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HISTORY
OF ELLIOT LAKE
In the late 1800's the area was a trapping and logging center
and in 1901 the actual
lake was apparently named after a logger and the area took on the name
Elliot Lake.
In 1949 a prospector
name Karl Gunterman staked a claim in the area. Franc Joubin,
who was trained in both chemistry and geology examined his find. Gunterman
let his
claims lapse and Joubin, financed by Joe Hirshorn, a mining promoter, staked
some
claims.
Two major mining companies, Denison Mines
Ltd and Rio Algom Ltd became involved
and were the primary develops and eventual operators of the 11 different
mine sites
in and around Elliot Lake for almost 40 years. In 1954 the
area was created as an
improvement district (from unorganized territory). It turned
into a thriving area by
1956 and the infrastructure of the town was built to serve the mining community.
At its 1960 peak the town had a population of 25.000! It was incorporated
as a town in
1966.
Details of these events are chronicled in Joubin's memoirs, Not For
Gold Alone.
The
first BOOM and BUST occurred from 1956 to 1966!
The boom ended when the US Atomic Energy Commission
determined to purchase
all its supplies from U.S. sources and not to renew any Canadian contracts.
Mines
closed and employment in the mines fell from 8,500 to 1,060 in 1964. The
population of Elliot Lake plummeted to a low of below 6,700 in 1966.
In the latter 1960s the international market
for uranium revived somewhat. The new
demand for uranium began the second phase of development at Elliot Lake,
from 1967
to 1996. This started the mines operating again in and resulted
in renewed investment
in the area and a population increase to approximately 19,000 by 1983. By
the late
1980's however, Elliot Lake faced competition from much lower cost producers,
and
Ontario Hydro terminated its contracts. Employment at both mining companies
in Elliot
Lake (Rio Algom and Denison) declined rapidly, and ended with the closure
of the
Stanleigh Mine in 1996 and the start of decommissioning the mines and tailings
areas.
Denison Mines Ltd and Rio Algom Ltd mined
uranium for almost 40 years at 11 different
mine sites in and around Elliot Lake.
In 1991 Elliot Lake was officially incorporated
as Ontario's 50th city and began new
diversification efforts. One of these was the renewal of Elliot Lake
as a retirement
haven. Since then, Elliot Lake Retirement Living has become
successful in its goals
and has become known as the most affordable retirement program in the country,
and Elliot Lake as a centre of excellence for retirement living.
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