_____________________________Number
8, November 25, 2004__________________________
Lewis Urry, a Canadian scientist, died a few weeks ago. Does the name ring a bell? Probably not! His wasn’t a household name, but the product he developed is likely to be found in most homes throughout the world. He was the individual, who in 1955, revolutionized the technology of the dry cell battery by inventing the first long-lasting alkaline battery. It was his “development of a loosely packed, powdered zinc ingredient that multiplied the traditional battery’s lifespan by five times.”
“The battery, later dubbed the Energizer, was such a phenomenal success that the brand has come to eclipse (Union Carbide’s) Eveready as the name of the company”. The Energizer-charged toy rabbit that ‘keeps going and going and going’ is a pop culture icon.
“…his initial 1955 invention and a host of subsequent battery innovations – was to make possible the great constellation of consumer products that rely on lightweight, durable, portable power.”
The key element in what Mr. Urry gave the world was ZINC.
Fox mine alone, in its fifteen and a half years of operation, yielded enough ore to produce 143,800 tons of pure metal. Sherridon, during its mining life, yielded over 70,000 tons.
So what is this zinc? A short chemistry/history lesson will give you some of the answers:
Melting Point: 692.68 K (419.53°C or 787.15°F)
Boiling Point: 1180 K (907°C or 1665°F)
Phase at Room Temperature: Solid
Element Classification: Metal
Although zinc compounds have been used for at least 2,500 years in the production of brass, zinc wasn’t recognized as a distinct element until much later. Metallic zinc was first produced in India sometime in the 1400s. Today, most zinc is produced through the electrolysis of aqueous zinc sulfate (ZnSO4).
Zinc is a bluish-white, lustrous metal. It is brittle at ordinary temperatures but malleable at 100 to 150°C. It is a fair conductor of electricity, and burns in air at high red heat with evolution of white clouds of the oxide.
Zinc is the 23rd most abundant element in the earth’s crust. Sphalerite, zinc sulfide, is and has been the principal ore mineral in the world. In the United States, about two-thirds of zinc is produced from ores (primary zinc) and the remaining one-third from scrap and residues (secondary zinc). Zinc is necessary to modern living, and, in tonnage produced, stands fourth among all metals in world production - being exceeded only by iron, aluminum, and copper.
Roughly one third of all metallic zinc produced today is used in a process known as galvanization. During galvanization, an object that is subject to corrosion, such as an iron nail, is given a protective coating of zinc. The zinc can be applied to an object by dipping it in a pool of molten zinc, but it is most often applied through an electroplating process. Sacrificial zinc anodes are used in cathodic protection systems to protect exposed iron from corrosion. Metallic zinc is also used to make dry cell batteries, roof cladding and die castings.
Zinc is used to make many useful alloys. Brass, an alloy of zinc that contains between 55% and 95% copper, is probably the best known zinc alloy. Brass was widely used by the ancient Romans, who used it to make such things as coins, kettles and decorative items. Brass is still used today, particularly in musical instruments, screws and other hardware that must resist corrosion. Zinc is alloyed with lead and tin to make solder, a metal with a relatively low melting point used to join electrical components, pipes and other metallic items. Prestal®, an alloy containing 78% zinc and 22% aluminum, is a strange material that is nearly as strong as steel but is molded as easily as plastic. Nickel silver, typewriter metal, spring brass and German silver are other common zinc alloys.
Zinc oxide (ZnO), a common zinc compound, forms when metallic zinc is exposed to the air and forms a protective coating that protects the rest of the metal. Zinc oxide is used in paints, some rubber products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, plastics, printing inks, soap and batteries, among other things. Zinc sulfide (ZnS), another zinc compound, glows when it is exposed to ultraviolet light, X-rays or electrons and is used to make luminous watch dials, television screens and fluorescent light bulbs. Zinc chloride (ZnCl2) is another zinc compound that is used to protect wood from decay and insects.
Zinc is also a necessary element for proper growth and development of humans, animals, and plants; it is the second most common trace metal, after iron, naturally found in the human body.
