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- Quick Facts
- During the development of the two mines, Steep Rock Iron Mines and Caland Ore moved more earth than was used in the manufacture of both the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Panama Canal.
Between 1944 and 1980, over 22,000 miners and office workers came and went, raising Atikokan's population as high as 7,800.
During their operations, Steep Rock and Caland shipped more ore than has been used in the manufacture of every car ever built in Canada. There is likely that much hematite left in the ground, but the economics have turned it from ore into rock.
History of Atikokan's Mines
- This is a land of lakes and rivers. It was the main waterway in opening Canada's West, and was part of the fur trade route. The area was and is alive with fur-bearing animals.
In the late 1930's, prospector Julian Cross discovered iron ore (hematite) at the bottom of the 100 meter deep Steep Rock Lake, and overlaid with 30 meters of silt, clay, sand and gravel. There was lots of hematite, but reaching it at the bottom of a lake would prove to be an engineering challenge.
Atikokan was a Rainy River Divisional point along the grain railway route from the prairies to the grain elevators in Thunder Bay. The Canadian National Railway had coal sheds, a water tower, ice house, all to service the rolling stock and living quarters for their employees.
War came in 1939. By 1942 there was a urgent need for iron that made the hematite under Steep Rock Lake viable. A Canadian industrialist from Pugwash, Nova Scotia, with ties to money people in the United States, found the cash to get the mine underway.
The ore, remember, was under the lake. The miners diverted a major river around the lake using a series of dams. This involved changing the direction of flow from Finlayson Lake and creating a new channel for the Seine River. They then pumped the water and silt from the lake using dredges. After exposing the bottom of the lake, some 120 meters down, they began open pit mining.
Steep Rock Iron Mines had two distinct ore bodies. The original site was cut in two by a major fault and a peninsula in the lake. Steep Rock could not dredge and mine both areas. It elected to lease the Falls Bay ore body to the Inland Steel Company of Chicago. Inland Steel formed a new company, CA (Canada) LAND.
Caland built two dredges in 1954 and started draining the lake the following year. By 1961, it had dredged 163 million cubic yards and was shipping ore to its parent company in the United States.
Caland sunk two shafts, each to handle 1.5 million tones of ore. The first shaft was sunk 400 meters. Three levels were opened and a pump installed in preparation for mining. In 1960 and 1961, lump ore in pieces 15 centimeters to 30 centimeters from the underground mine sold at better prices. By 1962, mills would not accept lump ore, and by 1963, mills would not accept raw ore -- it would have to be palletized.
In the early 1970s, new technologies dramatically improved the quality of steel made from taconite ore. The hematite ore of Steep Rock Lake became economically less viable. Inland Steel, Caland's parent company, decided to build a taconite mine in the States. Steep Rock's main customer made a similar decision. In 1972, both companies announced pending closures. Despite various efforts to delay the inevitable, both mines had shipped their last ore by 1980.
Following the closure, Ontario Hydro build a thermal generating station on the site. It is now a significant employer in the town.
As water returned naturally to the original lake area, an entrepreneur developed a fish farm at the Caland pit. The water is about 220 meters deep, ideal for raising trout and salmon.
At Valerie Falls along the diverted Seine River, another entrepreneur has built a hydro-electric dam and sells power to Ontario Hydro.
The dredging operation to expose the ore was a major one. The history of the Steep Rock Iron Range development is being researched and recorded by the Atikokan Mining Attraction. They have been working at it for years, in order to:
- Preserve, present, celebrate and educate people about the amazing and exciting mining history of the Atikokan area, emphasizing not only the project but the people involved
- Enhance and encourage the tourist industry in Atikokan
- Strengthen Atikokan's economic future
- Link with other local and Northwestern Ontario attractions and facilities, whether existing or under development
- Emphasizing how the environment, once mined, is returning to its natural state
What to see Today
- There is still much to see of the mines that closed over 15 years ago. The Atikokan Mining Attraction Association is ensuring that the legacy lives on, by developing displays in the community and at the mine sites.
Current Sites
- At the mines, there are viewing stations where you can witness the magnitude of the operations. While the pits are slowly filling in with water, there is still much to see.
In town, there are displays of mining equipment scattered around Main Street. Several murals painted by local artist Heather Schmutzer and local students adorn the walls of our stores.
At our office, you can see displays of mining equipment and methods. You can talk to our knowledgeable volunteers and -- if you were one of the 22,000 who worked for the mines -- you can enter your story in our database.
Contact Information
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Atikokan Centennial Museum
P.O. Box 849
Atikokan, ON
CANADA
P0T 1C0
807.597.6585 |
Community Vision
Economic Development
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