About Us
The Elliot Lake Museum is a community museum which facilitates the preservation of the Elliot Lake area's history. Tracing our heritage right from its geological foundations, the museum showcases early Indigenous culture, trapping and logging industry, and Elliot Lake's civic pride, with a special emphasis on the prospecting and mining which put us on the map.
The museum is preparing a move to a new facility and does not currently have permanent, staffed exhibition space. In the interim, please check out our satellite exhibits, visit our Facebook page, or contact us about accessing our collections and special programming.
Mission
The Elliot Lake Museum is dedicated to engaging and educating our community and visitors by collecting, preserving, interpreting, and sharing our ongoing heritage and history in an inclusive capacity.
Vision
The Elliot Lake Museum (ELM) will be an inviting destination for education and entertainment, accessible to all. It will be the preserver of the community’s stories and collective identity, and will be valued and supported as a vital asset in the area.
The ELM will be innovative and take advantage of new technologies and partnerships. The ELM will seek collaborations within Elliot Lake, our First Nations neighbours, and the museum community, to help build a thriving membership and a strong, committed volunteer base.
The ELM will foster participation and interest in the community’s heritage and contribute to the overall cultural vitality of Elliot Lake through its exhibitions and quality programs for residents and visitors of all ages and circumstances.
Museum Constituents
| Canadian Mining Hall of Fame |
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The museum hosts the northern home of the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame (CMHF). The CMHF is dedicated to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding lifetime achievement in the mining industry, featuring photos and contributions. Three of Elliot Lake's notable founders, Franc Joubin, Joseph Hirshhorn, and Stephen Roman are all enshrined in the CMHF. Learn more about the contributions of these individuals on our uranium mining page. |
| Miners' Memorial Park |
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Elliot Lake's Miners' Memorial Park, located on the shores of Horne Lake, is home to the Mining Monument, the Miners' Memorial, and the Prospectors' Monument. The park is dedicated to the area's heritage of uranium mining. The Elliot Lake Museum looks after all new memorial brick and memorial wall additions. |
| Ranger's Heritage Centre |
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The Ranger's Heritage Centre is not open to the public for the 2024 season—thank you for your understanding. The Fire Ranger’s Heritage Centre is the restored ranger’s cabin which housed the tower watchman and his family during fire watch months. This cabin now acts as a seasonal satellite location for the Elliot Lake Museum where you can pick up souvenirs, snacks, and brochures as well as historical information on the fire tower and surrounding area. |
Collections
The Elliot Lake Museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting artefacts, in a responsible and sustainable manner, which illustrate the heritage and evolving history of the City of Elliot Lake and its surrounding area.
The museum's artefacts—objects, photos, documents, and other—are categorized into five collections:
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Geology |
| The Elliot Lake area sits upon some of the oldest rocks in the world. The geology collection pays tribute to our community's foundation—not just the array of minerals beneath our feet, but also the uranium which put us on the map. |
| First Nations |
| Elliot Lake is the inherent territory of the Serpent River First Nation and Huron Robinson Treaty land. The First Nations collection facilitates our Indigenous neighbours—Serpent River, Mississaugi, and Sagamok—to tell their stories. |
| Trapping & Logging |
| Minerals are not the only capital our area had to offer; the trapping and logging collection provides insight into the history of harvesting other abundant, local natural resources: wildlife and forest. |
| Prospecting & Mining |
| Elliot Lake sits atop a geological reservoir ripe for assaying and extracting. This collection traces the history of the prospecting and mining of the mineral which, for a period, branded Elliot Lake the "Uranium Capital of the World," through to the decommissioning of this industry. |
| Civic |
| The civic collection documents Elliot Lake's history from mining encampment, to Township, to City, highlighting the rise and fall of industries and the individuals whose dedication to the community made it a true "jewel in the wilderness." |
Donations
Do you have an interesting item to donate to the museum that relates to the history of the Elliot Lake area? Use this form to connect with our team.
Events & Programs
The Elliot Lake Museum plans and hosts special and recurrent events and programs. Contact the museum for specialized programming and access to our collections for your classroom, community group, or organization.
Geology Tours
The Elliot Lake Museum Geology Tours take you north up Hwy 108 to experience some of the Elliot Lake area's most unique and eye-catching geological formations.
| Dates & Times |
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Geology Tours tours take place during the Spring and Fall. Check back for upcoming dates or join our electronic mailing list to be notified. |
| General Details |
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Cost: None. Location: Drop-off and pick-up at W.H. Collins Hall Centre. Tour conducted north on Hwy 108. To note: Optional 1km hike. Bathroom facility available at midpoint. Comfortable clothing and footwear recommended. |
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Registration |
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For more information about upcoming time slots, please sign up for an email notification or phone at 705-848-2287 ext. 2402. |
Mine Site Tours
Rehabilitated Mine Site Tours are offered in partnership with BHP during our annual Heritage Days festivities held throughout the July long weekend.
