Searching for Gold in the Middle of Town

Line cutters are setting up stakes precisely placed right down the middle of Howey Bay in downtown Red Lake. The first producing mine in the area was right in Red Lake, close to the Royal Canadian Legion as you drive into town. Closed long ago, we are still reminded of its existence as surveyors test the ground to make sure that roads don't collapse into the old stopes.

Now it makes sense to search for gold between this old mine and the greatly successful Gold Corp Mine in Balmertown. After the stakes are laid out, geologists search for magnetic fields under the lake and ground. High magnetic readings will indicate minerals often associated with gold. With 3 D imagery, they will attempt to map out possible veins of rock worth looking at. The next step will be diamond drilling. This is often done on the winter ice, so we can look forward to drill rigs in Howey Bay next winter.

A fresh look, new instruments, a deeper drill - always the optomist prospector....the search for the mother load continues

A friend from my hometown of Longlac, Gordie Yule, is the lead geologist on this project. He stays with us while in town and we enjoy learning about the exciting world of gold exploration. In his younger days, Hugh worked as a line cutter, a claim staker and a diamond driller so now he gets the chance to see the new techniques. He may even land a short term job....though he is shying away from claim staking.

That would be a major workout with long hours of snowshoeing through rough bush.