Aptly described as “the soul” of Barrick Gold, Robert Smith is best known as the stalwart of one of the most successful partnerships in mining history. While Chairman Peter Munk supplied the vision and business talent that made Barrick one of the world’s largest and most profitable gold producers, Smith built, led and inspired the technical team that transformed Munk’s vision into reality.
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.
The discovery of placer gold in the Klondike set off one of the world’s greatest gold rushes and forever changed the history of Yukon and Canada.
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.
When Alexander Dadson began exploring the Yellowknife region in the early 1940s, he saw potential beyond the small, high-grade gold showings known to exist since 1898.
As the founder and builder of Barrick Gold, Peter Munk has few peers in Canadian mining history. In less than two decades, he turned a small Canadian producer into one of the world’s largest and most respected mining companies.
Vladimir Mackiw’s life is an outstanding example of how the Canadian mining industry discovers and applies advanced and innovative technologies to create processes and products adding new wealth not only to Canada’s economy but also for the rest of the world.
Scientist-teacher and discoverer-developer of mines, Jim Gill’ made major contributions in every area he touched throughout a long and extra-full life in mining.
Dick Ennis was among a select number of larger-than-life personalities that appeared in the early days of the twentieth century when an explosion of mineral discoveries launched Canadian mining on a wave of unprecedented growth.
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.”