Curious about 2026 dates and times? Sign up for our electronic mailing list to be notified.
| 2024 - Quirke Mine Site |
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On June 27, 2024, BHP hosted a guided tour of the decommissioned Quirke Mine site and tailing management areas.
Photo Gallery: Quirke Site Tour will appear here on the public site.
Quirke Mine operated from October of 1956 to September of 1961, producing 3.7 million tons of ore, and again from 1967 to August of 1990, producing 42 million tons of ore. Demolition of the Quirke Mine began in 1992, alongside construction of a tailings management area and the flooding of 160 acres of tailings. Today, BHP looks after the continued rehabilitation of the area.
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2025 - Stanleigh Mine Site |
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On June 26, 2025, BHP hosted a guided tour of the closed Stanleigh Mine site, offering a rare “behind-the-scenes” look at the decommissioned mine, mill, water-covered tailings management area, and more—highlighting the site’s ongoing environmental rehabilitation efforts. Photo Gallery: 2025 Stanleigh Site Tour will appear here on the public site.
Stanleigh operated from December 1957 to November 1960 with a milling capacity of 3000 tons per day and produced about 2.3 million tons of ore. In 1978, Preston Mines signed a long-term contract with the Ontario Hydro for the delivery of 72 million pounds of uranium oxide from 1984 to 2020. The mine closed prematurely in June 1996 when Ontario Hydro cancelled its contract with Rio Algom Ltd. Stanleigh produced approximately 13 million pounds of ore from 1983 to 1996.
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Trivia Nights
Join the Elliot Lake Museum for Trivia Nights hosted at the Moose Lodge.
Test your knowledge and memory against other teams and enjoy a friendly competition of general trivia to win prizes. Expect three rounds of trivia with a mix of questions regarding general knowledge, music, entertainment, sports, and Elliot Lake's own history.
| Dates and Times |
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Upcoming Dates
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| How to register |
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Fill out our online form, email the museum, or give us a call at (705) 848-2287 ext. 2402. |
| Categories |
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Each event will have three categories comprised of a mix of questions regarding general knowledge, music, entertainment, sports, and Elliot Lake's own history. |
| Prizes |
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Prizes will be awarded to first and second place overall. |
Day of Mourning Ceremony
On Canada's Annual Day of Mourning, April 28, a ceremony is held at the Miners' Memorial to commemorate the individuals being added to the wall and bring awareness to workplace safety and occupational exposures.
| Application Process |
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The Miners' Memorial honours those who lost their lives from working in the Elliot Lake mines. If you believe a loved one is eligible for this tribute, please review our Memorial Wall Application Form and contact the museum. New inductees are reviewed by the Miners' Memorial Name Selection Subcommittee in January of each year and and proposed to Council for final approval. |
Live History Shows
Live History is an immersive theatrical experience unlike any other. Blending escape room-style puzzles, historical re-enactments, and live storytelling, these adventures bring local history to life in unexpected ways.
| June 28 & 29, 2025 |
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As part of Elliot Lake’s 70th anniversary Heritage Days celebrations, we invited the community to step into the past with Live History Shows, bringing our early mining era to life in an unforgettable way. Participants embarked on an hour-long adventure set in a 1955 recruitment orientation, where they faced a series of riddles and challenges to prove their readiness for underground mining—vital to Elliot Lake’s rise as a uranium capital. Along the way, guests uncovered clues, completed tasks, and met key figures from the city’s past, including geologist Franc Joubin and financier Joseph Hirshhorn, the duo credited with discovering the area’s uranium mining potential. The Collins Hall was transformed into a portal to another era, offering a fun, educational, and immersive connection to our community’s rich history. Photo Gallery: 2025 Live History Show will appear here on the public site.
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Check back for more information on future live history shows and similar events!
Exhibits
The Elliot Lake Museum does not currently have a permanent, staffed exhibition space.
Satellite Exhibits
Visit these locations for informative and engaging rotating exhibits about the history of the Elliot Lake area.
| Elliot Lake Public Library |
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Check back soon! |
| Fire Ranger's Cabin |
| Check back soon! |
Virtual Exhibits
Follow us on our Facebook for insights into the museum's collections through curated, historically significant artefacts and photographs:
Driftscape
Quick Links
Virtual Platforms
Miners' Memorial Park
Miners' Memorial Park Miners' Memorial Bricks Miners' Memorial Walls
Email Updates
Contact Us