Sudbury

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The building of the railway through the Sudbury area in 1883 led to the discovery of copper. This was followed by a staking rush. Five years later it was realized that nickel was also present in the copper ores.

In 1888 the world consumption of nickel was 1,000 tons, all supplied by the French Company Le Société Anonyme le Nickel whose mines were located in New Caledonia, an island in the South West Pacific. The Ontario Government formed the Ontario Bureau of Mines in 1893 to aid the development of mining in Ontario. Coleman started working for the O.B.M. in the Sudbury area in 1900. His Sudbury experience was intensive and significant and his contribution provided a better understanding of the ores, their location and formation.

The collection at Victoria University Library includes Coleman's original field notebooks of his Sudbury research for the years 1900, 1902, 1903 and 1904. A characteristic notebook entry describing the ore at Minnie Mine, shows a combination of geological and business concerns with the mine.

Thursday, July 9 Minnie M. [sic Minnie Mine near Sudbury]

Helen [mine] Ore runs .59 - .60 dry = abt. .55 wet. Sold to Hamilton & Cleveland = ore sold to Hamilton @ $2.50 on the dock – at Cleveland $3.60 delivered, not so profitable. Midland not taking ore now. Physical character of ore makes it good mixture.

Photograph. A.P. Coleman. Log Barge Preparing to Shoot Rapids, Northland Ontario. ca 1912 ROM Archives. A.P. Coleman Collection

Notebook. A.P. Coleman. Thursday, July 9 , Minnie M[ine], in Notebook 37 1903, [page 24]

Drawing / Illustration. A.P. Coleman. "Michipicoton Falls", in Notebook 37 1903, [page 34]

Drawing / Illustration. A.P. Coleman. "Soo [sic Sault] Ontario looking West, late evening", in Notebook 37 1903, page 44

Notebook. A.P. Coleman. Untitled[Coleman’s Expense Accounts July 11 to August 4, 1904 in the Sudbury Region], in Notebook 38 1904, [pg 195]

Photograph. A.P. Coleman. Ontario, Copper Cliff, No. 2 Mine. n.d. ROM Archives. A.P. Coleman Collection.

Photograph. A.P. Coleman. Carufil, Panning. 1912 ROM Archives. A.P. Coleman Collection.

Photograph. A.P. Coleman. Cobalt Conglomerate, Kirkland Lake. 1936 ROM Archives. A.P. Coleman Collection.

Photograph. A.P. Coleman. Moose Mountain. n.d. ROM Archives. A.P. Coleman Collection.

Thursday, July 9 (1903) in Notebook 37, 1903,
pages 24 - 26