The Matachewan Consolidated mine is a former gold mine near

Matachewan Matachewan is a township in Timiskaming, Northeastern Ontario, Canada, located at the end of Ontario Highway 66 along the Montreal River. The name is derived from the Cree word for "meeting of the currents". The town's main economy is based on ...

, Ontario, Canada, in the

Kirkland Lake Kirkland Lake is a town and municipality in Timiskaming District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. The 2016 population, according to Statistics Canada, was 7,981. The community name was based on a nearby lake which in turn was named after Winnifre ...

area. The site is adjacent to the Young-Davidson mine and was owned by Matachewan Consolidated Mine Ltd.

Location and description

The site of the mine is borders the Young-Davidson mine on the east. It is located near the settlements of

Dubreuilville Dubreuilville is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Algoma District. Established as a company town in 1961 by the Dubreuil Brothers lumber company, Dubreuilville was incorporated as a municipality in 1977. The town i ...

, three kilometres west of

, sixty kilometres west of Kirkland Lake, Ontario, and approximately 100 kilometres southeast of

Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 (2021). The city's economy is based on natural resource ext ...

. The mine is within the district of TimiskapingH. L. Lovell,
Geology of the Matachewan Area District of Timisaking
', Ontario Department of Mines, 1967 and is close to the Montreal River and 23 miles northeast of Elk Lake. It is located at longitude -80.67377 and latitude 47.94493.Abandoned Mine Inventory for Ontario
Abandoned Mine Identifier: 08378
Ontario Government.

History and ownership

Gold prospecting started near Matachewan since silver was discovered near Elk Lake in 1906. Jake Davidson found gold in Davidson Creek in 1916 in what would later become the Young-Davidson mine. Soon afterwards, Sam Otisse discovered gold while prospecting claims on land what later became the Matachewan Consolidated Mine, and owned by Matachewan Consolidated Mine Ltd. The mine was initially explored by Colorado-Ontario Development Company Limited. Matachewan Canadian Gold Limited became Matachewan Canadian Mines Limited in 1919. By 1920, 40 men were working at the mine under the management of T. J. Flynn. Equipment on site included two boilers, a 3-drill compressor and a hoist, servicing a 168 and a 37 feet deep shaft. Nothing significant occurred at the mines from 1924 until January 1934 when the price of gold started to rise. Also in 1934, the mine was connected to the Hydro Electric Power Commission of Ontario's electrical grid. The Matchewan Consolidated Mines Ltd and Young-Davidson Mines Ltd produced a total of 956,117 ounces of gold and 165,598 ounces of silver between 1934 and 1957 worth $34,688,256 at the time. The Matachewan Consolidated mine mine closed in 1954. On October 17, 1990 after water levels in the Otisse Lake rose, the mine's

tailings dam A tailings dam is typically an earth-fill embankment dam used to store byproducts of mining operations after separating the ore from the gangue. Tailings can be liquid, solid, or a slurry of fine particles, and are usually highly toxic and potent ...

failed. 150,000 cubic metres of tailings flowed into the Montreal River, increasing

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

levels to unsafe levels. Drinking water between Elk Lake and Lachford was declared unfit for human consumption.

References

{{coord, 47.94493, -80.67377, format=dms, type:landmark_region:CA-ON, display=title Gold mines in Ontario 1910s establishments in Ontario Underground mines in Canada Gold mining in Canada History of gold mining Former mines in Canada

Location and description

History and ownership

See also

References