Ryan, John Larche and Don McKinnon honoured as part of 100th anniversary celebration
Some of the most famous prospectors in Timmins, indeed in all of Canada, were honoured this week at the Gala Mining Dinner hosted by the Porcupine Miners Memorial Committee to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of Timmins.
Fittingly the event was held at the McIntyre ballroom Tuesday night, named for the the mine discovered by another of the city’s legendary mine finders. But the evening was dedicated to some of the more modern prospectors who have made their mark in other parts of Ontario and other parts of Canada, but have always remained true to their Timmins roots.
The tributes were presented in recognition of the city’s 100th anniversary and also because later this year, the city will unveil three larger-than-life bronze statues to commemorate the mining discoveries by Jack Wilson, Benny Hollinger and Sandy McIntyre, the prospectors who found the Big Three gold mining properties in Timmins, The Dome Mine, The Hollinger Mine and The McIntyre Mine.
It made the evening the right setting to honour three modern-day Timmins prospectors whose names have become synonymous with success in finding gold; John Larche, Don McKinnon and Sean Ryan.
Larche and McKinnon, now in their eighties and both millionaires, but still active in mine exploration, have both won acclaim for their joint discovery of the Hemlo Gold camp near Marathon, Ontario. Timmins mining writer Gregory Reynolds paid tribute to the men in separate presentations to the gala dinner.
Speaking of Larche, Reynolds recalled how Larche was known for his outstanding integrity, a man whose handshake was a good as his word and his word was as good as gold.
“Because of his reputation for being straight, John was sought after by mining companies. Since many mining projects are secrets in their early stages, John was known to keep his mouth shut and to put together a crew that could be trusted if he couldn’t do the job by himself,” said Reynolds.
Despite that, being a prospector was not a cakewalk. Larche was self-taught in exploration and geology and when he realized that getting there first was important, he bought an airplane and became a private pilot in the late 1950s, Reynolds recalled. The life out on the land was not easy. Enduring the black flies, the blistering heat of summer and the achingly cold pain of winter, but always working the land and staking the claims in the hope of finding the big bonanza.
The day would eventually come, Reynolds recalled, but not until Larche ran into fellow prospector Don McKinnon one dark December evening at a motel dining room in Marathon, Ontario. That’s where the two Timmins men realized they shared the same idea that there was gold to be found nearby. Nevermind that others had criss-crossed the land for years and had written if off as worthless, they believed in themselves.
McKinnon especially had strong ideas about what could be found, and where, and he wasn’t about to give up an idea just because others did. McKinnon also used an effective method at gathering mining claims. Instead of staking just of a handful of claims in a hot area, he would hire staking crews to control as many claims as he could afford, knowing it was the most effective way.
“Don is stubborn to the point of being obstinate, defends his views to the point of being combative and has opinions on everything,” said Reynolds. “He doesn’t like injustice and has no respect for large companies that want to walk all over people.”
That may have been what sustained him and Larche in the years following the Hemlo discovery. They were attacked on several legal fronts by large mining companies trying to horn in on their discovery. McKinnon and Larche fought those legal battles for years and they won.
Reynolds said both Larche and McKinnon, as busy as they were, had time to give back. McKinnon served several terms on the Town of Timmins municipal council as well as the Timmins Industrial Committee.
Larche spent years as president of the local prospectors association and even had a term as national president of the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada. Reynolds also remarked that both men have shared their wealth in numerous ways over the years giving millions to various charities.
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