2,243 miles
 |
| Hay Bay, Ontario |
May 6 – My
15-mile bike ride brings me to the intersection of Highway 17 and Garden Bay
Road, but I find another naming anomaly here.
According to Google Maps, Garden Bay Road does not run along the shores
of Garden Bay, just west of here, but runs instead along Hay Bay. Who’s mislabeling things here – Google or the
locals? Anyway, this view from the
highway shows the bay and the marshy wild hay field which probably gave it the
name.
On the other
side of the highway I see a big dark pit.
What could that be? It’s Ontario
Trap Rock, Ltd.
Trap rock is
a name used in the construction industry for any dark-colored igneous rock that
is used to produce crushed stone. Basalt,
gabbro, diabase, and peridotite are the most common rock types referred to as
trap rock. Trap also refers to flood
plateau basalts, created by slow-moving volcanic lava flows. The largest of these formations are the
Columbia River Flood Basalt province, the Deccan Traps in northern India, &
the Siberian Traps. There is even one
under the ocean near Java!
At Ontario
Trap Rock, the company supplies the specialty aggregate for use as a railroad
ballast material and for asphalt and concrete aggregates. They ship rocks via railway, highway, and from
their own ship-loading facilities on Lake Huron.
So, now I
feel that I must take a look at the name of this town. Is there more mining lore connected to the
town? Yes, indeed.
 |
| copper ore |
Copper
deposits were discovered in 1846, and mining began that year. The area was named after James Bruce, the
Governor General of Canada appointed in 1846. Bruce Mines was the second copper mining town
in all of North America, just behind Cliff Mine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula “Copper
Country”.
Miners from Cornwall, England
immigrated to the area to work the mines. (Mmm … more pasties!) The mining companies quickly built wharves
and docks in the bay to handle the influx of people and materials. Two of the
mine managers built their homes at the entrance to the main dock property, and
they made sure that only approved boats used the docks. The mining companies
did not allow any stores to open in their town, so that all of the miners and
their families were forced to purchase from the Company Store. The enterprising
Marks brothers from Hilton Beach would load a barge on St. Joseph Island and
bring fresh produce, meat, and lumber to the miners in Bruce Mines. They were
not allowed to land on the dock, so would anchor their barge in the middle of
the bay and the people of Bruce Mines would row and paddle out to buy
merchandise from them.
 |
| an old open trench mine |
In 1876 the
mines were closed due to floods, cave-ins, and declining profits, leading to a
shift to agricultural development in the area. The mine shaft is still open for the public to
see.
An Ontario Historical Plaque was
erected by the province to commemorate the Bruce Mines' role in Ontario's
heritage.
Ontario Trap
Rock: http://www.tomlinsongroup.com/
town history: Wikipedia.com
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