It's
official:
our
replica
mine
tunnel
is
now
complete
and
ready
to
be
explored!
Our
grand
opening
was
a
success
as
many
donors,
alumni
and
others
came
out
to
witness
the
official
unveiling
of
the
donor
recognition
and
mine
tunnel
plaques
signaling
the
finish
of
our
mine
tunnel
project.
Cupcakes
topped
with
"rock"
candy,
talks
from
key
donors
and
miner's
hat
giveaways
for
kids
highlighted
the
event
that
kicked
off
the
second
day
of
the
Gem
Show
and
Science
Open
house
on
Saturday,
October
the
27th.
Thank-you to all the donors who made this exhibit possible!
The process of assembling the mine tunnel
With the donation of mucking carts from Cobalt, Ontario, and suitable space in the Museum layout, we had the opportunity to develop an educational simulation mining tunnel with the theme “Creation, extraction, rehabilitation: the life cycle of a mine.”
Peter Russell and Leanne Taylor (above) with Mining Equipment, courtesy of Cobalt Historical Society. Leanne Taylor is a University of Waterloo Alumni who arranged for us to acquire the mining equipment when she was on a work term in 2008 in Cobalt. This was the seed which started the Mine Tunnel Project!
April 2011
Representatives from the University of Waterloo drove up to Timmins and were offered mining equipment by Lakeshore Gold Corp.
Barry Warner and Kathy Feick unpack the stoper drill donated by Lakeshore Gold Corporation.
July 2011
Reiner Mielke, an Alumnus of the University, found a drill in Cobalt which is similar to the one being used in the Pathe News clip linked below, and had it shipped down for use in our display.
Matt of RCI visited Cobalt in the last week of July to make moulds of the rocks in an open trench near Peterson Lake. These casts were then transformed into the rock surface in the tunnel!
September 2011
Installation of the mining tunnel began on Monday, September 19, 2011.
John, a museum volunteer, admiring the new walls of the mine tunnel.
Installation progress as of October 11, 2011
Installation progress as of October 19, 2011
Also in October, The Record wrote an article covering the up and coming mining exhibit.
November 2011
We arranged to have an old drill mounted onto a stand for photo opportunities when we go to gem and mineral shows! The sign and drill display made its first appearance at the 2011 London Gem and Mineral Show in November of 2011.
With the mining tunnel portion of the exhibit completed, installation of the locker room and mine geologist office areas began in November!
By November 25, both areas were complete!
