ODDS’N’SODS — Reviving the pioneer spirit of Canada’s early

Mining camps have evolved through the years from single-person tent camps to bunk-house dwellings, from small town sites to the “fly-in/fly-out” operations of today. All systems for sheltering crews possessed their good and bad points. However, the character of the old mine town site was of a special vintage.

At one time, a multitude of mining communities stretched across the Canadian hinterland. They were established gradually, once the ore reserves and markets were determined to be adequate to support the enterprise, and thence to attract stable family personnel. All such ventures had to combat the isolation of remote locations.

The community development would begin invariably with simple residences for married workers. Then, of course, there would have to follow the establishment of a school and a hospital. Such service centres would be meagre at the start, to supply a primary grade and limited nursing-care concerns as the case might be, but they would grow and evolve into substantial establishments.

The cookery and commissary might serve as service centres in the preliminary phase, but eventually a general store would develop. This shop would generally supply all the needs and, supported by Eaton’s or Simpsons’ catalogues, reached a high standard of service. As the community grew in size, church buildings would be erected to respond to those who chose to practice family worship. And then, as the young population grew, a community building would take shape to accommodate movies, theatre, sports and social events. Throughout all these developments, men and women volunteered to help in the construction. There followed, in time, the development of hotels, pubs, ice arenas, restaurants and all such convenience centres to stimulate independence and self-sufficiency within the site.

There was an accompanying pride and self-reliance in these mostly isolated villages which had to provide all services and means for a sturdy survival and progress. Many life-long friendships evolved among families and their children. Sometimes, the stigma of being a “company town” affected a certain settlement, but this was usually “sour grapes,” propagated by a dissatisfied employee.

There were many offshoots from these communal efforts. Some towns fostered great hockey teams with superior athletes, as witnessed in the Sudbury Wolves, Kirkland Lake Blue Devils, Flin Flon Bombers, Kimberley Dynamiters and Trail Smoke Eaters. The ski hills and ice arenas formed a fertile field for the Nancy Greens and many others. Indeed, the schools turned out many promising scholars who, in many cases, attained national status. Today, many of our citizens look back fondly at long-departed and even obliterated sites. More than a few of these good people return and search in vain for some remains of a long-remembered dwelling.

It would appear that, with present prospective developments in several extremely isolated areas of Canada, self-supporting mining communities continue to exist. Today’s mine town sites are largely shaped by new technology in communications, education, health services, commuter services and other

factors.

Regardless of these modern conveniences, however, there remains the vast Canadian hinterland which calls out and beckons to stalwart sons and daughters to become part of a new venture, to attach themselves to something vital and growing. The mining communities of old had a pioneering spirit which is, alas, lacking in their narrow, superficial counterparts of today. To revive that spirit would certainly add a measure of adventure. –S.J. Hunter, a retired mining engineer, resides in Vancouver.