The town of Kirkland Lake is marking its 100th anniversary with the dedication of a life-size bronze likeness of an early Twentieth Century miner.
The work of Sudbury sculptor Tyler Fauvelle was unveiled on June 29, 2019 at the Toburn mine. Fauvelle has more than a dozen public monuments in Ontario.
“Although the artwork is a tribute to all of the Kirkland Lake gold camp prospectors, I did include some features representing some of Kirkland Lake’s legendary prospectors. I hope visitors will enjoy looking for those symbols, and learning about the local history behind them,” Fauvelle said.
The monument project was spearheaded by the Toburn Operating Authority (TOA), a non-profit organization that maintains the restored Toburn mine. Major funding was provided by the Department of Canadian Heritage, Kirkland Lake Gold, the Museum of Northern History, and the Kirkland Lake 100th Anniversary Committee. The town of Kirkland Lake provided the bronze plaque, and the TOA covered the site costs.
“Small communities can be powerful,” Fauvelle added. “The spirit of those hardy prospectors still lives in Kirkland Lake.”
This article first appeared in the Canadian Mining Journal