Noah Anthony Timmins (March 31, 1867 – January 22, 1936) was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

mining financier and developer who is now counted among the founding fathers of Canada's mining industry.

Early life and family

Timmins was born Noé-Antoine, in

Mattawa, Ontario Mattawa is a town in northeastern Ontario, Canada at the confluence of the Mattawa and Ottawa Rivers in Nipissing District. The first Europeans to pass through this area were Étienne Brûlé and Samuel de Champlain. History In 1610, Étienne Br ...

, to Henriette Miner (1830 - 1894) and Noël Timmins (1828 - 1887), a merchant who had emigrated from England with his parents, Joseph Timmins (1795 - 1835) and Marguerite Hirschbeck (aka Aspeck, died 1805), the latter being of German and French descent — her mother, Louise-Amable Morin, was a direct descendant of 17th-century

settlers A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...

Noël Morin and his wife,

Hélène Desportes Hélène Desportes (c. 1620 – June 24, 1675) is often cited as the first white child born in Canada (New France). There is considerable disagreement about when she was born and, in particular, if she was born in Quebec or just before she arri ...

, who is often counted as the first white child born in Canada. Both Miner and Timmins maternally descend from several early

French-Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...

settler families, include Boucher, Langlois, Guyon, Gagné, Gaudry, Merlot, Proulx and Martin. Noël Timmins prospered plying the lumber and fur trades, and founded the Timmins General Store in the

hamlet of

, where the family became "thoroughly francicized", according to Lucy Griffith Paré, wed to nephew Al Paré and author of ''The Seeds: The Life Story of a Matriarch'', who encountered them "more at ease in French than in English". Today, Mattawa remains one-third

francophone The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...

. Noël Timmins bequeathed his general store and fortune to his two sons, Noah and

Henry Timmins Henry Timmins (born c. 1858) was a Canadian shopkeeper who, with his younger brother, Noah, became an influential mining financier. The brothers are considered to be among the most significant founding fathers of the Canadian mining industry. Earl ...

Mining career

Noah Timmins partnered with his older brother Henry in 1903 to buy into the La Rose silver claim in

Cobalt, Ontario Cobalt is a town in Timiskaming District, Ontario, Canada. It had a population of 989 at the 2021 Census. In the early 1900s, the area was heavily mined for silver; the silver ore also contained cobalt. By 1910, the community was the fourth hi ...

at the onset of the

Cobalt silver rush The Cobalt silver rush was a silver rush in Ontario, Canada that began in 1903 when huge veins of silver were discovered by workers on the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway (T&NO) near the Mile 103 post. By 1905 a full-scale silver rush w ...

Fred La Rose Alfred "Fred" La Rose, also known as "Fred Rose" and "Frederick LaRose" (c. 1870 - September 1940), was a blacksmith from Quebec who discovered silver on September 15, 1903 at the future site of Cobalt, Ontario. He is often referred to as the "Fa ...

, a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

, while working for brothers Duncan and

John McMartin John Francis McMartin (August 21, 1929 – July 6, 2016) was an American actor of stage, film, and television. He made his off-Broadway debut in '' Little Mary Sunshine'' in 1959, and acted on Broadway for more than 50 years. He won a Theatre W ...

in the construction of the

Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway The Ontario Northland Railway is a Canadian railway operated by the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, a provincial Crown agency of the government of Ontario. Originally built to develop the Lake Timiskaming and Lake Nipissing area ...

at Mile 103 from

North Bay, Ontario North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. It developed as a railroad centre and its airport was an important military locatio ...

, where he had built a small cabin, there chanced upon

Erythrite Erythrite, also known as red cobalt, previously '' cobalt ochre'Krivovichev V. G.'' Mineralogical glossary. Scientific editor A. G. Bulakh. — St.Petersburg: St.Petersburg Univ. Publ. House. 2009. — 556 p. — ISBN 978-5-288-04863-0 is a ...

