Cobalt in Timiskaming District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

The Cobalt Town Hall / L'hôtel-de-ville de Cobalt

— Heritage Silver Trail —

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 1, 2022

1. The Cobalt Town Hall / L'hôtel-de-ville de Cobalt Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

[English] When the Cobalt boom started, the Ontario Government was completely unprepared for the sudden influx of settlers. There was no plan for dealing with the needs of the rapidly growing community. Over 80% of the land within the Town was owned by various mining companies. Few mines paid any tax to the Town at all.

[Français] À l'avènement du boom de Cobalt, le gouvernement de l'Ontario n'était nullement préparé pour gérer l'afflux soudain de nouveaux arrivants. Il n'y avait aucun plan pour faire face aux multiples besoins d'une collectivité rapidement en croissance. Plus de 80% des terres dans les limites de la ville appartenaient aux diverses compagnies minières. Peu de mines payaient d'impôt foncier à la ville.

Erected by Cobalt Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1904.

Location. 47° 23.711′ N, 79° 41.153′ W. Marker is in Cobalt, Ontario, in Timiskaming

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District. Marker is at the intersection of Silver Street and Bunker Lane, on the left when traveling north on Silver Street. The marker is located at the former site of the Cobalt Town Hall seen in the marker photos. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 18 Silver Street, Cobalt ON P0J 1C0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Cobalt Mining Camp (within shouting distance of this marker); Silver Mining in Canada / Production de L'argent au Canada (within shouting distance of this marker); Willet Green Miller (within shouting distance of this marker); City of Cobalt Shaft / Le puits de mine de la Ville de Cobalt (within shouting distance of this marker); Centennial Time Capsule (within shouting distance of this marker); Cobalt Mining / L’exploitation Minière de Cobalt (within shouting distance of this marker); Bar and Arm Drill (within shouting distance of this marker); Mucking Machine or Overshot Loader (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cobalt.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Heritage Silver Trail

Also see . . .
1. Cobalt: Discovering the Mining History Of Northern Ontario. Excerpt:

On August 7th, 1903, Ernest Darragh and James Mckinley, made a discovery that would forever change the history
Cobalt Historical Society

2. Marker detail: Cobalt Town Hall
of Ontario. The two lumbermen seeking timbers for railroad ties stumbled upon a silver vein that ultimately kick started the rush of 1905-06. Today, Cobalt is known as The Silver Capital of Canada and the most historic town in Ontario and for good reason; it produced 460 million ounces from over 100 mines since the initial discovery and prompted extensive mineral exploration that ultimately led to discoveries in Kirkland Lake and Porcupine.

(Submitted on April 24, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. History of Cobalt. Excerpt:

Just about the time that geologist Willet Green Miller first arrived in the new mining camp in October, 1903, another major discovery was made by Tom Hebert who staked out the property that was to become the Nipissing Mine. More than half a million dollars’ worth of silver was subsequently extracted from a single vein. If Ontario was caught unprepared for the advent of Cobalt, certainly Cobalt was equally unprepared for the inrush of honest prospectors, claim jumpers, fortune hunters and eager novices that followed. Almost overnight the whole of Coleman township was studded with the corner posts of mining claims. Never in Ontario had such intensive prospecting activity been seen, and every crack and cranny in the rock,
Cobalt Historical Society

3. Marker detail: Cobalt Town Hall
however small, was examined with the most minute care, for it could contain a king’s ransom.

(Submitted on April 24, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

3. Cobalt, Ontario (Wikipedia). Excerpt:

The Cobalt silver rush led to the development of the McKinley Darragh, La Rose, Nipissing, and O'Brien silver mines. In 1904, Willet Miller, on a visit to Mile 104 on the T&NO, along with brothers Noah and Henry Timmins, named the future town Cobalt.
Speculation over mining stocks on Wall Street in New York City required mounted police to control the crowds. The town was incorporated in 1906. By 1908, the camp was considered the world's largest producer of silver and of the cobalt which is a byproduct of the process. In 1911, the 34 mines produced over 30 million ounces (937.5 tons) of silver. The town's population soared to 10,000 by 1909. The population today is closer to 1,000.

(Submitted on April 24, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 1, 2022

4. The Cobalt Town Hall / L'hôtel-de-ville de Cobalt Marker

The marker is located beside the sidewalk near the southeast [left] corner of today's Cobalt Town Hall.

Cobalt Town Hall today image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 1, 2022

5. Cobalt Town Hall today

Credits. This page was last revised on April 30, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 24, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 48 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 24, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.