A rare combination of geologist and entrepreneur, Jack McBean turned small, struggling companies into winners. He contributed to the success of the Upper Canada, Upper Beaver and Macassa/Tegren gold mines in Ontario’s Kirkland Lake region.
Geologist Arthur Thomas Griffis has truly earned his place of honor in Canadian mining history. He discovered five iron deposits for the Iron Ore Company of Canada, a copper deposit at the McIntyre Porcupine gold mine and developed a profitable copper-zinc orebody near Timmins, Ont., for Canadian Jamieson Mines.
James Thomson embodied dedication to the mining industry throughout his 44-year career with the Ontario Department of Mines (ODM), later the Ontario Geological Survey (OGS). He revived, enlarged and modernized ODM, transforming it into an increasingly important body recognized in Canada and internationally for its technical excellence.
Robert Isaacs is best-known for his role in the discovery and development of the massive lead-zinc deposits in New Brunswick that became the cornerstone of Brunswick Mining and Smelting. A talented mining engineer, he also had a hand in financing and developing many smaller producers, particularly in Newfoundland, where he developed a reputation for building mines with low capital and operating costs.
Most follow one path, but John Paris Bickell commanded several successful careers during his extraordinary life. He opened a brokerage firm at the age of 23 and was a millionaire by 30. In 1919, he left the investment business to become president and, later, chairman of McIntyre-Porcupine Mines, one of Ontario’s first and most important gold producers.
Marsh Cooper is best known as the driving force in the acquisition and development of many of the deposits and mines that transformed Falconbridge into a global nickel giant. He guided the company through one of its strongest periods of growth, brought new mines into production and, during the 1970s, oversaw the completion of Falconbridge Dominica’s ferronickel plant in the Dominican Republic.
In 2003 the northern Ontario town of Cobalt marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of a silver bonanza that to this day reverberates throughout the Canadian economy. In recognition of the impact of the events of a century ago, the Cobalt silver camp today is a protected Canadian government Heritage District and the community has been named “The Most Historic Town in Ontario.”
An internationally renowned earth scientist, J. Tuzo Wilson made significant contributions to the understanding of the dynamic earth, particularly in the fields of geology and geophysics.
Adolphe “Lap” La Prairie is a legend in the Canadian explosives and mining industry, his standards for technical innovation notable even to this day. His motivation was simple, and based solely on his concern for miners and his interest in making mining a safer and more effective endeavor.
Credited with the discovery of several sizeable lead-zinc-silver deposits in Yukon, most notably the renowned Faro deposit, Alan Kulan was a compassionate and pioneering prospector with an independent, entrepreneurial spirit.
