Bruce Mines is a town in the
Canadian province
Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...
of
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, located on the north shore of
Lake Huron
Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...
in the
Algoma District
Algoma District is a district and census division in Northeastern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario.
The name was created by an American ethnologist, Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (1793-1864), who was appointed Indian agent to the Ojibwe in ...
along
Highway 17. The town of Bruce Mines had a population of 582 residents in 2016.
The current mayor of Bruce Mines is Lory Patteri.
History
Cornish emigrants began to arrive in the area in 1842.
Copper deposits at Bruce Mines came to the attention of non-native settlers in 1846, and mining began that year. The area was named after
James Bruce
James Bruce of Kinnaird (14 December 1730 – 27 April 1794) was a Scottish traveller and travel writer who confirmed the source of the Blue Nile. He spent more than a dozen years in North Africa and Ethiopia and in 1770 became the first Europ ...
, the Earl of Elgin
Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, t ...
appointed in 1846. The Bruce Mines comprised Bruce, Wellington and Copper Bay mines. In 1876 the mines were closed due to floods, cave-ins, and declining profits, leading to a shift to agricultural development in the area. Mining resumed from 1915 to 1921, and despite occasional efforts to resume mining, has been inactive since then. However, the mine shafts are still open for the public to see. Bruce Mines was the second ever copper mining town in all of North America behind
Cliff Mine
The Cliff mine was the first successful copper mine in the Copper Country of the state of Michigan in the United States. The mine is at the now-abandoned town of Clifton in Keweenaw County. Mining began in 1845, and the Cliff was the most p ...
in Michigan's Copper Country. An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected by the province to commemorate the Bruce Mines' role in Ontario's heritage.
Bruce Mines: The Early Era
The Bruce Mines changed ownership several times between 1847 and 1944 when they were decommissioned. Flooding and cave-ins in 1876 ended the 30-year period of active mining history. In the 1870s, agriculture and logging prospered in the wake of uncertainty with the mines. The Township of
Plummer Additional
Plummer Additional is a township and single tier municipality located in Algoma District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. The township had a population of 660 in the Canada 2016 Census.
Communities
The township includes the communities of Br ...
was incorporated in 1891 while
Northern Ontario
Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on part of the Superior Geological Provi ...
's first town, the Town of Bruce Mines was officially incorporated in 1903 when it separated from the Township of Plummer Additional. Several attempts to re-open the mines in the early 1900s saw only limited success by Mond Nickel, who shipped the quartz-copper flux ore to Sudbury. Mond Nickel shut down the Bruce Mines in 1921. The mines were decommissioned in 1944 and forestry activities have declined, but agriculture, aggregate extraction and tourism continue as the main economic activities in the area.
The Township of Plummer Additional depends on Bruce Mines and other urban centres for most of its commercial and community services. In the
2010 municipal election, winning mayoral candidate Gordon Post pledged to investigate the feasibility of reamalgamating Bruce Mines and Plummer Additional.
["Post delivered to top Bruce Mines post; to probe Plummer union"]
. ''Sault Star
''The Sault Star'' is a Canadian broadsheet daily newspaper based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It is owned by Postmedia.
In 2015, the newspaper had a daily paid circulation of 7,577 weekdays and 7,763 on Saturdays. Its total circulation includi ...
'', October 26, 2010.
Marina history
In 1846, the first copper mine opened in Bruce Mines. Miners from Cornwall, England emigrated to the area to work the mines. The mining companies quickly built wharves and docks in the bay to handle the influx of people and materials. Two of the mine managers built their homes at the entrance to the main dock property. They made sure that only approved boats used the docks. The mining companies did not allow any stores to open in their town. All of the miners and their families were forced to purchase from the Company Store. The Marks brothers from Hilton Beach would load a barge on St. Joseph Island and bring fresh produce, meat and lumber to the miners in Bruce Mines. They were not allowed to land on the dock, so would anchor their barge in the middle of the bay and the people of Bruce Mines would row and paddle out to buy merchandise from them. Eventually, they opened one of the first mercantile stores in Bruce Mines. A Company tugboat, the "E.P. Sawyer" was a familiar site in Bruce Mines. This tug was used to move barges around the bay from the different mines located in Bruce Mines. Passenger vessels, such as the "Caribou" and the "Premier" also stopped on a regular basis in Bruce Mines. These vessels brought much-needed cargo and passengers to the area. The "Premier" burned and sank at the dock in 1923. Divers later recovered the propeller and salvaged the metal from her boilers.
Museum history
![Bruce Mines ON Canada Post](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Bruce_Mines_ON_Canada_Post.jpg)
Built in 1894 as a Presbyterian Church, the "Church on the Rock" was used for services until 1917 when the congregation outgrew the church and united with the Methodist congregation, whose church could accommodate both groups. In the same year, a fire swept through the town and the local postmaster, whose building had been destroyed, moved the post office into the vacant church building. The building was used as a scout and church hall for many years until 1945 when another fire destroyed the Bruce Mines Public School. The building housed grades 9 - 12 for two years until grades 11 and 12 were moved to the old jail building and finally, in December 1948 the school moved into a new building. The building stood empty until the Town of Bruce Mines purchased it in 1950 when it was used as a public library and as a storage house for local artifacts. The museum officially opened in 1961 and in 1973 the library moved to the Bruce Mines Central School.