There you have it – a short review of the metal zinc, one which may have given you a better under-standing of why the mines that supported Sherridon, Lynn Lake, and leaf Rapids were important and beneficial to our society and economy.
Here are a number of photos of Fox mine from the LLMM, sent to me courtesy of Joey Barnes.
My wife
Yvette, and I met in Lynn Lake, Friday Jan 13 1967. I had gone there to make a
few bucks to go to Australia and Yvette was hired by the hairdresser Ronnie
Ferguson, and was boarding at Shirley Plaskett’s place. A good friend of ours
Jim (Jeggy) Jones had suggested to me, while visiting a mutual friend, that I
could get a job there and he was heading back up in a couple days. I believe he
was in assay or survey in the office. He was dating Shirley’s sister. We all
double dated (now there’s a word from the past) the next night and Yvette and I
were married by the fly in Lutheran minister May23rd same year! And...we blew
everyone’s mind when a year later they realized she really wasn’t pregnant !!
Worked Sh-G. as cagetender A shaft. Owned the 67 Bonneville with the orange
tank. Trained it to Cranberry Portage, and rode to Stratford Ontario fall of 67
for holiday. Sold it and flew back. We left in July 68 and travelled Europe
overland, hiking to Afghanistan and Pakistan till we were broke! We are still
together today. Visited Lynn again on way to Rankin Inlet in '71. Hey Anyone
seen Joyce Kitzell. We are in Mitchell Ontario. Our daughter was born in Rankin
Inlet in 1972 and a son in Mitchell, Ontario in 1976. Many stories will be
shared I’m sure. Peter Ittinuar and us just found each other again after more
than 30 years! Visit
www.schinbeinsmusic.ca
From Charlene Holland
We moved to
Lynn Lake in 1960 or 1961 ,5 kids ,2 parents ,1 dog. Our last sister was born in
Lynn Lake. Leona Verbo & her husband Chuck were close to being the last people
married in L.L. We All grew up knowing Midge & she always sent our Mom her
annual Xmas letter after Mom moved to Flin Flon. Our Dad died in L.L. May 2nd
1967 & our Mom passed away May 22nd 1999 in Flin Flon. Mom never wanted to leave
L.L. but she just couldn’t handle the house on Hales any more on her own once
Leona got married & moved to Leaf. As far as I can remember dates I moved to
Leaf in 1973 & moved to Fernie, B.C. in 1982. I was just talking to another
sister & she said she had contacted you also....Shirley Scott ..so that now
makes 4 of us on your list!! Only 2 more to go!! What a GREAT idea you have of
doing this!!
From Isabella Wright
My husband and I lived in Lynn Lake until 1989. Philip worked in the Exploration Department with Jim Chornoby and Dave Speakman, along with Francie Walsh. For a number of years I worked at Fox Mine as Mine Managers Secretary, then worked at the Hospital, and finally at the School Board. I was very active in Girl Guiding along with Ann Perry, Midge Tanasichuk, and Blanche Irwin. Bernie and Kathy Cockerill were also friends of ours.
Our years in Lynn Lake were amazing, and we keep in touch with a number of people. We don’t get to see as many as we would like to see, but those that travel through Ottawa are always welcome at our house.
The section
on Francie Walsh was so good to read. Francie is a very special person, and her
artwork is finally getting the recognition is deserves. I am fortunate to own
one of her charcoal drawings. It is really lovely and I treasure it.
From Ruth Roberts
It's great to
read comments from so many people that were part of my childhood, Candy, Randy
Dubeck, Pat Didychuk, Barb Froehlich, Paulette Bement and more.....
How wonderfully heart warming to read about Bill Clarke...I remember him exactly
as the pictures...he always joked around when he came into my dad's store. I
had no idea of the diversity of his 'role'. Can you imagine any personnel
manger doing that today? Hmmm...What a loving tribute Candy wrote. Seems the
north brought the best out in people...or maybe it attracted the best people?
