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Bruce Mines: A History of Copper
Bruce Mines and Plummer Additional Union Public Library
Bruce Mines , Ontario

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   Bruce Mines is a community
in northern Ontario that
originated as a direct result
of copper mining in the mid
1800’s. Named after the 1847
Governor General of Canada,
James Bruce, the town is
located on the north shore of
Lake Huron.
   Initially, settlers were

drawn to this area by the
stories of ‘native copper’
used and worn by the First
Nations people. The
potential of the copper
deposits caught the attention
of the mining industry and
attracted investors from the
British Isles, and Upper and
Lower Canada. In 1847, the

first Canadian commercial
shipment of copper was
exported from Bruce Mines.
This initial shipment began
thirty years of copper mining
history, establishing Bruce
Mines as the first successful
copper mine in Canada.
   
   Today, copper mining in

Bruce Mines is non-existent,
however we continue to
celebrate our unique history
with the seasonal operation
of the Simpson Mine Shaft and
the Bruce Mines Museum.

   
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