Eldorado, Saskatchewan

Eldorado is a former mining community turned ghost town located on Beaverlodge Lake in northern Saskatchewan, Canada. Its original name was Beaverlodge. Eldorado and nearby Uranium City are along Saskatchewan Highway 962, an isolated stretch of highway.

Eldorado
Ghost town
Eldorado is located in Saskatchewan
Eldorado
Eldorado
Location of Eldorado
Coordinates: 59°33′00″N 108°30′07″W
CountryCanada
ProvinceSaskatchewan
RegionNorthern Saskatchewan
Census divisionDivision No. 18
Post office openedJuly 9, 1953
Post office closedJuly 20, 1982
Time zoneCST
Postal code
S0H 2P0 & S0J 0T0
Area code306

History
Population history
of Eldorado
YearPop.±%
1951184—    
1956939+410.3%
1961526−44.0%
1966470−10.6%
1971289−38.5%
197637−87.2%
1981229+518.9%
Source: Statistics Canada[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Fay-Ace-Verna Mines geologic cross section. The shaded area depicts Tazin granites and gneisses, while the black areas are ore bodies.

After uranium was discovered in the Beaverlodge District in 1946,[7] Eldorado Mining and Refining established Eldorado as a community to house its miners, their families, and related workers.[8] By 1951, the community of Eldorado had a population of 184.[1]

Eldorado Mining and Refining opened the Beaverlodge Mine in 1953.[9] The Eldorado Company's major production came from the Fay-Ace-Verna mine shafts, mostly from uranium deposits located in the Archaen Tazin Group.[7] The deposits are found within the footwall and hanging wall of the St. Louis fault.[7][10]

Eldorado had a one-room school that taught students through to grade six, after which they were transported to Uranium City.[8] The first post office was established in 1953 with John Edgar Hamlin as postmaster.[11] The community grew to a population of 939 by 1956.[1]

After the decline of Eldorado's population to 229 in 1981,[6] the Beaverlodge Mine shut down in 1982.[9] The post office closed July 20, 1982, with May A. Grona as the last postmaster.[11]

Climate
Climate data for Eldorado
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −21
(−5)		 −16
(3)		 −8
(17)		 3
(37)		 12
(53)		 18
(64)		 21
(69)		 19
(66)		 11
(51)		 3
(37)		 −7
(19)		 −17
(1)		 2
(34)
Daily mean °C (°F) −26
(−14)		 −22
(−7)		 −14
(6)		 −3
(26)		 6
(42)		 13
(55)		 16
(60)		 14
(57)		 7
(44)		 0
(32)		 −11
(12)		 −22
(−7)		 −3
(26)
Average low °C (°F) −31
(−23)		 −28
(−18)		 −21
(−5)		 −9
(15)		 0
(32)		 7
(44)		 10
(50)		 9
(48)		 3
(37)		 −2
(28)		 −15
(5)		 −26
(−14)		 −9
(17)
Source: weatherbase

Transportation

Eldorado had its own air service of DC-3s and DC-4s, which supplemented commercial air service by Pacific Western Airlines.[8] Air was the accepted mode of travel to and from Eldorado and Uranium City.[8]

See also

References
  1. Census of Canada, 1956 (PDF). Vol. Population of unincorporated villages and settlements. Dominion Bureau of Statistics. October 25, 1957. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  2. "Population of unincorporated places of 50 persons and over, Alberta, 1961 and 1956". 1961 Census of Canada: Population (PDF). Series SP: Unincorporated Villages. Vol. Bulletin SP—4. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. April 18, 1963. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  3. "Population of unincorporated places of 50 persons and over, 1966 and 1961 (Alberta)". Census of Canada 1966: Population (PDF). Special Bulletin: Unincorporated Places. Vol. Bulletin S–3. Ottawa: Dominion Bureau of Statistics. August 1968. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  4. "Population of Unincorporated Places of 50 persons and over, 1971 and 1966 (Alberta)". 1971 Census of Canada: Population (PDF). Special Bulletin: Unincorporated Settlements. Vol. Bulletin SP—1. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. March 1973. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  5. "Geographical Identification and Population for Unincorporated Places of 25 persons and over, 1971 and 1976". 1976 Census of Canada (PDF). Supplementary Bulletins: Geographic and Demographic (Population of Unincorporated Places—Canada). Vol. Bulletin 8SG.1. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. May 1978. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  6. 1981 Census of Canada (PDF). Place name reference list. Vol. Western provinces and the Territories. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. May 1983. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  7. Nash, J. Thomas (1981). Geology and genesis of major world hardrock uranium deposits: An overview, USGS Open-File Report 81-166. US Government. pp. 61–66.
  8. "Chapter 7. Uranium Mining in Northern Saskatchewan: A Public-Private Transition (Part 2)". International Development Research Centre. Archived from the original on 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  9. "Uranium Mining in Northern Saskatchewan". Canadian Nuclear Association. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
  10. Lang, A.H. (1956). Record of Proceedings of Session 6B, Panel Discussion on Uranium and Thorium Occurrences, Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, Vol. 6, Geology of Uranium and Thorium. New York: United Nations. pp. 646–647.
  11. "Post Offices and Postmasters database". Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 2011-11-19. Retrieved 2011-02-22.
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