From Mrs. Fauteaux to Miss Rita Murray

A new photo collection

We received the following message from Suzanne Borghese on our Facebook page.

Good day to you.
I am going through estate items and have found a postcard book sent to my grandmother in 1930.
“16 Photographic Views of Cobalt, Ont.”

I’m wishing to know if you’d be interested in having this?

16 Photographic Views of Cobalt, Ont. Made in Canada.
Addressed to Miss Rita Murray, 317 Grandwood Ave, Toronto, Ont.
Postmarked Cobalt, March 17, 1930.

Of course, we said, “Yes, please!”

Many of the photographs are familiar to we diehard Cobalt fans, but several are new to us. Perhaps they will be new to you, too.

For example, the Coniagas Mine below. Note the tailings pond in front. That notorious feature gave rise to the nickname for Argentite Street or “Swamp Street”

Another new photo for our collection. The Cobalt Reduction Mill located next to the T&NO tracks, on the Townsite Mine property.

A third photo that is new to us: the Buffalo Mine and Mill. Note the water tower on Prospect Hill that was erected in 1910.

Dating the photos

A word of caution regarding the date of the original images. Mrs. Fautauex mailed the photographs on March 17, 1930. But the buildings in some of the views were no longer standing by that time.

For instance, the Hunter Block, in the Square – it burned in January,1926. Another view of the Hunter building shows the Wallace Block across Prospect Avenue. This complex appeared on the scene after the 1912 fire that destroyed the Opera House and Lyric Theatre.

Three photographs show the Nipissing and the McKinley Darragh Mines. In the photos, Cobalt Lake has been drained to reprocess the tailings. However, mining compnaies conducted that exercise more than once over the years.

Finally, in the photograph of Lang Street looking north from the Square – the Imperial Bank has a brick exterior – that dates the view to after 1912, as well. But the Great War Monument has not yet been erected. Therefore, this photo was taken sometime before the end of WWI.

For now, we can date these photos to some time after the June 5, 1912 fire when the Opera House burned down, and before the cenotaph was installed on Lang Street.

The Nipissing Mine viewed from the town side of Cobalt Lake, which is drained.

Two views of the McKinley Darragh Mine. Cobalt Lake is drained.

Argentite Street – the Coniagas Mine is in the distance, as is the Nipissing Mine, on the far right.

The Nipissing “4th of July” waste pile dominates the foreground. It’s difficult to make out, but the headframe is the dark structure on the left. The Meyer Vein, also known as the Nipissing 73 is the complex on the right, with the elevated tramways between towers.

This is that view of Lang Street mentionned above.
The bandshell is in the photo, but not the monument to the Great War. The brick building on the far left is the Imperial Bank.

Cobalt Train Station – note Lang Street in behind and that bandshell – but no war memorial

This is Lang Street again, further north. A street runs down to the tracks at the Empire Theatre, middle right.
That intersection is where the Miners’ Tavern sits today.

These two photographs – the Cobalt Public School above, and the Mines Hospital below – are well-known to Cobalt history fans.

A view of Prospect Ave from up the hill near Cobalt Street.
The Royal Exchange building on the right, and you can make out the Coniagas head frame across the street.
It appears that Mrs. Fauteaux lived in the Hunter Block.

Another well-known photo. The Hunter Block on the right and the Wallace and Carr buildings across Prosepct Avenue.

Silver Street at Prospect Ave – the Royal Exchange building on the right. The Theatre is the Lyric – it burned December 1924.

Mrs. Fauteaux comments

You’ll note that several of the images have notations. Mrs. Fauteaux highlights names or points of interest to her friend. Above, for instance, she describes R. Fauteaux and J. Ough as “meathounds.”

We cropped another comment from the Lang Street photo: “Going bear hunting next week. Will try to get snap shots.” Did the Fauteux family run a butcher shop? Or a grocery? For now we are resisting the urge to dive down the research rabbit hole. But so many clues!

Come to Cobalt

The above uncropped photo offers insight into Mrs. Fauteaux’s experience of her time in Cobalt. She invites Rita to visit Cobalt.

“If you are game, come and see the town. It would give you an idea.” She cautions Rita, “But you might have to be brave, for it is not as comfortable as the city, but you get used to it. I will be glad to help you make friends.”

According to granddaughter Suzanne, Rita lived her entire life in Toronto. She may have visited Cobalt, but she was not compelled to relocate.