Timmins - History

History

Archaeological and historical studies indicate that the first people to settle in the Timmins area were nomadic tribes such as Ojibwa and Cree dating back to 7000 BC. Timmins was a company town founded in 1912. However, South Porcupine and Schumacher were formed in 1911.

During the late 17th century, explorers and fur traders established outposts in the north to capitalize on the fur trade. The Hudson's Bay Company and the North West Company later developed several trading posts along major routes in northern Ontario. The rivalry between these two trading companies resulted in the need to get their furs to market as soon as possible and this led to the development of the Porcupine Trail, a trading route that connected the Abitibi River to the Mattagami River and passed directly through present-day Timmins.

In reaction to favorable provincial Geological Survey reports, construction of the railway northward, and major silver discoveries in Cobalt in 1907, the region became a popular destination and home to dozens of prospectors eager to explore the areas around Porcupine Lake. After several false starts, in 1909 two prospectors discovered the "Golden Staircase", a rich vein of gold that led to the Dome Mine. Within days the Porcupine Gold Rush began, and a huge mining camp formed at Porcupine Lake, a few kilometers east of modern Timmins. The Porcupine Camp is one of the first localities in the world to have its entire history documented by photography: Harry Peters photographed the Porcupine Camp from its inception, and documented the Great Fire of 1911. Shortly after the completion in 1911 of a new spur line of the Temiskaming & Northern Ontario Railway, the Great Porcupine Fire swept through the camp, causing great loss of property and more than 200 deaths.

The Town of Timmins was founded by Noah Timmins in 1912 following gold discoveries in the Porcupine Camp. By 1912 the Hollinger, MacIntyre, and Big Dome Mines were founded. The new town had already grown larger than the original mining camps to the east on Porcupine Lake. Shortly after Timmins was founded it experienced its first general mine strike in November, 1912. Mine operators hired gun thugs during the 1912–1913 strike, prompting the intervention of the Ontario Provincial Police, which had itself been formed in 1909 partly in response to lawlessness connected with the gold rush.

On February 10, 1928, smoke began to curl up from the main Hollinger Mine shaft house. Hundreds of miners escaped to the surface, but news soon spread that others had been trapped underground. In the end, 39 miners succumbed to the smoke and to carbon monoxide poisoning. An inquiry into the disaster recommended that mine rescue stations be set up in major mining camps. In 1929, the Porcupine Camp received the first mine rescue station in the province of Ontario. On February 2, 1965, another fire in the Hollinger Mine gained international attention. Stompin' Tom Connors, the famous Canadian singer, composed and recorded a song about the events, entitled Fire in the Mine. Tom was living in Timmins and this was one of the first songs he wrote. The dates are included in his lyrics.

In 1940, the Porcupine Music Festival de Musique was started for youth to have a chance to participate in music.

In 1973, the provincial government of Ontario amalgamated all the municipal jurisdictions within a 3,200 km2 (1,200 sq mi) area, including the Town of Timmins, South Porcupine, Schumacher (Tisdale Township), Mountjoy Township, Porcupine (Whitney Township) and the many of the other smaller surrounding communities which created the Corporation of the City of Timmins. The new city was the largest city in Canada by area until the incorporation of Wood Buffalo, Alberta in 1995. The city's nickname became "The Super City" before the name "The City With A Heart of Gold" was adopted.

The mining of gold was the catalyst (The Big Three, Dome, Hollinger and McIntyre), but during the early 1960s, silver and base metals such as zinc, copper, and nickel were discovered near Kidd Creek (Texas Gulf Sulphur), breathing new life into the Porcupine economy. To this day mining remains the dominant industry in the area. Forestry is also important to the local economy.