Viola MacMillan had two careers in the Canadian mining industry. First, over a period that spanned four decades, she and her husband teamed up as prospectors and developers of several substantial mineral deposits across the country.
Minefinders get the glory, but it is the minebuilders who get the ore. For 65 years, while others discovered and financed the deposits, John Maclsaac applied his energies to breaking the first rock, sinking the first shafts and preparing the mines for their first production.
During a 45-year career in mining, Albert Koffman’s efforts led to the discovery of 13 base metal mines including the discovery and development of a new mining district in Manitoba.
The initiative of Jack Hammell to harness the potential of the airplane opened the floodgates to mineral exploration in Canada’s north. It was Hammell’s ambition to “crack open the north,” and he did that through his pioneering use of aircraft to move men and materials to areas previously accessible only by dogsled in winter or canoe in summer.
The metallurgical magic of Randolph Diamond transformed British Columbia’s Sullivan mine from a unique but uneconomic mineral deposit into Canada’s most productive zinc-lead producer and catapulted Cominco Ltd. into the forefront of Canadian mining companies.
Arthur White was an active mine financier who, with his partner, raised millions of dollars for more than 50 companies and was instrumental in developing several mines including two of the most prolific producers in Ontario’s Red Lake gold camp - the Campbell mine and its neighbour, which bears his name, the Arthur W. White mine.
Sir William Logan founded the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) in 1842 and served as its first director for 27 years. The first Canadian scientific organization, the GSC has since made a major contribution to the country’s economic growth.
Oliver Hall joined Noranda Inc. almost at its inception, responsible for both mine operations and exploration. His foresight and economic sense promoted the company’s rapid growth in the 1930s and 1940s to become one of the country’s greatest mining concerns.
