Jerome Mine is an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

in the Unorganized North Part of Sudbury District in

northeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

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 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It was a short-lived

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

community and is located on Lake Opeepeesway. Established in 1937 to house gold mine workers, the community had a population of 150 at its peak but was abandoned by 1945 after the mine ceased operations.Jerome Mine profile at ghosttowns.com
/ref> The nearby community of Ramsey, also established as a company town for workers in the same mine, survived until 1988 as a

lumber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

town. The townsite is accessible via the

Sultan Industrial Road The Sultan Industrial Road, also sometimes unofficially known as Ramsey Industrial Road, is a public–private forest access road in the Canadian province of Ontario. Originally built as a resource route for E. B. Eddy's logging and lumber operat ...

History

The Jerome Gold Mine is named in honor of Bert Jerome, an experienced gold prospector who was commissioned to search for gold by the Mining Corporation of Canada and the Ashley Gold Mining Corporation in July 1938. That July, Jerome began searching for gold in a region west of some existing claims that were held by two gentlemen, named Gifford and Shannon, in the main portion of Lake Opeepeesway. By July 11, he had discovered gold by panning in a rusty out-cropping on the southern shore of the lake. This was a remarkable find as it was seemingly out in the open but somehow overlooked by previous prospectors which enabled him to stake six claims by the 17th of July . By September 1938, the Mining Corporation of Canada staked an additional 42 claims. The discovery lead to revelation of an ore body that stretched 700 feet in length and varied in width up to 33 feet. The Jerome Gold Mine was operated by the Mining Corporation of Canada and produced 62,000 ounces of gold between 1939 and 1945. World War II placed increased demands on Canadian mining operations, from the beginning of the war effort in 1939. Pressures were placed on nickel mining for metal usage and gold mining to help finance the war effort and, in particular, increase the spending potential with the United States. Pressure to increase gold production was placed upon the Sudbury area by the Canadian Government in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. In 1945, the milling tower was destroyed in a fire and capital could not be obtained to rebuild due to the tight financial situation after World War II. The mine was owned by E. B. Eddy Forest Products Company until 1998 when it was purchased by Domtar Incorporated.

Present day

Geologists have estimated that the mine could potentially hold 2,100,000 troy ounces of gold, of which 25% is silver content.

References

External links

* * {{authority control Mining communities in Ontario Ghost towns in Ontario Company towns in Canada Communities in Sudbury District Gold mining in Canada