Photo by Whitehorse Star
GETTING NOSTALGIC – Mayor Dan Curtis recalled the old Whitehorse Copper Mine on Monday during his remarks on Virtual Yukon Mining and Geology Week. Here, Princess Anne tours the operation during her visit in the summer of 1982 – just two months before it was shut down.
Mayor Dan Curtis has declared this week as Virtual Yukon Mining and Geology Week.
Mayor Dan Curtis has declared this week as Virtual Yukon Mining and Geology Week.
Curtis made the declaration to kick off city council’s meeting on Monday.
Whitehorse has a rich and vibrant history of mining in and around the community, he said.
Curtis said the industry has created lasting legacies for the community, such as the McIntyre Creek area and hundreds of kilometres of recreational trails that are a direct result of mining.
Pioneers and builders were visionaries that helped create the Whitehorse Copper Mine, which became the largest single employer of Whitehorse residents for decades, he said.
He said technology and innovation have ushered in a new era of modern and responsible mining practices that enable citizens to participate in an industry that is the largest private sector contributor to Yukon’s economy.
“My father worked at the Whitehorse Copper for many years until it actually shut down in 1982,” the mayor pointed out.
He said the week of May 4 to May 8 is featuring a number of online opportunities where students and families can learn more about the industry and the territory’s rich geological endowment.
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Comments (4)
Up 11 Down 3
One One-Lesser-Voice on May 10, 2020 at 11:50 pm
We do need mining but do not need the legacy of contamination and environmental cleanup.
Maybe they could use a laser to seal off worked areas and tailings. To leave a cleanup that costs tens or hundreds of millions of dollars is backwards.
Up 8 Down 5
Kit Kennard on May 8, 2020 at 9:29 am
Peter Percival second from the right.
Up 27 Down 31
BnR on May 8, 2020 at 7:48 am
When does the Yukon celebrate “taxpayer funded abandoned mine care and maintenance” week?
Up 33 Down 19
JC on May 7, 2020 at 8:54 pm
Ahh, the good old days when Yukon had mining. And there were no environmental nuts. Just good clean living and the dream of a future. Alas!