Porcupine Mining Area

Photo by Debbie Gagain and Robert Staniforth - October 31, 2005

Plaque Location

The District of Cochrane
The City of Timmins
At the site of the first mining recorder's office in the Porcupine area on Highway 101, near First Street, Porcupine, Timmins

Plaque Text

From the 1880s onwards, as railways opened up northern Ontario, prospecting activity in this region intensified. The Porcupine gold rush began in 1909 following three significant discoveries. Thousands of prospectors and miners poured into Tisdale and neighbouring townships to stake claims. By 1912 several mines were in operation, including the celebrated "Big Three": Dome, Hollinger and McIntyre. That year, the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway opened a branch line from South Porcupine to Timmins which made it easier to bring in the heavy machinery needed to mine the hard rock of the Canadian Shield. For a number of years the Porcupine gold fields produced more gold than any other region in North America. The area continues to be an important source of valuable minerals.

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