Red Lake
A Rich History, A Rich Future
Picture: Samuel Lewis Acting District Geologist, Red Lake Office
By Kevin Vincent
It’s not a stretch of the imagination to compare the work of a district geologist with air traffic control - especially if that geologist works out of the Red Lake office of the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. Samuel Lewis is the Acting District Geologist in the Resident Geologist Program of the Ontario Geological Survey Mines and Minerals Division of the Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. Try to fit that on your next business card. All kidding aside, Lewis’ office is akin to an air traffic control tower these days as dozens of mining companies, explorers, financiers, and geologists scramble to get their hands on as much government data as possible in the quest for precious metal deposits and other minerals that are in high demand around the globe. Red Lake is regarded as one of North America’s most historic and prolific gold mining regions. So, it just makes sense that companies from around the world have descended on the Red Lake district in
search of the next big mine. According to the town’s archives, “from the mid-1870s to the early 1920s, the quest for furs, then for minerals, brought Europeans to the area. In the summer of 1925, two brothers, Lorne and Ray Howey, discovered gold under the roots of an upturned tree. This event triggered the last great gold rush in North America, the birth of commercial bush flying in Canada, and the founding of the town of Red Lake.” “More than 3,000 people converged on Red Lake at the height of the Gold Rush of 1926. They traveled by dog team or by foot on the frozen rivers and lakes, over the 180mile gold rush trail. In spring, they used canoes or small boats, and before long, airplanes. Eventually the bush plane came to dominate travel to the goldfields. In 1936, Howey Bay, in the heart of Red Lake, was the busiest airport in the world, as aircraft of all shapes and sizes, on floats or skis, transported freight and passengers in and out of the area at 15-minute intervals.” It’s not quite the same today, but one couldn’t be blamed if they drew the comparison. And the air traffic control reference has a somewhat
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historic significance as well. District Geologist Samuel Lewis says every day seems to include something new for the mining camp that has contributed nearly 28 million ounces of gold for the global precious metals market in nearly a century. “Red Lake is touted to be the town at the end of the road,” said Lewis. “It has a population of 4000-4500 people between Balmertown and Red Lake. With all of this activity it has been hard to find a geologist since the influx of all these projects.” Lewis is also the chair of the Red Lake CIM chapter and he says the group hosts a number of exploration roundups, meetings and social events that attract local residents and small business owners. The annual Exploration Roundup allows exploration companies to outline what they are doing and to also explain what kind of resources they might need. “Everyone knows about Great Bear, Pure Gold, Evolution and Battle North – this town has been built on mining since 1927 so the people here support the industry
Cont’d on pg. 36