Library history
It arrived from England and was aimed at the miners and other workers (bush workers, agriculture people) and was called 'The Mechanics Institute Library and was the first library for Bruce Mines, way back in the 1860s. It was housed in the museum in the 1950s and early 60s at which time Plummer Additional and the Town of Bruce Mines collaborated and passed a bylaw forming the Union Public Library. The library moved to what is now the Arthur Henderson Public School. Johnson Township joined forces in the mid-80s by becoming a contracting library. On April 3, 1993, the library became a unit all on its own with a modern building and since then has become a hub of modern activity. The Library moved from a card-based catalogue and borrowing system to a state of the art electronic system called automation. HRDC made automation possible with a funding grant. Automation gives the library the ability to search the entire library catalogue with a few strokes of the keyboard and clicks of a mouse. 1996 brought the establishment of the first CAP (Community Access Program) site to provide internet access to the area. The library's website was developed in 1998 under its Art Committee.
McKay Island Lighthouse history
The McKay Island Lighthouse was built in 1907 to serve the timber industry. It had 5 Keepers of the Light, Angus McNeish, Merrit Strum, Joseph Harvey, Gord Inch, Mr Wing. It became an unwatched light in Oct 1955. On Oct 25th, 2009 the range light was converted to solar power with LED bulbs. It is now a housekeeping lighthouse and available to rent as a unique accommodation.
Demographics
In the
2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, Bruce Mines had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
![Bruce Mines ON 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Bruce_Mines_ON_2.JPG)
Population trend:
[Statistics Canada: ]1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
, 2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
, 2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
census
* Population in 2016: 582
* Population in 2011: 566
* Population in 2006: 584
* Population in 2001: 627
* Population in 1996: 653
* Population in 1991: 684
Attractions
Library
Open all year round is the Bruce Mines and Plummer Additional Union Public Library. Located at 33 Desbarats street, off of Robinson drive from Highway 17. Visitors can take advantage of public access computers and wifi. Along with a wide range of materials such as books, magazines, DVDs and more. The facility has accessibility doors, upgraded lighting and clean washrooms.
Fall Fair
Bruce Mines is known for the annual Fall Fair events hosted at the Bruce Mines Exhibition Grounds & Arena. The first ever Fall Fair was hosted on the second September weekend in 1880 and it's been held on the same weekend ever since then. Some of the attractions include:
*Demolition Derby
*Tractor Pull
*ATV Pull
*Horse Pull
*Pet Show
*Alpaca 4-H Club Demonstrations and Obstacle Courses
*Student Art Displays
*Dancing
*Bar
*Food Booths
*Tricycle and Battery Car Races
Museum
The museum and archives, also known as the "church on the rock", was a Presbyterian Church built in 1894, and later used as a post office and a school. The museum began in 1960 and houses over 7000 artifacts of Bruce Mines and Area history and archives that include:
*Genealogical, census, birth, death, marriage, and baptismal records
*Copies and originals of photos of pioneer families and the town mining documents
*The 1850 Bruce Mines Postmaster Joshua Coatsworth journals containing letters, sketches, and poetry
*A customs ledger from the company wharf with entries dated 1850 to 1872
Visitors to the archives are requested to make pre-arrangements with museum staff.
Marina
The Bruce Mines Marina and Waterfront is conveniently located in the center of Bruce Mines and is only one of our many attractions. Restaurants, convenience stores, L.C.B.O. / Beer Store, groceries, gift shops, the Royal Bank with ATM, the Post Office, The Royal Canadian Legion, the Public Library, The Bruce Mines Museum and the Medical Centre are all within walking distance of the Marina. It has:
*Full service unleaded gas and diesel
*Full service pump out
*30 amp 110 volt AC power outlets at all slips
*Very clean shower and washroom facilities
*Charts and maps
*Gin pole
*Garbage disposal
*New Launch ramp
*Picnic area
*Children's playground equipment
*20 foot gazebo
Sports teams
Hockey
Minor hockey has been a major part of Bruce Mines sports, with teams that date back to the early 1930s. The two most famous Bruce Mines hockey teams are the Bruce Mines Copper Kings and the Copper Bay Flames. Together, they garnered more trophies than any other local teams, which are on display at the Bruce Mines Arena. In 2001, local hockey basically stopped dead in its tracks due to lack of interest to play in Bruce Mines. There hasn't been a team since then. However, there are still games being played there such as the annual "Grudge Match", "Women's Tournament", and "Men's 3-on-3 Tournament".
Soccer
Bruce Mines partners with Desbarats to participate in soccer, in a local league with St. Joseph Island, and Echo Bay.
Transportation
Ontario Northland
The Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), or simply Ontario Northland, is a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario responsible for providing transportation services for passengers and goods in northern Ontario. It reports to ...
provides intercity motor coach service to Bruce Mines as a flag stop
In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a stop or station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, st ...
along its Sault Ste. Marie–Sudbury–North Bay–Ottawa route, with one bus a day each headed eastbound and westbound from Sunday to Friday, with no service on Saturdays.
See also
* List of towns in Ontario
A town is a sub-type of List of municipalities in Ontario, municipalities in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. A town can have the municipal status of either a List of municipalities in Ontario#Single and lower ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Municipalities in Algoma District
Single-tier municipalities in Ontario
Towns in Ontario