Cobalt in Timiskaming District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
William Henry Drummond
1854-1907
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 1, 2022
1. William Henry Drummond Marker (east side)
Physician and poet, William Henry Drummond was born in Ireland in 1854, and came to Canada with his parents about ten years later. In 1884 he graduated in medicine from Bishop's College, Lennoxville, serving in rural Quebec before establishing a practice in Montreal. The "Poet of the Habitant", Drummond wrote in the broken English of the French-Canadian farmer and woodsman. His poems, published between 1897-1908, were characterized by humour and pathos. They touch the abiding things of life and have never lost their appeal. In 1905 the poet joined his brothers in a silver-mining venture, the Drummond Mine, located some two miles south-east of this park. Dr. Drummond died here in 1907.
Médecin et poète, William Henry Drummond naquit en Irlande en 1854 et vint au Canada avec ses parents environ dix ans plus tard. Il termina ses études de médecine en 1884, au Collège Bishop à Lennoxville, et exerça sa profession dans les régions rurales du Québec avant de s’installer dans son propre cabinet à Montréal. Drummond, le « Poète de l'Habitant », composa ses poèmes en un anglais simpliste
this page online
Erected by Archaeological and Historic Sites Board, Department of Public Records and Archives of Ontario.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Industry & Commerce • Science & Medicine • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Ontario Heritage Trust series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1854.
Location. 47° 23.85′ N, 79° 40.996′ W. Marker is in Cobalt, Ontario, in Timiskaming District. It is on Lang Street 0.2 kilometers north of Argentite Street, on the left when traveling north. Marker is located beside the sidewalk at Dr. Drummond Memorial Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 46 Lang Street, Cobalt ON P0J 1C0, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northeastern Ontario and specifically in Northern Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Swamp Street / La rue Swamp (about 150 meters away, measured in a direct line); The Town Square / La place publique (about 150 meters away); Bruce Lonsdale Memorial Park
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 1, 2022
2. William Henry Drummond Marker (west side)
Also see . . .
1. William Henry Drummond. Wikipedia entry:
An Irish-born Canadian poet whose humorous dialect poems made him "one of the most popular authors in the English-speaking world," and "one of the most widely-read and loved poets" in Canada. His first book of poetry, The Habitant (1897), was extremely successful, establishing for him a reputation as a writer of dialect verse that has faded since his death. In 1905, Drummond closed his Montreal medical practice. He began spending extensive time in Cobalt, Ontario, where he and his brothers had acquired interest in silver mines. He served for a year as the town's first doctor, was vice-president of Drummond Silver Mine, and wrote poetry of life in the north.(Submitted on October 22, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 1, 2022
3. William Henry Drummond Marker
2. William Henry Drummond. Dictionary of Canadian Biography website entry:
Until his death he commuted frequently between Montreal and Cobalt, where he and his brothers had acquired an interest in silver mines. He spent most of the winter of 1906–7 in Cobalt combating a smallpox epidemic.(Submitted on October 22, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)At the time of his death and for years afterwards Drummond was mourned as a man and known and respected as a poet. In 1908 The great fight: poems and sketches, a collection of 20 poems and two sketches, with a short biography by his widow and illustrations by Coburn, was edited by her and published by Putnam’s. The poetical works of William Henry Drummond appeared in 1912. Until well into the 1920s Drummond and his poetry remained important components of the canon of English Canadian literature.
3. Drummond Mine (Cobalt Comet Mine). Mindat website entry:
The mine was operated by Drummond Mines Ltd. from 1904 to 1913 and was named after the poet W.H.Drummond. It was then operated by Comet Mines Ltd. (1913-1915), Kerr Lake Mines Ltd. (1915-1917) and finally Silver Miller Mines till its shutdown in 1936. Development was through 5 shafts and several open cuts, the deepest shaft being 200ft. Total production was approx. 4 million(Submitted on October 22, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)oz. of Ag, and 250,000 lbs. Co.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 1, 20224. Dr. Drummond Memorial Park Sign
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 1, 2022
5. William Henry Drummond Fireplace
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 1, 2022
6. William Henry Drummond Fireplace Markers
was in the log cabin
of
William Henry
Drummond
The Poet of the
Habitant
Here
he mined — wrote — died
Born 1854. Died 1907.
”an we’n he fin’ me ready for
mak’de longue voyage
”he guide me t’roo de wood
hesef upon ma las’ portage
From “Le Vieux Temps”
Unveiled June 6, 1933
by
The Governor General
The Earl of Bessborough
in the presence of Mrs W. H. Drummond
Kiwanis Club of Cobalt
Credits. This page was last revised on September 19, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 21, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 437 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 21, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on October 22, 2022, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
