Gold Mine Mucker

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Gold was first discovered in Quebec in 1823. Almost 40 years later, the legendary Klondike Gold Rush in the Yukon marked the beginning of one of the most productive periods in Canadian gold-mining history. 

The early 1900s saw the establishment of several major gold mining camps in northern Ontario. When World War II broke out in 1939, Canada’s gold producing capacity was expanded in order to help meet wartime expenditures. By 1970 rising production costs forced the closure of many gold mines in Canada and production dropped to one-third of peak levels. The value of gold increased as production decreased. 

In 1941, before my dad enlisted into the army, he worked at a gold mine in Ontario.  His older brother and sister had gone there to find work and Dad decided to go as well. He boarded the train in Leask and headed down east. 

Dad’s job at the mine was a mucker.  The main duty of a mucker was to move rock, which was also called muck. Muckers had the arduous task of scooping the ore into carts. Locomotive operators then hauled the rubble to the surface for processing.  

Dad’s employment certificate issued under The Mining Act of Ontario lists the following information:
  • Name and address
  • Nationality 
  • Age
  • Sex
  • Signature
  • A declaration signed by the medical officer for the Worker’s Compensation Board of Ontario confirming that he was examined and was free of respiratory illness and fit for employment in a dust exposure environment. 
  • Attached to the certificate was a shirtless photo of him holding a four by twelve inch sign in front of his chest with his assigned company serial number on it. 
One of Dad’s pay stubs from the Broulan Porcupine Mining Company in northeastern Ontario was saved with the certificate. A gold mine worker at that time made up to two thousand dollars a year.


Gold prices:

Year and price per ounce

1823  $19.39
1900  $20.67
1941  $35.50
2019  $1956.25

Boarding houses, restaurants and laundry services flourished with the influx of hundreds of men. Many, like my dad were away from home for the first time seeking prosperity and adventure. 

I find it intriguing how life’s events put us on certain paths.   The war brought him home from Ontario and it was while he was on a leave that he met Mom and they decided to make a life on the farm in Saskatchewan. 

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LINKS & TIPS ⬇️


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