John "Jack" Wilson - Timmins, ON, Canada
Posted by: 
Loonwatcher
N 48° 28.357 W 081° 19.579
17U E 475881 N 5368883
A statue erected to mark "Jack" Wilson's contribution to the Porcupine Gold Rush.
Waymark Code: WMGRYV
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 04/06/2013
Views: 4
A 7-ft bronze statue of Benjamin "Benny" Hollinger mounted on a granite base. Benny holds a pick-axe ready to strike at a boulder.
In 1909, three groups of prospectors found rich gold veins that would eventually spark the great Porcupine Gold Rush. The rich discoveries made by Benny Hollinger, Sandy McIntyre and John (Jack) Wilson in the northern Ontario wilderness led to the development of one of Canada’s premier mining camps and the founding of Timmins, the City with a Heart of Gold. Wilson was responsible for finding the Dome Mine, McIntyre staked the McIntyre Mine, and Hollinger is credited with discovering the Hollinger Mine. While these three never made great fortunes from their discoveries, they contributed greatly to Canada’s economic prosperity and mining heritage.
Jack Wilson had left his job as a railway construction foreman to follow his major interest of prospecting. He was backed by two Chicago businessmen when he led a prospecting expedition of seven other men into the Porcupine region, in mid-May 1909. Much of the gold they uncovered appeared in large dome-like masses of quartz. The mine built on the site was named the Dome Mine. The community of South Porcupine grew up near the Dome site. Wilson stayed on as a director for the mine. The Dome mine was the first of the big three mines in Timmins discovered and incorporated.
The City of Timmins celebrated the prospectors’ legacy as part of its 2009 Centennial marking the Porcupine gold discoveries. In August 2010 Timmins marked the 100th Anniversary of the start of gold production from these historic mines.
Sources Wikipedia; information pamphlets; newspaper articles
link to Wikipedia article