, often an indication of associated

cobalt Cobalt is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. ...

and native

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

. A fanciful story later developed that La Rose discovered the vein when he threw a hammer at a pesky fox. Noah subsequently heard of the claim from La Rose, who, at the end of his contract, had stopped at the Timmins brothers'

general store A general merchant store (also known as general merchandise store, general dealer, village shop, or country store) is a rural or small-town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, someti ...

in Mattawa, while returning to his home in

Hull, Quebec Hull is the central business district and oldest neighbourhood of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of Canada's ...

. Noah cabled Henry, who was in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, and immediately set out for Hull, where he met with La Rose and offered him $3,500 for a quarter share of the claim, effectively partnering with the McMartin brothers. The foursome soon added a friend of the Timmins brothers, attorney

David Alexander Dunlap David Alexander Dunlap (October 13, 1863 − October 29, 1924) was a Canadian lawyer, mining company executive and philanthropist. He and his partners acquired an Ontario silver mine called LaRose, which was the basis of the great fortune he came ...

(1863-1924), for whom the

David Dunlap Observatory The David Dunlap Observatory (DDO) is an astronomical observatory site in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1935, it was owned and operated by the University of Toronto until 2008. It was then acquired by the city of Richmond Hill ...

was named, as a full fifth partner after he had successfully defended their claim in a "nasty dispute" with then former

Commissioner

M. J. O'Brien The Hon. Michael John O'Brien (19 September 1851 – 26 October 1940) was a railway builder, industrialist and philanthropist. He was named to the Senate of Canada in 1918. He was a founder of the town of Renfrew, Ontario. He was instrumental i ...

. In 1910, the five partners incorporated as the Canadian Mining and Finance Company, Limited (later

Hollinger Mines The Hollinger Gold Mine was discovered on October 9, 1909, by Benny Hollinger, who found the gold-bearing quartz dike that later became known as Hollinger Mines. With his friend, professional Prospecting, prospector Alex Gillies, Hollinger had trav ...

), with Noah appointed president. In 1916, officers of the corporation were reported as: "President, L. H. Timmins, Montreal; vice-president, J. McMartin, Cornwall, Ont.; treasurer, D. A. Dunlap, Toronto; secretary, John B. Holden, Toronto; general manager, P. A. Bobbins, Timmins, Ont." Noah and his nephew, Alphonse "Al" Paré, then a student mining engineer at the

Royal Military College of Canada The Royal Military College of Canada (), abbreviated in English as RMC and in French as CMR, is a Military academy#Canada, military academy and, since 1959, a List of universities in Canada#Ontario, degree-granting university of the Canadian ...

, had negotiated with Alex Gillies (for whom Gillies Lake is named), and

Benny Hollinger Benjamin Hollinger (1885–1919) was a Canadian barber turned prospector from Haileybury, Ontario, now considered one of the Founding Fathers of Timmins, Ontario, Canada. He was born April 10, 1885, in Point Alexander, Ontario, the youngest son of ...

, who had uncovered what became known as the Hollinger Gold Mine. Paré described the find: “It was as if a giant cauldron had splattered the gold nuggets over a bed of pure blue quartz crystals as a setting for some magnificent crown jewels of inestimable value.” On the strength of his nephew's information, Noah committed himself to paying $530,000. Noah put Paré, who had assessed the Hollinger Mine's potential, in charge of its operation for two years after incorporation. Hollinger Mines became known as one of the "Big Three" Canadian mines, together with the

Dome Mine Dome Mine is situated in the City of Timmins, Ontario, Canada; and was developed during the Porcupine Gold Rush. Last operated by Canadian company Goldcorp, before it became a subsidiary of American company Newmont, it is one of three mines ( ...

and the McIntyre Mines. Although the family company explored stakes and mining operations all over the world, their greatest development remained the important Hollinger Mine in

Timmins, Ontario Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 at the 2021 Canadian census and an estimated population o ...

, originally founded as a

company town A company town is a place where all or most of the stores and housing in the town are owned by the same company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schoo ...

to house miners, which Paré had named after his uncle, Noah, in 1912.

