Lakehead University - Yearbook (Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada)

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LAKEHEAD TECHNICAL INSTITUTE YEAR BOOK WONDERS IN THE WILDERNESS— (Continued) ment built the ore docks in Port Arthur. Fourteen electrically driven pumps lowered the level of Steep Rock Lake by six inches daily, and the overburden of clay and silt was finally exposed. Ore production began in May, 1945. During the first season, 505,375 tons were shipped to eastern consumers. Vast quantities of earth were re- moved to enlarge the pit. Production has been stepped up, and will eventually stabilize at about three million tons annually. A very orderly, businesslike atmosphere pervades the whole project. A preventive maintenance system for all machinery cuts breakdowns and expense to a minimum. There are strictly enforced rules governing procedure in the pit and in other strategic places to minimize accident hazards. Trained personnel are working all the time to direct the mine ' s progress as efficiently as possible. Once open pit mining has been carried to a depth of six hundred feet, it is no longer feasible. High grade iron ore is now being taken out through a vertical shaft that was put down beside the B orebody. The prospects for the future are very encouraging. The sizes of the ore- bodies are not known because they extend vertically beyond the depths explored by drill. The C orebody has not yet been thoroughly explored, and geological conditions indicate the presence of other deposits. The ore docks in Port Arthur are being enlarged to accommodate this increased production. With Americans turning to low-grade ores as source of iron, and with Canada on the verge of unprecedented industrial expansion, the real signi- finan ce of Steep Rock iron is difficult to grasp. What is important to us at the Lakehead is that this potential wealth is at our back door. Who can tell what is in store for us? Maybe we will even have a steel industry at the Lakehead. Certainly the next few years will see great increases in industry and population. What was one man ' s dream yesterday may be- come bread and butter for thousands tomorrow. A very few years ago Steep Rock Lake was a wild, lonely place, seldom visited by humans. Today the iron mine makes a major contribution to the defence and economic welfare of Canada. Where once wolves slinked through the bush, trained engineers survey their accomplishments. Where once voyageurs toted their heavy packs and canoes, miners flash by in com- fortable automobiles. Where once fish swam, giant trucks trundle their twenty-two-ton loads of ore to the railway. The Steep Rock dev elopment is truly a wonder in the wilderness. —RON McKITRICK. — 28 —

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LAKEHEAD TECHNICAL INSTITUTE YEAR BOOK Wcnders in the Wilderness PERHAPS the most striking aspect of the Steep Rock development is the way in which man has mastered nature. When we look at the tremen- dous pit and the men and machines in it, the fact that a lake once lay in the same place seems almost impossible. Looking down from the rim, we are impressed by the contrast in size of the gigantic pit and the tiny men who made it. How they struggled against the tremendous obstacles that nature placed in their path, and won, will never cease to amaze me. Originally the course of the Seine River system lay through Steep Rock Lake. One hundred and fifty years ago the Nor ' Westers were paddling their canoe-loads of furs back and forth along this route. What would one of these lusty, carefare voyageurs have thought if he were told that some day men would operate giant machines on dry land, directly below the place where his canoe was gliding over the water? Prospectors, trappers, and vacationists found chunks of rich iron ore along the shores, but nobody knew where they came from. In 1938 Mr. Julian Cross decided to find the source of this ore. In sixty degree below zero weather he ran drills through the ice, silt, and rock until he found a body of ore. Now the problem was to get the ore out. Mr. Cross and his partner, Joseph Errington approached Mr. Donald Hogarth, a Canadian financier, and the three went to Cyrus Eaton to get American capital. Eaton put in money of his own and persuaded the Ameri- can Government that, with the Mesabi range running out of ore, and war production increasing, Steep Rock would be a good investment. The first step was to drain Steep Rock Lake. The course of the Seine River had to be changed by excavating a deep earth cut and two canals in solid rock, and by lowering the level of Finlayson Lake fifty feet. Meanwhile a line was built to bring electric power from Port Arthur. The Canadian National Railways built a spur line from Atikokan, and the Dominion Govern-

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LAKE HEAD TECHNICAL INSTITUTE YEAR BOOK Tourists ♦ ♦ ♦ We, who live in northern Ontario, hear and read eloquent speeches made by members of our Chamber of Commerce, provincial and municipal governments concerning the large tourist traffic en- joyed by this district. When we read in our news- papers that thousands of persons and vehicles crossed the International Boundary at Pigeon River and Fort Frances to spend a vacation in northern Ontario, we realize that the tourist aids in the eco- nomic development of our district. But what does the tourist mean to us? To the retailer the tourist means an increase in sales; to the lodge operator the tourist means a no-vacancy shingle and to the local citizen the tourist means better highways and cleaner streets. We all have a share in the benefits brought by the vacationer. It is obvious that the tourist does not travel hundreds of miles to donate charitably to our welfare. He comes here to buy and if he is satisfied with his purchase, he will come again. The tourist wants to buy the privilege to fish and hunt and to enjoy the quiet leisure of a camp and the taste of good food. Nature gave this district a very generous supply of small inland lakes and wooded countryside alive with fish and game. The expansion and care of these resources was placed in our control. Our civic administrators have done commendable work to- H J s wards encouraging tourist travel in this area. The JS taxpayers ' money is used to organize city tourist - bureaus which provide visitors with road maps and IvliULlrC© helpful information about lodging and game and customs laws. The provincial government is con- Til ©1111 fributing heavily towards tourist travel by building and improving our highways. Some of the district roads are in poor condition, but we must realize that building or resurfacing a highway is a very slow and expensive project. The new asphalt sur- face on Highways 61 and 17 and the rumble of scrapers at Marathon and Atikokan is tangible evidence of consideration for the motorist. Good roads will always make the visitor want to come back, but good roads alone will not bring him back. Let Come 1 — 29 —