I have many stories of my own father (now a healthy 91 years) rescuing people
who needed a place to sleep, driving guys to Eldon Lake to catch the 'Sched'
back to Brochet... making porridge in the middle of the night for some kids
from Pukatawagan and so on....He had a special place in his heart for the native
folks...long before the evolution of the Friendship Centre...I have many
memories of Chipewayan ladies sitting on the livingroom couch in their bright
kerchiefs and rubber boots....smiling warmly...not speaking a word of English
but sharing a time of friendship, tea and cookies. Mom always had a box of
clothes they could peruse through to help themselves.
And sad stories too...a young Cree father asking mom to help him track down his
child who was 'fostered' in Lynn Lake after medical care and not yet
returned.... another whose child froze to death when she left the train at a
siding stop in the dead of winter.... Remember the "Indian car" and the "Indian
Hospital?" Thank God some things have changed!
Reading
Candy's story reminded me of how exciting it was when Mrs. Clarke had
twins...Nan and Bob (?) ...I recall mom telling a story (she heard from Vera
Cummings) that they both threatened to quit after their first day of
kindergarten because they didn't get a tour of Sobie's bakery!
Tom and his wife always gave the kindergarten kids a bakery tour complete with
homemade aprons for each one...
Overall a rich and colorful life... No need for reality TV!
From Clyde Miller
I arrived in
Lynn Lake around October 1, 1949. Apparently they used an old orange crate as a
cradle and strapped it on top of the load of fuel drums the old Sherritt Husky
was bringing in. (I was two weeks old at the time - my mother had gone out to
Sherridon to have me.) Incidentally Jack Henley was in the hospital in
Sherridon at the time after losing some fingers in an accident with the cage.
My father,
Paul Julien, moved to Lynn Lake in 1972 - I remember how the town was just
booming when we moved there. He was a few weeks ahead of us in order to find
accommodations for his wife and seven children – no easy accomplishment as there
was a housing shortage. We flew in on one of those Transair flights that you
mentioned – who could forget those yellow and brown jets? They almost looked
like a flying A&W billboard. I remember how the town was just booming when we
moved there in 72. We first settled into a shared accommodation (address
unknown) beside the Taylor residence (Halstead and Camp). We had the use of 3
bedrooms and a shared washroom. This was only temporary until we could move
into the purple Denischuk house on Halstead. We also lived in the townhouses on
the other end of town for a while until Dad finally purchased our home at 686
Halstead. It was there that we grew up and did all the things young boys do –
tobogganing, fishing, camping, and taunting those two Dobermans beside the
Benoit residence. I remember the snow squeaking under my boots as we walked to
school on those cold winter mornings and the familiar zipping sound of our
snowpants with every step. Those without snowpants usually ended up with frozen
jeans that could almost stand up on their own. And who could forget those long
summer days when we would leave the house on our bikes and not come back until
our hunger was unbearable. Whether it was playing in the gutted out float
planes at Eldon Lake or fishing at 4 mile creek, our parents never seemed to
worry about us. On school days, we spent many lunch hours at Wong’s Grill
having Fries & Gravy and a Coke – I don’t think we ever ordered anything else.
Every Friday night was movie night at the Roxy – it didn’t matter what was
playing. Again, we ordered the same thing every time – popcorn, chocolate bar,
and a “swamp water” which was essentially a mix of Coke, Orange, and 7-Up.
Remember the adventures of “The Wilderness Family” or “Star Wars”? Every seat
in the house was taken and children would be sitting on the floor down the
aisles! The fire marshall would have had a heart attack. Another of my
favorite memories was gazing at the northern lights – it was as mesmerizing as
watching a campfire or a sleeping baby. And who can forget the reliable lunch
hour siren from the A Mine? Those are sights and sounds that are indelibly
marked on my heart.
Lynn Lake was a community
in the true sense of the word. Everyone contributed when there was a need and
if one family hurt, the town hurt with them and reached out to help in whatever
way they could. Yes, there was also the gossip and the meddling, but my fond
memories have far outlived the hurts of the schoolyard fights, arguments, and
petty squabbles. Lynn Lake is truly a town to remember and those who lived
there share a particular bond that continues to live on.
I was just in
Grade 8 when we moved out of Lynn in 1980.
