The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame will induct eight individuals at its annual dinner on Jan. 8, 1996, in Toronto.
Established eight years ago, the Hall honors legendary mine-finders and mine-builders who contributed to the growth of Canada’s minerals sector.
The eight new inductees, two of whom are still alive, will bring to 70 the total number of individuals honored by the Hall.
The Mining Hall of Fame is represented by a gallery of portraits of the inductees, together with a videocassette. The Hall, which currently has no permanent home, is sponsored by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum; the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada; and The Northern Miner.
Robert Hallbauer — (1930-1995)
For the past three decades, Hallbauer was recognized by industry, government and labor as a giant in terms of his presence and influence over the mining industry in Western Canada. A builder at heart, he was best known for developing a series of mines that led to a new period of growth for associated companies Teck and Cominco. Hallbauer played a key role in rebuilding Cominco and helping Teck evolve from a modest-sized producer to one of the world’s largest mining companies.
Joseph Hirshhorn — (1900-1981)
An unabashed promoter and entrepreneur, Hirshhorn helped finance several prominent gold projects in Ontario. In 1949, he took an interest in uranium mining and formed an association with Dr. Franc Joubin to develop interests in that sector. Their achievements were highlighted by the discovery and definition of the Blind River-Algoma uranium district of Ontario, and the subsequent development of eight of the eventual 12 uranium mines in that region.
Donald Macdonald Hogarth — (1878-1950)
Although best known as one of Canada’s prominent mine financiers and developers, Hogarth enjoyed a career marked by numerous achievements in politics and wartime military service, as well as other business interests. Crowning these accomplishments was the financing and development of Steep Rock Iron Mines near Atikokan, Ont., a massive project that succeeded only through great feats of engineering, financial risk and resourcefulness.
Edmund Horne — (1865-1952)
Horne came to Ontario at the turn of the century, in the hope of finding his pot of gold. Success eluded him, but, rather than give up, he ventured into Quebec in the belief that good geology did not stop at the Ontario border. His conviction grew, ultimately leading to the discovery of the magnificent Horne copper and gold mine. This, in turn, led to the foundation for Noranda, one of Canada’s foremost mining companies.
Paul Penna — (born 1922)
As chairman and president of Agnico-Eagle Mines, Penna has elevated his company from small beginnings to senior status. While Canadian mine-seekers have been turning to foreign lands to unearth their fortunes, Penna elected to stay in the districts he knows best, northern Ontario and Quebec. Today, Agnico-Eagle’s crown jewel is the LaRonde mine, near Val d’Or, which turned out 144,584 oz. gold in 1994. Continuing exploration has turned up seven new orebodies, which will soon be fully developed.
Lloyd Pidgeon — (born 1903)
Pidgeon is a pioneer of Canada’s mining and metallurgy industry, with a distinguished academic career. He is best known for having developed the process for the production of high-purity magnesium. The process, which bears his name, remains, to this day, unrivalled in the production of the world’s highest-purity magnesium metal. History will also remember Pidgeon for developing technology that played
a significant part in the ultimate victory of the Allied Forces in 1945.
Noah Timmins — (1867-1936)
Timmins is best known for having led the group of five men who invested their energies and resources in founding, first, the LaRose silver mine in Cobalt, Ont., and, later, the Hollinger gold mine in the Ontario city that today bears his name. As such, he is unquestionably a pioneer of Canadian mining. The partners financed several important mines, but their crowning achievement was the development of the Hollinger mine, which, during its 60-year life, produced about 20 million oz. gold from properties assembled by the partnership.
William Wright — (1876-1951)
>From the discovery of the famous Kirkland Lake Break, which hosted seven producing gold mines, to the launch of the Globe & Mail newspaper, William Wright has played an important role in Canadian business history. He discovered the first rich find that established the Kirkland Lake camp. Ground staked by Wright eventually led to three mines — Sylvanite, Lakeshore and Wright-Hargreaves — and gold totalling 13.5 million oz. He is best known for his role in developing the mine that bears his name, Wright-Hargreaves, which operated from 1921 to 1965.
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