Local History

Elliot Lake is the inherent territory of the Serpent River First Nation and Huron Robinson Treaty land. First Nation history and culture is prominent in the area and adds to the rich and remarkable history of our community.

Please check out the websites for Serpent River First Nation and Mississauga First Nation for detailed historical timelines from our First Nation neighbours.

Beaver was the main target animal in our area and for many years they were the standard currency used by the Hudson Bay Company. All fur-bearing animals were seriously depleted in this part of the Algoma District, and the beaver were almost wiped out by 1840. After heavy logging of pine forests in the Elliot Area, the forests re-established themselves with mainly deciduous trees consisting of maple, oak, birch, and poplar. The latter two trees are favoured by the beavers, and as a result, in 1969, the beaver population in Elliot Lake completely recovered and exploded to 425 active colonies in 184 square miles.

Map provided by Beaver in Ontario by the Ministry of Natural Resources

The Elliot Lake Improvement District at this time could have easily been called the beaver capital of Ontario. Today, the beaver population in our area is down to more sustainable levels.

The other fur-bearing animals harvested by local trappers include otter, mink, muskrat, martin, fisher, lynx, the odd bobcat, fox, wolf, coyote, raccoon, and weasel.

Following the fur trade, logging became the primary industry of the Elliot Lake area in the late 19^th century. The logging industry boom preceded Elliot Lake’s mining heritage, demonstrating another profitable use of Elliot Lake’s natural resources.

As lumber became depleted in Southern Ontario, logging companies began to establish sawmills in the North. The Elliot Lake area was seen as a logging oasis, boasting mature white pine trees—up to 40 inches in diameter and 125 feet tall—and two water systems available to float logs to the mills established on the North Shore.

Image provided by the Timber Village Museum

The earliest mention of logging permits being obtained for the Elliot Lake Improvement District Area was in 1872 when townships 144 (Buckles) and 145 (Hughson) were acquired by the Spanish River Lumber Company. The following year, the Cook Brothers Lumber Company expanded their timber operations to several local Townships including 149 (Gunterman), which would later become the City of Elliot Lake and surrounding area.

Image taken from Milestones & Memories, 2005

At the peak of operations, many logging camps were established in the Elliot Lake area. Most of these have long since disappeared under the new growth, with only the old Dunlop Lodge having some of the original building still standing. On Elliot Lake itself, there were two camps, one at the west-end near Quimby Lake and one where the north industrial area is now located. Still today you might be lucky enough to find old horseshoes, steel runners, and other metal bits at any of the old sites if you know where to look.

The City of Elliot Lake is on the map due to the uranium mining operations which were conducted in the area for approximately 40 years, from the mid-1950s until the mid-1990s.

For the complete story on Elliot Lake prospecting and mining, visit our Uranium Mining page.

The City of Elliot Lake was a planned community, constructed through the collaboration of both private industry (Rio Algom Ltd. and Denison Consolidated Mines Ltd.) and public services (provincial and federal government). From 1955 to present, our municipality transitioned from wilderness, improvement district, to township, to town, to City.

With the establishment of the uranium mines in the area, a community was required to supply housing and other accommodations for the large workforce of miners and their families. The mining industry and the Canadian government moved swiftly to coordinate the area’s municipal development in the Spring of 1954. After thorough topographical surveys conducted by R.C. Hart (Algom manager), W.H. Hutchinson (engineer), and George Langford (University of Toronto professor), and with direction from Franc Joubin (discovery geologist), a plot of crown land, 1100 acres, was selected as the best possible site for a central community. A council of three trustees was set up to organize and administer the community. The first members of this board of trustees were Franc Joubin (chairman), E.B. Gillanders (vice-chairman), and W.E. Willoughby, with the support of municipal staff Percy Brown (Secretary-Treasurer). These men worked closely with numerous government departments but most especially with the Department of Planning and Development, for town planning and land use advisement, and the Department of Municipal Affairs, for counsel on municipal administration. The area became newly classified as the Improvement District of Elliot Lake which covered a total of 396 square miles to include both the town site and all of the mines.

Development began on three residential neighbourhoods, a commercial district, and two industrial areas to the eastern side of Elliot Lake. Each neighbourhood was built to be semi-independent, due the hilly terrain, consisting of 300-1500 single-family residences and complete with their own schools, churches, parks, shopping centres, and recreational facilities.

To pay off construction expenses and services rendered to the community, property lots were auctioned off to those moving to Elliot Lake. The average price of residential lots was $750 and commercial lots ranged from $750-$25,000. In 1956, the first residential property was completed in the Northern part of town, Neighbourhood 1, and construction continued steadily, replacing "tent cities" and panabodes with subdivisions of houses. Swiftly, within the span of five years, Elliot Lake was transformed from a rugged northern landscape to a capable, compact town site.

