Timmins Underground Gold Mine Tour facts for kids
The Timmins Underground Gold Mine Tour was a special place in Timmins, Canada. It was a fun and educational attraction where visitors could learn about gold mining. The City of Timmins owned and ran this tour from 1990 to 2013.
Contents
A Journey Through Time: The Mine Tour's History
The gold mine tour first opened in 1984 at the McIntyre Mine. Later, in 1990, it moved to a new spot. This new home was at the old Hollinger Mines site. A company called Goldcorp gave the land to the City of Timmins. This allowed the city to run the exciting underground mine tour. In 2000, Goldcorp also donated more land next to it. This extra land was used to build the Shania Twain Centre.
Finding the Mine: Where It Was Located
The Shania Twain Centre and the Underground Gold Mine Tour were both located at 1 Shania Twain Drive. This address was in the City of Timmins. The attractions were on a large 65-acre piece of land. This land was right next to the much bigger 250-acre Hollinger Mine site. It was about 1.5 kilometers southeast of downtown Timmins.
Exploring the Mine: What the Tour Offered
The Timmins Underground Gold Mine Tour was an educational and interactive attraction for families. It taught visitors all about the history of gold mining in Timmins. The tour moved to its final location because it was easier to run a tourist spot there. The new site had 12 real, old buildings on 65 acres of land. These buildings were part of the surface tour. There was also a 150-meter mine shaft that took visitors deep underground.
Getting Ready for Your Mining Adventure
In 2002, a special elevator called an Alimak lift was added. This lift could take visitors down into the mine. It also made it easier to add more displays underground and a theatre. In 2010, an old train from the 1940s was brought to the tour. This train used to work at the Pamour Mine. It was fixed up and could run again at the tour.
Your Day as a Miner: The Tour Experience
Students worked as Junior Guides for the surface tour. Retired miners, called Senior Guides, led the underground tour. Visitors got to experience what a "typical day" was like for a miner. First, they went to the "Dry" building. Here, they put on special protective overalls, a hard hat, and a miner's lamp with a battery pack. Then, they walked or took the elevator deep into the mine to start their "shift."
During the underground tour, the retired miner explained everything. They talked about how mining works, the equipment used, and important safety features. Visitors walked through the mine tunnels. They saw how two different rock drills and a slusher worked. There was also a mine rescue station. Visitors could even take an underground rail ride.
Hands-On Mining Demonstrations
The tour included demonstrations of mining skills. You could see how miners scaled (removed loose rock). They also showed how to load a blast and even a mock blast display. There was a large gold nugget to see. An underground theatre showed videos about mining while visitors waited for the lift.
Finishing Your Shift: The Surface Tour
After coming back to the surface, visitors could walk the Prospector's Trail. This surface tour showed different historical buildings. These included the last remaining Hollinger House. This house was built for miners and their families. You could also see a typical Prospector's Cabin. There was a sluice for gold panning, where you could try to find gold. The Jupiter Headframe Lookout tower offered great views. At the end of their "shift," visitors even received a "pay cheque" for a day's wages.
The attraction was open from mid-May to October 31 each year. It offered two tours per day, at 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM. In the spring and fall, it was open from Wednesday to Sunday.
Mine Rescue: A Special Competition
In June 2010, the mine hosted the Ontario Mine Rescue provincial competition. This is a big event where mine rescue teams compete. The team from GoldcorpPorcupine Gold Mines won the competition that year.
