Renfrew Gold: The Story of a Nova Scotia Ghost Town

Richard Wilbur is supervisor of the Legislative Research Service at the
New Brunswick Legislature, and the author of The Rise of French New
Brunswick.

The first few chapters of this local history of Renfrew, Nova Scotia,
are bogged down by geological and mining statistics (most relating to
how much gold was recovered from the ground in this once-thriving
community), but the book livens up when the author describes the amazing
careers of Renfrew natives Klondike Jack Horne and his famous cousin
E.H. Horne, whose prospecting led to the creation of the Noranda Copper
Mines.

In researching the book, Hawkins drew upon government mining reports
and press stories, interviewed descendants of the Horne’s, and made
frequent trips to the former boom town. This affordable volume also
includes excellent photos.