Elliot Lake continued to grow, reaching a population peak of 24,887 in 1960. With the failure to renew uranium contracts with the United Stated government past 1963, these numbers would soon steadily decline. By 1961, many Elliot Lake mines were consolidated or closed and the community was referred to in the media as a "ghost town," with lots of homes abandoned and boarded up. This population decline continued, reaching its all time low of 6664 residents in 1966.

Despite these hardships, many citizens, and certain executives, did not give up the dream of Elliot Lake. Tourism became a vital factor in restoring Elliot Lake's ailing economy and many initiatives were born to promote visitors to our community like the Nuclear and Mining Museum, established in 1963, which quickly became a main attraction. On August 19, 1963, Lester B. Pearson became Prime Minister of Canada. As the Member of Parliament for the Algoma District, many were hopeful that Pearson would assist in keeping Elliot Lake alive. Upon visiting the town, Pearson is quoted with saying: "Elliot Lake deserves help because it refuses to accept defeat." With renewed efforts and support, Elliot Lake citizens decided they wanted a local government, in place of the government appointed board of trustees, and applied for township status. On April 1, 1966, the Improvement District officially became the Corporation of the Township of Elliot Lake; this was not a practical joke—it appeared Elliot Lake was here to stay.

By the mid-1970s it was clear that Elliot Lake would continue to grow and develop as the world market for uranium rose and new contracts were established. Mines were expanding and ramping up production, new housing was being built for the first time since the late 1950s, and new businesses were opening. As a result of this growth and stability, on January 1st, 1976, Elliot Lake's status would officially change from a township to a town.

Unfortunately, the need for Elliot Lake uranium would not last forever. By 1990, Rio Algom and Denison mines were beginning to shut down permanently. The end of uranium mining did not, however, mean the end of Elliot Lake. Adapting to survive, Elliot Lake looked to new opportunities for investment and growth, drawing from existing natural resources and government partnerships. Initiatives with the longest-lasting economic impact include Retirement Living, tourism, and small business diversification. The official closing of the final Elliot Lake uranium mine, Stanleigh, was June 30, 1996. While today most of the mine sites which put Elliot Lake on the map have been reclaimed by nature, decommissioning efforts continue. In the midst of the mine closures, on January 1, 1991, Elliot Lake had one final status change, officially transitioning from town to the Corporation of the City of Elliot Lake.

Elliot Lake is named after a cook from a logging camp who got lost in the bush while fishing. He was found in good health and spirits on the shore of a lake which was henceforth called "the lake where Elliot got found," then shortened to "Elliot's Lake," and eventually just referred to as "Elliot Lake."

The original Ojibwe name for Elliot Lake is Mooshgodne'gamiing which means "the lake is full," referring to an abundance of fish in the lake.

Dunlop Lake was originally known as "Ten Mile Lake" due to its length of approximately 10 miles. While it briefly held the name of "Long Lake," but was shortly renamed "Dunlop Lake" after John Dunlop, an early logging foreman in the area. Dunlop owned a farm beside Pike Lake, near Sheguindah on Manitoulin Island, and like most farmers of that era, he supplemented his income by working the lumber camps during the winter.

Horne Lake and Horne Walk are named after Frank Horne who was a surveyor at Preston East Dome Mines. Stationed in the East as a fighter pilot during the war, Horne was an experienced bush man. Horne was with the Preston party in 1949 who found radioactivity north of Sault Ste. Marie, and staked the Nordic ore body in 1953. He was put in charge of the crews on the Nordic property before returning to Quirke Mine as a shift boss, and later promoted to mine captain. Horne ended his mining career as safety supervisor at Quirke.

Legend has it that Whiskey Lake's unique name came about many years ago when a large still operated on the east shore of the lake. This still produced substantial quantities of whiskey which was exported illegally to Michigan through Spanish and across Lake Huron. The police got wind of the distillery and promptly closed down the operation, smashing all of the equipment and dumping several hundred barrels of whiskey into the lake. Reports from fisherman a few hours after the dump stated that dozens of lake trout started jumping into their boats and that they had to get to shore in a hurry before they sank. From that day forward, the lake was named "Whiskey Lake."

Westner Lake is named after George Westner, a geologist who immigrated to Canada from Austia after the war and who was responsible for the geological mapping of Algom's Quirke, Nordic, and Pecors property claims. Westner had a tough time during and after the war, being one of the few survivors of Stalingrad on the eastern front. He was sincerely appreciative of nature, especially the rolling tree clad hills and cliffs in the Algom District which reminded him of his childhood days in Austria.

Ryan Lake, located at the Elliot Lake Stoneridge Golf Course, is named after Jim Ryan. Ryan was 18 when he was first recruited by Preston East Dome Mines to help stake claims in the area. He stayed on after staking to help with the claim tagging, line cutting, clearing sites and roads, and assisting George Westner in his mapping. Ryan began as a chief sampler at Quirke Mine and finished his career as the supervisor of underground leaching at Stanleigh.

