Cordova Mines

By Guy Scott

Cordova Mines is a community that is listed on a Ghost Towns List of Ontario, lying north of Marmora on the border between Peterborough and Hastings Counties. Its history of mining was a chapter in the Marmora-Madoc-Havelock story of mineral history that included gold, iron, silver, cobalt and many other minerals that dotted the edge of the Canadian Shield. In the late 1800s and early 1900s this whole area was awash in mining speculation and actual mines! But like most communities in this area, Cordova started out as a pioneer farming/ logging hamlet in the 1850s. It was called Wariston and Vansickle before the mines got going.

Various gold rushes had happened all over the area, the most famous being the Eldorado Rush of the 1860s. Several smaller mines were opened nearer to Cordova, including the Malone Mine. Iron ore ruled the mining to the south at Marmora and Blairton, but Vansickle remained a sleepy pioneer settlement until the 1890s when gold was discovered by accident in Havelock Township near Cordova.

Previous “strikes” had not materialized, but by 1890 new technologies made gold extraction profitable. Thus by 1900, it was now possible to extract gold from area deposits and the Cordova Mines complex was built by an English firm: Cordova Exploration Company. They sank 6 large shafts and built many structures on the site. Housing was supplied, a railway spur added and a large power plant at nearby Deer Lake. Crushing and stamping mills were added to the complex.

Like many mines in this area, the ownership was constantly changing as one company sold out to another. At least 5 companies operated the Cordova Gold mines between 1900 and 1946 when it closed for good. It appears it was never a profitable venture, at least not for any length of time. But it did create some impressive buildings! The mine produced 24,000 ounces of gold during its run.

Even since its closing, various companies have still bought and sold the mining rights, always hoping for another “gold rush”. While the village of Cordova Mines is on the Ghost Town List of Ontario, it is far from abandoned. It still contains 2 churches, a store, a library and about 120 residents. And a lot of history!

Address of this page: http://www.ruralroutes.com/cordovamines