In 1911, a scramble of prospectors drove their stakes into the bush above one of the richest gold orebodies on Earth, and Kirkland Lake, Ontario has been digging into it ever since. Seven mines lined up along that single orebody to form the Mile of Gold, sinking some of the deepest shafts in North America and hauling out twice as much gold as the Klondike. When the Great Depression flattened the rest of the country, this Northeastern Ontario gold mining town kept right on booming.
The Mile of Gold Tour is a self-guided weekend itinerary in Kirkland Lake, less than three hours north of North Bay via Highway 11. Families, history buffs, and hikers can set their own pace, moving from the restored Toburn Mine headframe and the Museum of Northern History, housed in a millionaire's mansion, to the Lonesome Bog Trail boardwalk and the spring-fed lakes of Esker Lakes Provincial Park.
Along the way you'll meet overnight millionaires, stand where Bill Wright spotted the specks of gold that set off the whole rush, touch rock older than the dinosaurs, and watch Agnico Eagle's Macassa Mine still bringing gold to the surface today. Pack for both pavement and trail, and expect at least one debate on the drive home about who really killed Harry Oakes.
