The Scholarly Prospector: Don McKinnon.

Alain Lamothe is a librarian in the J.N. Desmarais Library at Laurentian
University.

Michael Barnes has published close to 50 books on the history of Northern Ontario, many of which deal with mining in the area. This latest work is the story of prospector Don McKinnon, who is best known for his involvement in the discovery of the Hemlo gold field on Lake Superior, which resulted in three gold mines. McKinnon was given the title “the Scholarly Prospector” because of the long hours he spent researching a claim before staking it.

Born in 1929, McKinnon grew up in the town of Cochrane. At that time Northern Ontario was also known as the New Ontario. Barnes chronicles McKinnon’s life in an almost-personal, day-to-day way. Besides his many successes as a prospector, readers learn about McKinnon’s home, neighbours, schooling, marriages, what he did for entertainment, his early employment in the forestry industry, his family life, innovative prospecting techniques, association to scandals and trials, awards received, and his foray into the political arena. The book ends with his 75th birthday celebration in 2004 and 25th wedding anniversary in 2005.

Barnes also looks at the history of the exploration, development, and exploitation of Northern Ontario’s natural resources as well as many of the local towns and personalities. There are very good landscape descriptions. Sketches, maps, and dozens of black-and-white photographs bring the book to life. The flowing narrative leads to an engaging read.