Honouring Kirkland Lake’s heritage

In 1911 the first bar of gold in Ontario’s Kirkland Lake gold camp was poured at the Tough-Oakes mine. One century and 42.5 million oz. gold later, a group of friends met for coffee and decided to make a bronze plaque to commemorate the individuals and families who came to the region and established 14 communities, 63 gold mines and numerous other mines producing silver, cobalt, iron, asbestos and seven additional metals and minerals.

Partly designed by local artist Cesar Forero, the six-panel plaque — now almost complete, with the central panel shown above — will stand 3.5 feet high and 7 feet wide once mounted.

The plaque will be unveiled to the public at 1 p.m. on June 29, 2013, at the Toburn mine historical property, the former location of Tough-Oakes. Sponsors include Alex MacIntyre and Associates, Cabo Drilling, Kirkland Lake Gold, Mots pour Maux, Osisko Mining, Stikeman Elliott and Ross, Pope & Co., as well as the Duke, Kiely, McPhedran, Roy/Morissette, Wright and Zima families, and Jen and Bill McGuinty.

For more information, contact Tom Wright at kirklandlakeplaque@gmail.com.