Uchi Gold Mines
1939 to 1943
Produced 114,647 oz. gold; 14,345 oz. silver
Produced 114,647 oz. gold; 14,345 oz. silver
Located 85 kilometers (52.8 miles) east of Red Lake, Uchi Gold Mines was one of Jack Hammell’s (Canadian Mining Hall of Fame, 1991) mining operations in Red Lake. The claims by Uchi Lake were staked during the 1926 gold rush. The Huronian Belt Company (1927) and the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company (1928) optioned the property before Hammell bought the claims in 1936.
Uchi Gold Mines Ltd. incorporated in January 1937, and the company immediately sank a 190-metre (623-foot) shaft. Hammell erected a surface infrastructure on the mine site, and a fully functioning, independent townsite was built (include a school, bank, curling rink and community hall). By 1938, a second shaft was sunk on the property and it was extended to 306 metres (1,005 feet) in 1939. Uchi Gold Mines’ mill went into production on May 4, 1939.
Within a year of Uchi Gold Mines starting production, Hammell began to purchase the surrounding mining claims. By the end of 1940, Uchi Gold Mines owned the Hanalda Gold Mines, Jalda Gold Mines and Grasett claims, bringing the Uchi Gold Mines’ holdings to 101 mining claims. Despite the additions to the property, Uchi Gold Mines went into receivership in February 1943. In the four years of production, the mine produced 114,467 ounces of gold and 14,345 ounces of silver.
The company sold whatever buildings and equipment they could, the rest just left where they stood. Without the mine, the townsite was likewise soon abandoned as the miners and their families left to find work. The property remained inactive until the late 1960’s and several companies performed exploration and testing in the last few decades.
Uchi Gold Mines Ltd. incorporated in January 1937, and the company immediately sank a 190-metre (623-foot) shaft. Hammell erected a surface infrastructure on the mine site, and a fully functioning, independent townsite was built (include a school, bank, curling rink and community hall). By 1938, a second shaft was sunk on the property and it was extended to 306 metres (1,005 feet) in 1939. Uchi Gold Mines’ mill went into production on May 4, 1939.
Within a year of Uchi Gold Mines starting production, Hammell began to purchase the surrounding mining claims. By the end of 1940, Uchi Gold Mines owned the Hanalda Gold Mines, Jalda Gold Mines and Grasett claims, bringing the Uchi Gold Mines’ holdings to 101 mining claims. Despite the additions to the property, Uchi Gold Mines went into receivership in February 1943. In the four years of production, the mine produced 114,467 ounces of gold and 14,345 ounces of silver.
The company sold whatever buildings and equipment they could, the rest just left where they stood. Without the mine, the townsite was likewise soon abandoned as the miners and their families left to find work. The property remained inactive until the late 1960’s and several companies performed exploration and testing in the last few decades.