| dc.description.abstract | In 1878, gold was discovered south of Rat Portage on an island in the Lake of the Woods. After
a brief flurry of development, excitement waned and Rainy River District mining progressed
slowly and fitfully for more than a decade. Then, between 1896 and 1902, thousands of
locations were leased or patented and hundreds of mining companies were formed. There is
every indication that something really big was happening in Northwestern Ontario at the end of
the last century. However, with total production amounting to less than $1.5 million, there is also
every indication that nothing big should have been happening.
This study investigates the factors that affected the development of this unusually "unproductive"
gold boom. These include geography, geology, government policies, and "patterns of
development." The research included with this thesis provides details for more than two hundred
and thirty different "mines," two hundred companies, and more than a thousand incorporators and
mine managers. Numerous photographs, tables, and graphs are also included. | |
