Historic Sites to be Revisited at Cobalt – 1969

Good Intentions

I had every intention of writing another post featuring the artwork of Denis Newman and his drawings of several of the structures on the Townsite Mine property. But before I could do that, I needed to answer some questions. So, down the research rabbit hole I jumped, and this blog post is the result. 

I present to you, a reprint of a June 19, 1969 article in the North Bay Nugget, featuring photos from the John Hunt Collection at Cobalt’s Paul Penna Public Library. 

Historic Sites to be Revisited at Cobalt

The following is a transcript of the June 19, 1969 article from the North Bay Nugget

While local merchants are happy with the increasing numbers of tourists coming to the town, they have presented something of a problem to area mine managers, who are unable to cope with the many requests for tours. Now tourists will be able to visit some of the more historic sites, and even get a trip underground.

“The mine managers have cooperated with us 100%,” states Mike Koshilka who with W. McIntyre has organized the Cobalt historical tours. Mr. Koshilka lives in Haileybury, and Mr. McIntyre lives in New Liskeard but both are convinced that Cobalt is key to increased tourist business in the entire area.

“We decided that there are a lot of unused properties in Cobalt that could be made interesting, all they needed was fixing up and making safe,” Mr. Koshilka said. “What looks like a hole in the ground to us means romance and history to the visitor,” he added.

First Stop – the Townsite Mine

Their first step was to get permission to use the old Townsite mine head frame at the south end of Cobalt. The structure has been rehabilitated, and provides a good view of the area, including the Agnico tailings mill on Cobalt Lake. Inside, there is a display of old assaying equipment, while the Haileybury School of Mines provided some miniature milling and processing equipment used in the past to instruct students.

Second Stop – the Larose or Silver Miller Mine

From the Townsite Mine, guides will take tourists to an area behind the Silver Miller Larose Mill, where two huge rock cuts in the past yielded thousands of ounces of silver. One of them, a giant gash through the rock, is some 900 feet long and about 300 feet deep. Both have been fenced, with observation platforms built on their edge.

Site Three – the Colonial Mine

From the Larose property, the tourists will go to the Colonial headframe, which contains a display of old mining machinery. Behind the head frame there is an old concentrator facility which also contains a lot of old-fashioned equipment.

A short walk through the bush and the tourists are equipped with safety helmets, then taken into an adit, or horizontal tunnel into the side of a hill. The adit has been wired and illuminated, and background noises recorded from actual mining operations provide a touch of realism.

The view of the Colonial Mine adit from 1969. Clearly times have changed!

Last stop – the Buffalo Mine Glory Hole

End of the tour is a trip to the edge of the old Buffalo Glory Hole at the south end of Cobalt. This is another giant open cut, now equipped with an observation platform, and so deep that even on the hottest day ice can be seen in the rocky crevices.

All four of these sites – the Townsite, the Larose, the Colonial, and the Buffalo “Glory Hole” are still on the trail as we know it today. However, access is much MUCH different from how it was back in 1969!

In the case of the Townsite #7, it has been demolished. But the Townsite  #1 across the street still stands. Access has been restricted to “viewing from a safe distance” by the Ontario Northland Railroad while they conduct saftey assessments. This means that viewing the Buffalo Glory Hole is also off limits. 

The Larose / Silver Miller Site has also been restricted to what you can see from the Larose Bridge.

The Colonial Mine site is a very popular seasonal tour that is hosted by our friends at the Cobalt Mining Musuem