Mining Magnates

 

The Tough Brothers

George Tough and his three brothers, including Tom, had originally come up north from the Huntsville area to begin farming near Charlton, Ontario. This wholesome, energetic family often worked with a man by the name of Clem Foster, a mining man who had accumulated a considerable fortune out of the Foster Silver Mine in Cobalt. Clem was a very well-experienced miner and also an expert on related financial maters. He would therefore prove to be a valuable asset to the Tough brothers who in a short time would be given an opportunity that would change their lives.


On the evening of January 7, 1912, while spending time at the Swastika Hotel, George and Tom Tough were approached by Harry Oakes, who was in search of assistance to stake soon-to-be-lapsed claims on the East side of Teck Township.

With the assistance of Mr. Foster, Harry Oakes and the Tough brothers would soon own the Tough-Oakes Mine, the first operating mine in the Kirkland Lake. Their first shipment of gold left Kirkland Lake on September 18, 1912.


William H. Wright 1876 - 1951

  Wright was born on April 21, 1876 in the small English town of Sleaford, Lincolnshire England. In 1897 he joined the British army and served both at home and in the colonies. He survived the siege of Ladysmith during the Boer war of 1899-1902. 
He came to Canada in 1907, after serving in the Boer War. He went to northern Ontario to be with his sister, Frances Wright. Frances had married Edward Hargreaves and together they moved to Cobalt in search of work. William and Edward had a variety of odd jobs before trying their hand at prospecting in Cobalt, the Porcupine, and finally the Kirkland Lake Camp.
  In July of 1911, Wright came across a quartz outcropping, and although it was almost dusk, he quite distinctly saw free gold in reddish feldspar porphyry. Three claims were staked, two of which were directly on the "Main Break" or fault line of the area. This initial discovery was the first rich find that established the Kirkland Lake camp. In the weeks that followed, the partners staked more claims. Their efforts would become the nucleus of three major mines in the Kirkland Lake camp: Lake Shore, Sylvanite, and the Wright-Hargreaves. 
  In 1916, then almost 40 years old and a millionaire, Wright joined the Canadian army and served overseas until the end of the war. He enlisted as a private, and remained so by choice, several times turning down the opportunity of promotion. Upon his return, he turned Wright-Hargreaves into one of Canada's premier gold mines.It operated from 1921 to 1965.
  In 1936, Wright founded The Globe and Mail, which became Canada's national newspaper. In his later years, he shunned the limelight, took an interest in raising horses and community work, and kept a close eye on mining developments in Canada.
  Wright is reported to have kept a packsack and prospector's kit in the bedroom closet of his Barrie mansion until the day he died. It has been said that money did not really change the man, or his nature, because he knew that if he ever lost it all, he could hit the bush again.

Robert Bryce

Toronto-born Robert Bryce finished his formal education in 1904 when he completed a degree in engineering from University of Toronto. He began his career in Mexico before returning to Toronto in 1912 to form a mine engineering consulting company. He would search the Dominion for projects to involve himself in until he set his sights on what would become the Macassa Mine.

Forming the Macassa Mines Ltd. in 1926 with claims purchased from Harry Oakes and others along the western edge of what was then the Kirkland Lake camp, Bryce began development of his properties. The project would face financial difficulties during its birth, including a near-death experience inflicted by the great stock market crash of 1929. In 1931, the project was rescued by the American financier, J. H. Hirshborn. Hirshborn's risk allowed Bryce to finish the development work required to bring the Macassa into production. Production commenced in October 1933 and continued until 1999. After several years of toil, Bryce was left with almost no stock in the company. With a sense of gratitude, the directors voted him an option on 100,000 shares at $1 each.

 

Sandy McIntyre

Sandy McIntyre was a mine finder who didn't make a fortune from his efforts. He discovered the McIntyre Mine in Schumacher, Ontario in 1909 and sold his interest for wine, women and song. James Hughes is one who benefited from McIntyre's free-wheeling life style. Hughes purchased 1/8 interest in the McIntyre mine for $25. Hughes would go on to found the Teck-Hughes property, assisted by Sandy McIntyre's prospecting prowess. As his reward, Sandy received 150,000 shares in the new company which he promptly sold for $4,500. The money was quickly gone as Sandy enjoyed himself in Montreal.

 

J. B. Tyrrell

Kirkland Lake Gold Mines faced a crisis early in its production life. Known ore reserves were almost exhausted by 1924 and the company had few resources to begin exploration. The company would be saved by the efforts of J. B. Tyrrell, who is best known for his discovery of dinosaurs in the badlands of Alberta.

Tyrrell was called in to look at the mine property and was offered a half-interest in the company as payment to save it. After careful examination of the property, he sought to exercise the offer and raise the money to sink a new shaft. The shaft was sunk to the 2,475-foot level, where the company found high-grade ore. Tyrrell concluded that the 'Main break' was pitching downward and westward and he was right! 

 

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