Wednesday we arrived at Elliott Lake, Ontario. This is the
view from our window. We have a wonderful spot overlooking Cinder Lake in a
cute little community about 10 km from
Elliott Lake township. We will likely hang out here until Monday; then we will
move along. Still so much to see!
We have been spending good time with friends Tracy and Ron,
whom we met last winter at Sky Valley, California. They toured us around yesterday and today we
went into town ourselves to go to the Nuclear and Mining Museum. Michel lived here in Elliott Lake in his childhood
from 1959 until 1964 while his dad worked in the mines. He went to elementary
school here until his family moved to Toronto.
We watched a very informative film about Elliott Lakes’
history at the Museum today. Firstly,
this museum is Canada’s only Nuclear Mining Museum. Elliott Lake was rich in Uranium and back in
1953. When it was discovered it rivaled the Klondike Gold Rush. By 1959 there
were nearly 25,000 people living here.
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| The old Hudson Bay building |
Then it went bust (for the 1st
time) in 1962 when the USA declared they would not buy any more uranium from Canada. So by 1966 the population dwindled to less than 7500. During the 70’s Ontario Hydro’s interest in atomic energy led the town, anticipating the population to expand again. But by the early 90’s, the last mines closed and over 4,000 jobs were lost. (Bust #2) Today Elliott Lake has a population of 11,500 and a healthy mix of services.
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| This is the house that Michel and his family lived in from 1959 to 1964 |
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