Death and legacy

Timmins died in 1936 while vacationing in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ...

. The City of

Timmins Timmins ( ) is a city in northeastern Ontario, Canada, located on the Mattagami River. The city is the fourth-largest city in the Northeastern Ontario region with a population of 41,145 at the 2021 Canadian census and an estimated population of ...

is named for him. In 1987, Timmins was inducted into the

Canadian Business Hall of Fame The Canadian Business Hall of Fame celebrates the outstanding achievements of Canada's most distinguished business leaders, past and present. Over 170 Order of the Business Hall of Fame Companions serve as inspiring examples for all young Canadians ...

and, in 1996, into the

Canadian Mining Hall of Fame The Canadian Mining Hall of Fame was conceived by Maurice R. Brown as a way to honor Canada's mine finders and builders, in recognition of accomplishments by leaders in the Canadian mining industry. The Hall was established in 1988; in 2023 it ha ...

. Timmins' nephew, Jules Robert Timmins (1889 - 1971), son of brother Henry, was inducted into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame, in 1989, for first developing iron ore fields of northern Quebec and Labrador, called "one of the greatest projects in Canadian mining history", and, in the 1950s, building an "iron ore empire which was truly one of the most imaginative, most difficult mining projects ever undertaken". The

Alphonse and Lucy Griffith Paré Foundation Alphonse may refer to: * Alphonse (given name) * Alphonse (surname) * Alphonse Atoll, one of two atolls in the Seychelles' Alphonse Group *Alphonso (mango), a mango-cultivar from India See also *Alphons *Alfonso (disambiguation) Alfonso (and vari ...

was founded by the nine children of Noah's nephew, by sister Josephine, Al Paré, and his wife, Lucy.Paré Foundation website
Paré Foundation, "About the Foundation". Retrieved October 29, 2017. Four of Timmins' great-grandchildren are notable entertainers:

Margo Margo may refer to: People * Margo (actress) (1917–1985), Mexican-American actress and dancer * Margo (magician), American magic performer and actress * Margo (singer), Irish singer * Margo (given name), including a list of people and characters ...

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

and

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

formed the

alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

band

Cowboy Junkies Cowboy Junkies are an alternative country and folk rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1985 by Alan Anton (bassist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Margo Timmins (vocalist). The three Timminses ...

, and

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...

is an actress.

References

Sources

''The Davis handbook of the Cobalt silver district: with a manual of incorporated companies'': "Historical Sketch of Cobalt", by Harold Palmer Davis, Canadian Mining Journal, Ottawa, Canada, 1910, pages 7-14. Retrieved December 5, 2017.

''Changing Places: History, Community, and Identity in Northeastern Ontario'' by Kerry M. Abel, McGill-Queen's Press, 2006, page 147. Retrieved October 28, 2017.

''The Seeds: The Life Story of a Matriarch'', by Lucy Griffith Paré (with Antoine Paré), Les Entreprises de Carpent Perdu Inc., Ste-Lucie-des-Laurentides, Québec, Canada, 1984.

Noah Timmins
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

''Republic of Mining'' via Mining.com, "Top ten most important mining men in Canadian history", by Stan Sudol, Dec. 1, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2017.

* ttp://www.timminstimes.com/2015/09/24/over-the-hill-by-diane-armstrong-for-september-24-2015 "Small Town Links", by Diane Armstrong, September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
"Top 10 Mining Events in Northern Ontario", by Stan Sudol, ''Republic of Mining'', March 2, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2017.

External links

Ontario Heritage Trust plaque at Timmins

Porcupine Prospectors and Developers Association

{{DEFAULTSORT:Timmins Defunct mining companies of Canada Mines in Timmins History of Cobalt, Ontario Silver mining 1903 in Ontario History of mining in Ontario Commodity booms 1867 births 1936 deaths Businesspeople from Ontario Canadian company founders Canadian mining businesspeople History of Timmins People from Mattawa, Ontario Franco-Ontarian people