Karl Brooks Heisey

Karl Heisey c.1936

Karl Brooks Heisey (b.1895 Markham, Ontario d. 7 December 1937^[1] Toronto, Ontario) was a well-known Canadian mining engineer and mining executive.^[2] Heisey pioneered the exploration and development of the Sanshaw/Red Lake metal deposits located in northwest Ontario in the 1930s. The Red Lake Mine is one of the richest gold mines in the world, still in production today with annual production of 600,000 ounces gold and over 11 million ounces produced to date.^[3]

Early life

Heisey was the son of farmers, Jacob Heisey and Ida Lehman and was raised in the Township of Markham, Ontario.^[4] He enlisted in the Signal Corps of the Canadian Expeditionary Force in 1916, during the First World War. Heisey joined the Royal Flying Corps Canada as a Cadet, flying out of Camp Borden, Ontario, and was demobilized at the end of the war as a Royal Air Force Second Lieutenant.^[5] Heisey obtained a bachelor's degree in Applied Science from the College of Applied Science (Mining) at the University of Toronto in 1922. He was married to Alice Isabel Smith (1895-1968) in 1927.^[6]

Mining career

Karl Brooks Heisey freight canoe Red Lake 1935

As both a highly experienced pilot and mining engineer Heisey was well positioned to participate in the Red Lake and Kirkland Lake Gold Rushes in northern Ontario in the 1930s. Red Lake was inaccessible by road until 1947 when Ontario Highway 105 was constructed. Kirkland Lake had no road access until 1937.^[7] Prior to then the only access to the mines and deposits in the Red Lake and Kirkland Lake areas was by plane or boat.^[8]

Heisey engaged in geological surveys for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources between 1919 and 1922 in Kirkland Lake and West Shinintree and conducted magnetic surveys for discovery of gold with pyrrhotite iron.^{[9][10][11][12][13]}

Following this, Heisey worked as an engineer with Argonaut Mines, Kirkland Lake from 1922 to 1923. In 1924 he was appointed chief engineer of Tough Oakes Gold Mines^[1] and the same year he joined the Mond Nickel Company as exploration engineer in the Quebec field. Heisey opened his own office in Kirkland Lake in 1928,^[2] coming to Toronto in 1930.

Heisey was affiliated with numerous other mining corporations throughout his career where he held various roles, some of these corporations include: Manitoba and Eastern Mines Ltd.,^[14] Marquette Long Lac,^[15] and Russet Red Lake Syndicate.^[16] His appointments with these mines included being in charge of surface work,^[14] consulting and direction of a new extensive diamond-drilling program,^[15] as well as consulting and analysis leading to recommendation of diamond drilling of a section of the property^[16] respectively. Heisey also has authorship on an assessment report on Ossian Mines Ltd. for the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines of Ontario; his assessment outlined analysis of the mine as well as recommendations for future work.^[17]

Sanshaw Gold Mine

Sanshaw Mine, White Horse Island, Red Lake overlooking Hammell Channel^[18]

Heisey was President of Sanshaw Mines, Limited, incorporated in 1936, which owned claims on White Horse Island, on Red Lake which was first staked by the Sanshaw Mines Syndicate.^[19] 15 diamond drill holes were drilled totalling 1160 m in 1936.^[20]He was the manager and driving force of the Sanshaw Gold Mine which was developed on White Horse Island during 1936-7. Heisey's crew uncovered a previously unknown well-mineralized shear and gold vein in 1936 which was the most important discovered up until that time in the Red Lake area. ^[21][22]

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  Clearing land and burning timber Sanshaw Mine, White Horse Island 1936

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  Mine Shaft Head and Warehouse Sanshaw Mine 1936

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  Barge Delivery to Warehouse, Sanshaw Mine, White Horse Island, 1936

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  Head frame over Mine Shaft Sanshaw Gold Mine 1937

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  Log Pier Sanshaw Mine, White Horse Island, 1936

Buildings constructed on the property included a bunk-house, two-storey office and warehouse, ice-house, cookery, directors' lodge, manager's residence, blacksmith shop, powder magazine, detonator-house and dry-house.^[23] A 35-foot shaft was sunk on White Horse Island in 1937.

Operations ceased in September, 1937 and Heisey died shortly thereafter in December of that year at the age of 42. Mining at Sanshaw was not restarted until after World War II when it reopened as Orlac Gold Mines, Limited.^[24]

The Sanshaw Mine name was a pun on the name of John Whitman Shaw, who was a consulting mining engineer operating in the Red Lake area. The mine was proceeding with diamond drilling and sinking a shaft "sans" i.e. without Shaw. Shaw's nickname in the mining industry was "turn em down Shaw" referring to his lack of support for many new mine proposals. The White Horse Island discovery was one of the few in the Red Lake area that didn't use John Shaw's services. ^[25]

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  Sanshaw Gold Mine Site 1938 year after closure, Howey Bay background

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  Man with Stag on dog sled, Warehouse, Sanshaw Gold Mine, winter 1938

References