this thing. It is large across, and VERY deep. I can only assume that this was the result of a cave-in underground.
Another fascinating feature bearing closer scrutiny is the shaft leading into the hillside dated 1955. I was very curious to know how far in it went. Perhaps next trip I’ll bring a canary.