Originally called Big Lake, Quirke Lake is the largest body of water in our area. Quirke Lake was named after Dr. T.T. Quirke from the University of Illinois, who worked alongside W.H. Collins when mapping the Elliot Lake area during the 1914 to 1916 field seasons. This field work resulted in W.H. Collins' 1925 geological maps which show off "The Big Z" that guided future prospectors in staking the area for uranium mining.

Johnson Place is named after Manfred Johnson, an energetic Swedish prospector who found the original Quirke Mine uraniferous conglomerated while under contract at Preston East Dome Mine. Manfred was dropped off by place at Quirke Lake after staking his limit of 18 claims in the Elliot Lake area. The first day he prospected along the eastern and northern end of the lake with negative results. The next day he prospected west along the ridge just north of the river until he located the radioactive quartz pebble conglomerate which triggered the staking rush along the north section of "The Big Z." Manfred was a superb bushman, a great canoeist, hiker, and axeman. Johnson Creek, which flows west and north of the Quirke I shaft location is also named after Manfred.

Benner Place is named after Ralph Benner who was hired by Steven Roman of Denison to manage the original deep surface diamond drill program on the Denison Property. The first hole was started on claim S69400, just west of the Serpent River, on July 28, 1954, and intersected only low grade conglomerate (a rock consisting of pebbles or the like, embedded in a finer cementing material). The third hole, 8000 feet east of drill hole one, cut both the Quirke I conglomerate zone and the Denison conglomerate zone, and was the beginning of the outlining of the rich Denison Mines ore body.

Later, Ralph was involved in the re-staking of the oversized Stollery claims; no mean feat when the area was being closely watched by numerous stakers. Benner Lake, located near the entrance to the Denison Property, is also named after Ralph.

Stollery Place is named after Arthur W. Stollery, a 1939 graduate in mining engineering from Queen's University. Arthur, outstanding athlete, joined the R.C.A.F. as a pilot during WWII. After the war, he joined the Hamilton Tiger Cats as a quarterback, and they won a Grey Cup. In 1949, Art was working for Joubin on the Camray Uranium prospect located north of Sault Ste. Marie. Joubin had Stollery examine the Gunterman showing but his report came back with negative recommendations. Four years later, Joubin asked Stollery to manage the drill program on the Pronto ground, although he declined. Stollery put two and two together, and with a little detective work, he found out that the Preston crews were camped on Quirke Lake. He then acquired with the help of others, but under his own initiative, many of the water claims over Quirke Lake where he needed only witness posts. He then sold these claims to Roman for $30,000 each, and 500,000 shares of Consolidated Denison Mines which eventually reached $80 per share. A lake on the Serpent River located just east of Dunlop Lake is named after him. Stollery was appointed a director of Denison Mines.

Smith Place is named after Don Smith, one of the original Technical Mine Consultants Team. Don was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick. In 1942, he joined the R.C.A.F, and two years later while piloting a bomber over Germany, Smith was shot down and remained a P.O.W. until his release in April 1945. Following his discharge, Smith graduated from Acadia University and went on to complete post graduate studies in geology at Queens University. He then spent several years gaining mining experience in the Cobalt area and in 1953, and joined the staff of Technical Mine Consultants in charge of the Peach (Pronto) Uranium property where he was in charge of the initial surface diamond drilling program. In March 1954, he was appointed general superintendent at Pronto.

The W.H. Collins Hall Centre, more often abbreviated to the "Collins Hall," is named after W.H. Collins who was the director of the Geological Survey of Canada from 1920-1936, and was the pioneer geologist of this region. In 1925, Collins published a map which showcased "The Big Z," the distinct break between old rocks and an area of younger sedimentary deposits, running north-westerly from the shore of Lake Huron and tracing roughly 129 kilometres through 14 townships, in the shape of a "Z." Uranium was discovered in a layer, or "reef," at the bottom of the younger rocks, so prospectors used Collins Map to trace the mineralization and stake out the sites for the future Elliot Lake mines.

The Hall was donated in memory of its namesake by Franc R. Joubin and Joseph H. Hirshhorn,

Excerpt from Connected to the Land: Stories from the Serpent River Band (available for purchase at the Serpent River Trading Post, Hwy 17):

"When the wind crosses Quirke Lake from a certain direction, the sound is like a rooster crowing. Elders say that if you hear this, you should return home immediately because there is trouble at home. Ancient Ojibwa rock paintings can be found at the base of the steep cliffs that rise up from the rocky shores. This area north of Elliot Lake was a favourite camping spot for two generations of Lewis family trappers, stopping on their way to their lines. Youths journeyed here to await visions from their ancestors. On the south shore of the lake near the Stanrock Mine site, there stands a rugged pinnacle of rock. It was believed that if a person could walk around its treacherous perimeter without backing off in fear, he was guaranteed a long life.

Nearby there is a cave containing a stone bed showing an impression the size and shape of a human body. Here trappers built bonfires and offered tobacco, thanking Creator for the day...

In the 1960s, uranium mine workers sealed off the entrance to the cave."