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The boom years in Kirkland Lake brought a variety of talented and often colourful entrepreneurs to the area, many of whom left an indelible mark on Kirkland Lake's history. Here are a couple of examples:
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Charlie Chow 1886-1972 |
Charlie Chow immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong in 1900 and settled in Toronto, Ontario. He travelled north to the Kirkland Lake Gold Camp in 1916 and opened up a lunch counter. Being an industrious fellow, Charlie soon opened up "Charlie's Hotel." His new establishment included a bar, hotel, and restaurant. Throughout its long life, Charlie's Hotel played host to guests from near and far. Kirkland Lake's Museum of Northern History at the Sir Harry Oakes Chateau now houses many of the hotel's interesting artifacts, including several of its Guest Registers. In 1957, Charlie became the stuff of legend: the train carrying the town's mine payroll was delayed due to a derailment. This was an emergency . . . payday and no pay! The Manager of the Royal Bank of Canada, located directly across the street from the hotel, asked Charlie to help out. Charlie delved into his walk-in safe and carried $257,000 in small bills across Government Road to cover the mine payroll, thus saving the day! Charlie became a multimillionaire, in part, by accepting mine shares in lieu of cash from the mine workers for meals, drink, and lodging. Some of the shares Charlie accepted were from [Sir] Harry Oakes' gold mine, Lake Shore Mines Limited. Then valued at 50 cents a share, Charlie would discount them to 30 cents. Later, these same shares peaked at $64.00, making Charlie a very wealthy man indeed! Charlie passed away in his 86th year and is buried in the Kirkland Lake Cemetery.
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Roza Brown 1854-1947 |
Roza Brown certainly ranks as one of Kirkland Lake's more notorious eccentrics. Not much is known of her past except that she came from Budapest, then Cobalt, arriving in Kirkland Lake in 1911. Roza worked as a cook, later owned a laundry and bake shop, ran boarding houses for mine workers and, it is reputed, made some of her money grubstaking prospectors. Being a shrewd businesswoman, Roza bought up parcels of land that she gambled would some day form part of the main core of the town. Her instincts proved correct. In 1938 she sold a parcel of her land to an undisclosed buyer for $30,000. When Roza learned the S.S. Kresge Co. had bought her land, she felt duped. Outraged (and no stranger to the courts), she sued, but lost. Roza was an avowed royalist and somehow always managed to make her way to the front line of dignitaries being presented to any visiting royals, be it in Toronto or Montreal. On more than one occasion Roza's picture appeared in the city newspapers. There she would be, proudly waving an enormous Union Jack and wearing a large "God Save the King" banner. Roza displayed few, if any, social graces and very little tolerance for most people. Many of the townsfolk would quickly move to the opposite side of the street upon seeing her approach. She was not easy to miss, clad in her ratty fur coat, big rubber boots, with the ever-present pack of dogs barking at her heels . . . along with an occasional chicken or two. This, coupled with her loud, unpleasant foul language and, it is said, even more unpleasant odour, did nothing to endear her to some of the townsfolk. Roza did, however, perform many kind deeds. She fed the hungry and anonymously left parcels on the doorsteps of the less fortunate. Roza held a special reverence for [Sir] Harry Oakes. They arrived in town the same year and, rumour has it, Roza grubstaked Harry in the early days, even for a time putting him up in one of her boarding houses. Her admiration and respect for Harry is evident in the portrait she commissioned (featured) showing Roza in her finery, with a "Long Live Harry Oakes" banner emblazoned across her bosom! Roza lived a long life and is buried in the Hebrew Cemetery at Krugerdorf, located in a farmer's field 26km south of Kirkland Lake. For more on Kirkland Lake's fascinating personalities stay tuned for updates . . .
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