As a eight-year-old girl, my mother (now 85) accompanied her parents when they spent the summer of 1934 working at the Foley gold mine at Shoal Lake near Mine Centre, Ontario. I have been able to find a wealth of information about the discovery and early operation of the mine in the 1890's & early 1900's, and more information about the Foley mine as a center of interest in 21st century gold exploration, but so far I have found limited information about the 1934 operations. I see from the Ontario Department of Mines Annual Reports Vol 43 & 44 that the mine was operated by the Foley Syndicate from November 1932 until March 25, 1934, then by Russell Cone from August 1 to October 25, 1934.

The group my grandfather worked with apparently worked an open cut from surface and operated some sort of mill. The group of investors included prominent citizens of Marquette, Michigan, including Carl M. Slick (my maternal grandfather), William J. Fountain (my paternal grandfather), Walter Koepp, and Dr. John Von Zellen. Do any of you know if either the Foley Syndicate or Mr. Cone worked with such a group, or could you suggest any other sources for information about this period of the Foley mine's history? Thank you for any assistance you might be able to offer.

-Dan Fountain