Obituary: William Hutchison

William Hutchison, a pioneer of the Elliot Lake uranium camp and later an executive with Rio Algom, has died. He was 97.

Hutchison was born near North Bay, Ont., but later moved to the Toronto area and eventually to Timmins. He worked at various mines, including Dome and Nighthawk Lake, and was a registered professional engineer in Ontario.

Hutchison’s first big job came early in the Great Depression, when he was hired as underground superintendent at the Lake Shore gold mine in Kirkland Lake, Ont. As such, he worked under Sir Harry Oakes (1874-1943), the mine’s mercurial and wealthy owner. It is here that Hutchison earned his stripes; it is also where he met and married Stella Johnston, daughter of the local chief of police.

In the late 1930s, Hutchison was appointed general manager of Preston East Dome. From there, it was relatively smooth sailing, as the Blind River and Elliot Lake camps gradually came to fruition. Hutchison’s contribution to the Pronto mine, the first uranium operation to be developed at Elliot Lake, has been largely overlooked. He produced the original feasibility study, which led to full production beginning in 1955.

After some years, he became a senior executive with Rio Algom.

“In my opinion, William Hutchison was the prime mining executive on the team from Preston East Dome and [contractor] Technical Mine Consultants, without which the Elliot Lake mining camp might not have come into being,” says Dit Holt, a retired professional engineer and former colleague of Hutchison during the Elliot Lake days.

Hutchison is survived by his daughter, Nancy, and several grandchildren.