What do you think?
Rate this book
North For Gold: The Red Lake Gold Rush Of 1926
In July 1925, there was a modest discovery of gold on the shores of Red Lake by Brothers from Haileybury. It took some time for the news to spread but thousands rushed by any available means: dogsled, aeroplane, horse-drawn sleigh, primitive snow machines, by foot, and in the spring; on anything that would float.
The gold rush of 1926 was the last of its kind in Canada, largely because the technological innovations that were pioneered made mass movement unnecessary. However, this rush can be seen as a significant force in the settlement patterns which have changed Canada from vast, uninhabited forest into the modern industrial nation that exists today. It was the kind of uncomplicated adventure no longer seen in our sophisticated society and it deserves a niche of its own in the records of Canadian history.
Plans are in full swing for the first Red Lake District High School reunion in July 1987, for the 35th anniversary of the opening of the high school in 1952. It has caught the imagination of the alumni of this small school, who have spread across Canada. An astonishing 600 are expected in town. They are coming because Red Lake never became a "city in the bush". It was a real community whose culture formed all of us who grew up there. Ruth Weber Russell - Kitchener, Ontario - June 1987.
The gold rush of 1926 was the last of its kind in Canada, largely because the technological innovations that were pioneered made mass movement unnecessary. However, this rush can be seen as a significant force in the settlement patterns which have changed Canada from vast, uninhabited forest into the modern industrial nation that exists today. It was the kind of uncomplicated adventure no longer seen in our sophisticated society and it deserves a niche of its own in the records of Canadian history.
Plans are in full swing for the first Red Lake District High School reunion in July 1987, for the 35th anniversary of the opening of the high school in 1952. It has caught the imagination of the alumni of this small school, who have spread across Canada. An astonishing 600 are expected in town. They are coming because Red Lake never became a "city in the bush". It was a real community whose culture formed all of us who grew up there. Ruth Weber Russell - Kitchener, Ontario - June 1987.
210 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 1987
1 person want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 17, 2023
Whatever is publicized is all we know, even if records are higher elsewhere. Little history books like this are a Godsend. I gained a lot from Ruth Weber Russell’s well researched: “North For Gold: The Red Lake Gold Rush Of 1926”. The Yukon gold rush is remembered partly from Robert Service’s rowdy poetry and “placer gold” that could be picked-up. “Lode gold” is extracted from rock veins. Red Lake inspired worldwide news but I think Ruth’s statistics will surprise everyone.
The top 3 gold producers are South Africa, Russia, and Canada. The worldwide production in 1978 was 1,210 metric tonnes: 706.4 from South Africa, 250 from Russia, and 54 from us. The province of Ontario produced 21.8 and Campbell Red Lake produced 5.7 tonnes of gold. The famous Klondike’s total output from 1897 to the mid-1920s is 8,793.064 ounces of gold. Ontario mines produced 3,194,308 ounces of gold in 1941. Red Lake’s gold mines surpassed the Klondike total from 1955 to 1980. This book was published in June 1987.
Two mines staked in that 1926 flurry, diamond-drilled in the 1940s, still enrich us. Campbell Red Lake merged with Placer and Dome, the largest western world gold producer after South Africa! Red Lake seldom received a government boost. It fought until December 1946 for a road and aerial landing strip in 1947! Ruth joked that the late 1950s brought television “in a fuzzy form”!
This is an important record of incongruously primitive or advanced options: horse, dogsled, boat, or aviation! Safety inspired the ingenuity of a water railroad and radio telephone. The few women were respected “like by older brothers”. A delight for me, was recognizing the pioneers who named the familiar towns. I saw them as a newborn and teen and remember how beautiful the lakes and mysterious islands are.
The top 3 gold producers are South Africa, Russia, and Canada. The worldwide production in 1978 was 1,210 metric tonnes: 706.4 from South Africa, 250 from Russia, and 54 from us. The province of Ontario produced 21.8 and Campbell Red Lake produced 5.7 tonnes of gold. The famous Klondike’s total output from 1897 to the mid-1920s is 8,793.064 ounces of gold. Ontario mines produced 3,194,308 ounces of gold in 1941. Red Lake’s gold mines surpassed the Klondike total from 1955 to 1980. This book was published in June 1987.
Two mines staked in that 1926 flurry, diamond-drilled in the 1940s, still enrich us. Campbell Red Lake merged with Placer and Dome, the largest western world gold producer after South Africa! Red Lake seldom received a government boost. It fought until December 1946 for a road and aerial landing strip in 1947! Ruth joked that the late 1950s brought television “in a fuzzy form”!
This is an important record of incongruously primitive or advanced options: horse, dogsled, boat, or aviation! Safety inspired the ingenuity of a water railroad and radio telephone. The few women were respected “like by older brothers”. A delight for me, was recognizing the pioneers who named the familiar towns. I saw them as a newborn and teen and remember how beautiful the lakes and mysterious islands are.
Displaying 1 of 1 review