Amethyst celebrates anniversary

This month marks the 25th anniversary of amethyst, Ontario’s official mineral.

It was on July 8, 1975, that the Mineral Emblem Act received royal assent, and, according to Tim Hudak, the province’s current mines minister, the anniversary deserves commemoration.

“Amethyst has created jobs and generated its own micro-tourism industry,” he says.

Ontario is rich in amethyst deposits, especially along the northern shore of Lake Superior, where small family-run mines offer visits to their pits, nature trail walks and amethyst souvenirs. About 35 people are directly employed by the Amethyst mines, and more are employed in finishing and tourism-related spinoff jobs.

Amethyst Mine Panorama, near Thunder Bay, is the province’s largest amethyst mine. It recently marked the anniversary with an open-house celebration, during which a commemorative plaque was unveiled. Other celebrations are scheduled this summer throughout the province.

The earliest record of amethyst in Ontario dates back to the 17th century, when coureurs de bois kept the shiny violet-coloured minerals as good luck charms or used them for trade. The first large amethyst deposit was discovered in 1955 in MacTavish Twp., just east of Thunder Bay.