ODDS ‘N’ SODS — What’s in a name?

The names of mines originate from a variety of historical and geographical sources, and have always intrigued me.

Most mines assume the name of the claim on which they are situated. For example, the Emerald tungsten mine was named for the Emerald claim, which straddled the top of Iron Mountain, east of Salmo, B.C.

The Pioneer and Bralorne mines, both of which are at the head of Cadwallader Creek in the Bridge River district of British Columbia, share their names with the Pioneer and Bralorne claim blocks. The famous Le Roi and War Eagle mines, near Rossland, B.C., also were named after the original claims. The same is true of the Big Missouri and the Premier gold mines in the Portland Canal area, also in B.C. How the names of these claims were chosen by enterprising prospectors will never be known, but those names became linked with fame and fortune.

To name a mine after the claim on which it is found makes sense, though some mines were given more exotic designations, as was the case with the Red Rose tungsten mine in B.C. The name was meant to reflect the raw and rugged, but picturesque, operation, which was situated on top of the Rocher de Boule Mountain, near Hazelton.

Other mines were named in recognition of those prospectors who discovered them, or in honor of members of certain organizations. The Reeves MacDonald mine, near Salmo, was named after Bobby Reeves and Billy MacDonald. The Wilroy mine, in the Lake Manitouwadge district of Ontario, was named after founding prospectors Roy Barker and Will Dawidovich. Famous gold mines in that province were named for Sandy MacIntyre and Benny Hollinger, and the Williams, Stobie, Frood, Sullivan and Errington mines were also named after men.

Other mines were named after a place or topographical characteristic. The Granduc mine was named for the magnificent Granduc Mountain, in which the orebody was enshrouded. The Quirke mine, in the Blind River district of Ontario, owes its name to scenic Quirke Lake, under which the ore was found.

And the Pinchi Lake mercury mine, in north-central B.C., was also named after a nearby body of water.

Many mines in British Columbia derive their names from physical features such as rivers or mountains. The Endako mine, in the central part of the province, was named after a local community, which derived its name from a nearby lake.

The Cassiar mine, in the north, got its name from the scenic Cassiar Mountains, which surrounded the mine. The Granby copper mine, in the southern interior, was named for the nearby Granby River. The Island copper mine was named after picturesque Vancouver Island, on which the operation was situated.

Mines are also named after companies. The Geco mine, a huge and magnificent operation in western Ontario, got its name from the contraction of the name of its owner, General Engineering Co. The monstrous Brunswick mine, in New Brunswick, derives its name from Brunswick Mining & Smelting, which is named after its home province.

Some mines were named after the metals contained in their ore. The Canada Tungsten mine in the Northwest Territories and the Copper Mountain mine in the southern interior of B.C. were two such operations.

What’s in a name? These mines became important to the companies operating and financing them, to the stock markets where the shares of the operating companies were traded and to the men and women who worked and lived in the mining communities.

This country was enriched by the products of those and other mines, as well as from the enterprise of the many people involved in discovering, developing and naming them.

— The author, a retired mining engineer, resides in Vancouver, B.C.