RED LAKE REGIONAL HERITAGE CENTRE
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​Howey Gold Mines
1930 to 1941
​Produced 421,592 oz.

PictureNews of the Howey Discovery - Source: The Ottawa Journal, October 10, 1925 pg. 22
Sparking a Gold Rush: The Howey Discovery
After reading Dr. E.L. Bruce’s 1924 mineralization report on the Red Lake Region, Lorne Howey became interested in Red Lake's potential for gold. He teamed up with his brother-in-law George McNeely to form the Howey Red Lake Syndicate. The pair left for Red Lake in May 1925, accompanied by Lorne Howey's brother Ray Howey and W.F. Morgan, who were working for McIntyre Porcupine Mines.

The men settled on Burnt Bay and prospected without any success throughout the summer of 1925. The group was attempting to relocate to Woman Lake, when luck struck. On July 25, 1925, Lorne Howey and George McNeely discovered a quartz stringer with visible gold under the roots of an upturned tree. Nearby, Ray Howey and W.F. Morgan found part of the same vein (which ranged from 2.4-12.5 metres wide). Ray Howey and W.F. Morgan staked nine claims for McIntyre Porcupine Mines. ​Lorne Howey and George McNeely made thirteen claims, which would become Howey Gold Mines. 

Development Years: 1925-1929
After returning from Red Lake, Lorne Howey and George McNeely turned to mine promoter Jack Hammell (Canadian Mining Hall of Fame, 1991) for funding. After seeing the sample results, Hammell travelled to Red Lake to verify the find himself. Satisfied with the results, Hammell formed the Howey Gold Mines Syndicate and optioned a 75% interest in the property to Dome Mines in the fall of 1925.

News of the Howey discovery was published in The Ottawa Journal on October 10, 1925 and would bring thousands of the prospectors to the Red Lake region in 1926. Not wanting to lose momentum, Hammell convinced the Provincial Forestry Department to loan him their planes to move equipment to the Howey mine site before winter set in. Thanks to Hammell's creative thinking, work began on the Howey site in late 1925.

In 1926, Hammell was forced to refinance after Dome Mines dropped their option. Howey Gold Mines Ltd. was formed in October 1926, with Hammell serving as the president. Horace Greeley Young (H.G. Young), a mining engineer was brought on as the mine’s first manager. Development on the site started in earnest in 1927, with shaft sinking, exploration, building construction (employee housing, offices and mill) and hydroelectric development underway. 1929 saw the completion of the shaft and a 500-tonne mill at the largely open pit mine.
​
​Producing Years: 1930-1941
Howey Gold Mines pour its first brick on May 12, 1930, and its shareholders started to receive dividends in 1934. Howey Gold Mines was forced to close in November 1941, due to a shaft pillar collapse and subsequent cave-ins. Equipment was sold to other mines if possible, while the rest was abandoned. The shaft was finally pulled down in July 1946, and the mine was left to flood. Throughout its eleven-year lifespan, Howey Gold Mines produced 421,592 ounces of gold. Buildings from the mine were reused or donated to local causes and in July 1946 the headframe from Red Lake's first mine was torn down.

Legacy
While Howey Gold Mines was only in production for a just over a decade, the impact that it had on Red Lake has been lasting. Its influence and that of its pioneer founders can be seen all over Red Lake. These influences range from business names to the town layout to the renaming of Burnt Bay to Howey Bay. With an upsurge in revisiting old mine sites, only time will tell if this pioneer mine will a get a new life.



Picture
Source: The Red Lake District News, July 30, 1946


From the File Room...
Drawing of the Howey Gold Mines headframe, 1930
Howey Gold Mines vertical projection, July 1941

Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre
51A Highway 105 P.O. Box 64
Red Lake, ON, Canada
P0V 2M0
807-727-3006
[email protected]
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The Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre is a charitable organization, funded by the Municipality of Red Lake, the Ontario Ministry of Culture, and through fundraising activities. Reg # 87315 2714 RR001.

  • Home
  • Heritage Online
    • Puzzles
    • Podcast
    • Online Programming >
      • Bannock
      • Dream Catchers
      • Eco Printing
      • Flower Pounding
      • Fur Trade
      • Mushrooms
      • Pysanky
      • Suncatchers
      • Wild Teas
  • Exhibitions and Events
    • Events
    • Upcoming Exhibits >
      • 100 Years of Red Lake
    • Current Exhibits >
      • NNT
    • Past Exhibits >
      • Hospital History
      • SouthPaw Photography
      • EZHI NAMANG: HOW WE SEE IT
      • Triple K Art
      • Red Lake on the Move
      • Fish Stories
      • Red Lake Art Show >
        • Red Lake Art Show 2016
        • Red Lake Art Show 2017
        • Red Lake Art Show 2018
        • 2023 Art Show
        • 2024 Red Lake Art Show
      • Woodland Caribou Provincial Park
      • Fire People >
        • Fire 14-1
        • Fire 14-2
    • Red Lake Speaker Series
  • History
    • On This Spot
    • Red Lake History
    • Aviation History
    • Immigration
    • Residential Schools
    • Heritage Centre History
    • Red Lake District Souvenir Record
  • Gift Shop
    • Accessories >
      • Jewellery
      • Key Holders
      • Purses, Wallets & Bags
    • Local Artists >
      • Rhonda Beckman
      • Valerie Blab
      • Kaila Erb
      • Lauren Furman
      • Patrick Hunter
      • Aaron LeBlanc
      • Amy Newport
      • Hidehiro Otake
      • Mark Nadjiwan
      • Sara Ramer-Dean
      • Rebecca Saikkonen
      • Wendy Yutzy
    • Books & DVDs
    • Cards
    • Clothing >
      • Scarves & Hats
      • T-Shirts
      • Long Sleeves
      • Socks
    • Home & Kitchen >
      • Glassware
      • Home Décor
      • Kitchen
      • Mugs
    • Glass Ornaments
    • Magnets
    • Miscellaneous
    • Norval Morrisseau Designs
  • Support
    • Volunteering
    • Memberships
    • Donor Wall
  • About Us
    • Strategic Plan
    • Annual Report
    • Services
    • Our Mission
    • Collections Policy
    • Newsletter
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Staff & Board
  • Mailing List
  • Mining Map
  • Donate Now
  • Woodland-Art
  • Mural Project Survey Teachers