Timmins

TIMMINS, ONTARIO Timmins, Ontario CITY ONTHEMOVE T immins is a city in northeasternOntario, on theMattagami River,with a popu- lation just shyof 42,000.It was estab- lished in the early20th century,when gold discoveries in the area attracted prospectors and investors inwhat became known asThe Porcupine Gold Rush.The storygoes that on June 9,1909,JackWilson andHarryPreston,alongwith their team,struck it richwhen they found“a gold- en sidewalk”,which later became the DomeMine. OnOctober 9,1909,BennyHollinger discovered the gold-bearing quartzdike that later became known as theHollinger Mines,and,a fewdays lat- er,SandyMcIntyre discovered theMcIntyreMine near Pearl Lake,four miles away. The“BigThree”mines soon dominated the area’s economy,especiallyafter NoahTimmins, a financier andmine operator,alongwith his brother,Henry,bought out Hollinger’s share.In 1912,Noah’s nephew,Alphonse Paré,whowas put in charge of themine’s operations,named the company town that was founded,Timmins,after his uncle.ThemainHollinger Mine operated until 1968,and during its lifetime 65,778,234 tons weremilled,producing 19,327,691 ounces of gold, with an estimated value $564.7million.By the year 2000,the entire Porcupine area had pro- duced almost 67million ounces of gold,making it AT A GLANCE: TIMMINS, ONTARIO WHAT: A city of 42,000 WHERE: Northeastern Ontario, on the Mattagami River WEBSITE: www.timmins.ca