From Elaine Bement
In the spring of 1952, Frank was hired by Sherritt Gordon Mines in Lynn Lake as a carpenter. His first job was working on the building of the Lynn Lake School.
While working there, he got to know Bea and Nick Yurichuk as they lived across the back lane from the school and often visited back and forth. Bea and Nick offered Frank the use of their spare room so I could go up to Lynn Lake to see if I would like living there. Needless to say, I loved it…even though there were no stores, lots of blackflies, and hordes of spruce bugs.
While I was there a 12’ x 28’ house became available in Skunk Hollow. We decided to rent it. We had to buy the departing couple’s groceries, which was quite an experience, as we had no idea what some of the cases of food were, possibly some weird type of canned fish, and we weren’t even sure if it was fish! We did manage to trade it off for some food we knew and liked.
On August 25th, 1952, Paulette (5 years old at the time) and I left Hudson Bay, Sk., on the train bound for Sherridon, Mb. We arrived there the next day and flew into Lynn Lake on the company float plane. Our household items came in bit by bit via the floatplane. The last item to arrive was my wringer washer. Thank goodness for Bea Yurichuk who was kind enough to let me use hers in the meantime.
That first winter we had to order our years supply of groceries to come in over the freight haul after freeze up. The only thing I knew how much I needed for a year was 52 lbs. of coffee! It was a struggle to figure out how much of everything we would need for a year. Somehow we managed reasonably well and only overloaded on flour and lard.
In the spring of 1953, a Sherritt house came up for sale on Halstead Ave. Because it was larger than our 12’ x 28’, we happily bought it and it was home for the next 31 years.
In 1955, our second daughter, Frances, was born in the hospital her Dad had helped to build. Both our girls received most of their schooling in Lynn Lake and Mrs. Latimer taught them both in Grade One.
With the building of the school and hospital now completed, Frank went to work in the mill. He became Sherritt’s vulcanizer and worked at that job until he retired in the summer of 1975 at the age of 68.
Frank worked evenings, as did a lot of members, to build the Legion Hall and bar. The Legion meant a great deal to Frank and he was honoured by being inducted as a Life Member. I spent a few years working in the bar, and ended up as manager.
In 1984 we decided to retire back to our roots in Hudson Bay. Frank passed away in July of 1991.
Frances, Jim and their daughter, Paige, moved to Hudson Bay in the fall of 1991. It’s been good to have family close by.
Paulette now lives in Meadow Lake, Sk. Her children; Greg, Martin, and Roxanne, are all grown up and have families of their own. I visit at least a month every fall with Paulette.
Betty Spillchuk lives in Hudson Bay, now, and we spend a lot of hours remembering all the good times in Lynn Lake.
To me Lynn Lake will always be “home”. We spent 32 great years there.
(In the October 1954 listing of Lynn Lake residents, T.H.F.[Thomas Hiram Frank] Bement resided at
3216 Halstead Avenue. His brother, Earl, resided at 3204 Halstead and is now at Barrows, MB)
From Sharon Tilley
Barry moved up to Lynn Lake in 1954 from the Brandon, Manitoba area with his parents Tom and Gertie Tilley and of course, the rest of the Tilley gang. He attended school (well, sort of) in Lynn Lake and then went to work in the mine (like everyone else.) I went up to work for Sherritt as a Secretary in the Engineering Dept. in March of 1960.
We were married in Winnipeg in July 1961 and lived in Lynn until February of 1963.
Our first daughter was born in the HUGE Lynn Lake hospital in August of 1962.
We moved to Sherwood
Park, AB. from Lynn Lake and are still here.
Barry’s two
brothers - Garry and
Wayne followed us
here many years
ago and Gertie and Tom came here as well in the late
1980’s.
Unfortunately, they (Gertie and Tom) have both since passed away.
From Thelma Burton
To us Lynn will always be home. Glen started there in 1956 and I arrived in 57- left for Leaf in 81 and retired to Kelwood Man in 91. I wish I could remember it all. I worked at the Bay for 15 years. We still have many friends in the north.
From Joan Fraser (Reierson)
I have just
received all your e-mails on 'A Place to Remember' from my good friend Roberta.
