The Little Pic Copper Mine (Papers, 1923)

"The Little Pic Copper Mine" is a report by Peter McKellar in the 1923 annual of the Thunder Bay Historical Society. It describes the copper and silver property of the Little Pic Mining Company on the north shore of Lake Superior and sets out how McKellar thought it should be worked; it is a companion to his silver mine report.

What it covers

The report is organized in eight heads, from the site to the cost of putting the mine in running order. The property of 622 acres, about 140 miles east of Fort William and nearly opposite Pic Island, held two lodes: a copper lode carrying gold and silver on location K120, and a lead and zinc lode, rich in silver, across locations V49, V50 and V51; V52 fronted a good natural harbour. A wagon road of 2⅓ miles joined the copper mine to the harbour and a sleigh road ran 1¼ miles to the silver working. McKellar notes that the rocks belong to the Huronian series that held the north shore's gold and silver finds.

He sets out test results: shipments to Swansea in Wales gave roughly ten per cent copper, with a small yield in gold and silver, and the assayer Charles Krissman of the Duncan Mine found $22.71 to $33.98 per ton in precious metals. He proposed to build a mill with a crusher and concentrator first, because freight would eat the profit on unmilled ore, then mine about 30 tons a day for six tons of concentrate. His estimate for mills, roads and buildings came to $6,750, against the $10,000 then available, and lists the plant already on the property, including an Ingersoll rock drill, an engine house and a dwelling.

Key Thunder Bay facts

• The Little Pic property comprised five locations (K120, V49, V50, V51 and V52) totalling 622 acres.
• Of the $10,000 the company had in hand, McKellar wanted to build the mill first so that returns would begin.
• McKellar says the geology of the district matched that of the Bruce Mines district, citing Robert Bell's Geological Survey work.