Young-Davidson mine

The Young-Davidson mine is a gold mine near Matachewan, Ontario in the Kirkland Lake area. It is one of the largest underground gold mines in Canada.

Gold ore from the mine, 1994

It exists in close proximity to the Matachewan Consolidated mine and is owned by Alamos Gold.

Location and description

The site of the mine borders the Matachewan Consolidated mine on the west.[1] It is located near the settlements of Dubreuilville,[2] three kilometres west of Matachewan,[3][4] sixty kilometres west of Kirkland Lake, Ontario,[2] and approximately 100 kilometres southeast of Timmins.[5]

The mine is within the district of Timiskaping.[6]

The mine is one of the largest underground gold mines in Canada.[2]

History and ownership

Gold prospecting started near Matachewan since silver was discovered near Elk Lake in 1906.[6] Jake Davidson found gold in Davidson Creek in 1916 in what would later become the Young-Davidson mine.[6] In 1917, trenches and shallow cuts were created in the surface rock where more gold was discovered.[1] Soon afterwards, Sam Otisse discovered gold while prospecting claims on land what later came under the ownership of Matachewan Consolidated Mine Ltd.[6]

In 1920, the Davidson Gold Mining Company Limited managed the site and employed 55 men.[1] The purchase of several adjoining properties in 1920 increase the site to 600 acres.[1] The mine was primarily explored by Porcupine Goldfields Development and Finance Company[6] and managed by N. J. Evered.[1]

Nothing significant occurred at the mines from 1924 until January 1934 when the price of gold started to rise.[6] In 1934, Hollinger Consolidated Gold Mines Ltd, after sampling the Young-Davidson site, built an ore processing mill; it started processing ore on September 8 and was able to process 500 tons per day.[6]

Weldy Young was a part owner of the mine until his death in 1944.[7]

Along with the neighbouring Matchewan Consolidated Mines a total of 956,117 ounces of gold and 165,598 ounces of silver was produced between 1934 and 1957 - worth $34,688,256 at the time.[6] The mine closed in 1957.[6]

Vancouver based company Northgate Minerals bough the Young-Davidson in 2005,[4] and mining was restarted on September 10, 2010[8][4] In 2011, AuRico Gold bought Northgate and therefore the mine.[9] AuRico Gold merged with Alamos Gold in 2015.[9][10] In 2021, the mine produced 140,900 ounces of gold, generating $53.1 million of revenue for its owners.[10]

A contracted worker fell four metres at the mine on January 27, 2021, resulting in Cementation Canada receiving a fine of $110,000.[3] Mine worker Shane Allison (52) was struck by a vehicle[5] and killed on November 29, 2022[2][11] Alamos Gold were issued with one requirement and three orders by the Ontario Ministry of Labour after the fatality.[2] Miners are not unionised.[11]

See also

References
  1. Twenety-ninth Annual Report of the Ontario. Department of Mines. Vol. XXIX, Part 1. Gerstein - University of Toronto. A. T. Wilgress. 1920.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  2. "Another northern Ontario mining worker has died on the job, the second this month". Northern Ontario. 2022-11-29. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  3. "Mine contractor fined after worker fall". Northern Ontario Business. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  4. "Matachewan gears up for gold mine construction". Northern Ontario Business. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  5. "Orders issued to Alamos Gold after death at mine". www.thesafetymag.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  6. H. L. Lovell, Geology of the Matachewan Area District of Timisaking Archived 2022-12-07 at the Wayback Machine, Ontario Department of Mines, 1967
  7. "Weldon C. Young, 72, Mining Head Dies". Toronto Star. October 28, 1944. p. 2.
  8. "Surging gold price brings new life to old mines". CBC. 11 Oct 2010. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2022.
  9. "Alamos Gold - Young-Davidson Mine Canada". www.alamosgold.com. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  10. "Alamos boss calls Island Gold Mine a high-grade 'phenomenon'". Northern Ontario Business. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved 2022-12-07.
  11. "Funeral for Kirkland Lake miner killed on the job in northern Ontario". Northern Ontario. 2022-12-06. Archived from the original on 2022-12-06. Retrieved 2022-12-07.

47.948°N 80.685°W / 47.948; -80.685

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