I am not on your mailing list and she thought I would enjoy all the memories as
much as she has, and boy, was she right!!! I have just finished reading them
all and decided to respond immediately. I am an earlier resident of Lynn Lake
having moved with my parents from Sherridon in 1952. My husband and I have been
going back there every June for the past four years to fish with my brother Glen
and his wife Darlene who own a cabin at Berge Lake. For me there is nothing
more peaceful than being on a lake in Northern Manitoba and we look forward to
our trip every year. We Lynn Lakers have such fond memories and special
feelings for our town in spite of the number of years we have been away.
Perhaps it was the remoteness of the place that brought us all close together.
When I was growing up we didn't have TV's or even telephones so we had to
actually meet to visit with one another. Many of us have stayed in touch over
the years, and those friendships are very special.
Anyway, I just wanted to
thank you for taking on this huge and wonderful task and to let you know as a
Lynn Laker, how much it is appreciated. I loved reading the comments from other
people who have responded to you, and going through the names on your list
reminded me of all the people who lived in that great little town.
From Karen Collin (Johnson)
re the Lynn Lake Carnival Pin - that was the year that I ran for carnival queen. Oh to be that young again!! I think we sold the pins and we also sold tickets on some sort of draw. Winning depended upon how much funds were raised. I did not end up queen!!! I can't really remember who won that year. I know there were a couple of girls that worked in the dentists office and Esther Ciotka.
Doc Gallie sent the attached SGM photo, taken in 1963:
Back row left to right: Bill Schwandt, Nick Yurichuk, Ken Grice, Joe Bozmas, Bob Lines, Bill Edwards, Morris Miller, Bud Rycroft, Frank (Hardrock) Smith, Jock Laird, C.R.Neely, Frank Dunn.
Second Row left to right: Anton Bowman, Gordon Robinson, Jim Jackson, Harvey Holden, Sven Pearson, Jack Norton, J.F. (Frank) Scrase, Ralph Mitchell, Roy Brehaut, Jack Henley, Roy Wray, Reg Drake, E.L.Brown.
Front row left to right: Arne Alto, Bud Rawlings, Frank Masterman.
The art of Francie Walsh – Fox Mine. Drawing done in 1988
Your emails, input, and calls are all greatly appreciated and special, but I must say that a call I received on Sunday certainly gave me an extra lift – Ziggy Worren phoned from Norway to tell me how much he appreciated the newsletters and what I was doing. He reminisced about the18 years the Worren’s called Lynn Lake home, and that it was a phone call to “Tiger” Clarke (to obtain a job with SGM) that brought him to the community in the 60s.
Our lives are all intertwined in one way or another.
Thank you for your time.
Talk to you later. Emil
P.O. Box 89
Cochin, SK
S0M 0L0
306-386-2245
In Memoriam
Sigrid Fast sent the following with respect to the Service of Remembrance held in Lynn Lake on November 14th, 2004: “Today we remember all our loved ones and the following former residents and family members from our community who are no longer with us - 2003-2004”
December Enid Drinnan, Ivy Ann Seymour (92)
January Michael Boychuk (63), Michael Gregorash (78)
February Lois Sayies, Susan McGill
March Shayden Shortt (8 mos.) , Carol Papunen (53), Ben Colomb(82)
April Edna Rediger, Don Black (85), Ossie Chan (63)
May Robert Schwartz
June Johnny Porter (67), Ku-Kent Yip (43), Max Colomb (69)
July Jean Karst (64), Phil Gagne
August John Boudreault (60)
September Shirley Mydynski (71), Alfred Lysek (56)
October Mabel Holmes (91), Vera Cummings (91), Hyacinth Colomb (80), Adolph Merasty (90)
Maynard Scott, Lorraine Smith (Ochitwa) (60), Stanley "Bud" Snowdy(70), Leo Foreman (90)
Photos of Fox Mine Construction courtesy of Joey Barnes
The art of Francie Walsh Fox Mine. Drawing done in 1988
Photo courtesy Doc Gallie. 1963.
Elaine and Frank Bement, 1989.