LYNN LAKE..THE TOWN THAT MOVED!!
The story of Lynn Lake begins not in that town but in Sherridon, Manitoba. Established around a rich body of copper ore by Sherritt Gordon Mines in the early 1920's, Sherridon's future looked bleak when the ore began to run out less than two decades later. This situation forced the Company to dispatch prospectors throughout the region in an effort to locate another ore body. Those expeditions proved to be a success. By 1945 Sherritt had laid claim to one of the world's richest nickel strikes.
The challange, however, for Sherritt Gordon Mines had just begun. The prospect of establishing a mine in a totally isolated area some 120 miles north of Sherridon - an area not accessible by road or rail - seemed like a daunting task! In 1945, a winter road was constructed between Sherridon and the new mining site. Although the sites were only 120 miles apart, the ice packed winter road was 165 miles long. The trail, with over 50 portages, passed over frozen muskeg and lakes, through bush and a few ravines. Because of the terrain, the road was only useable between freeze up and spring thaw. At other times of the year, the land overflowed with water causing anything crossing it to sink into the muskeg and become immobile.
Eventually a site was chosen between two lakes and surveyors were hired to plan the town. Areas were allocated for churches, arenas, a clubhouse, roads and lanes. The town was named Lynn Lake after Sherritt Gordon's Chief Engineer, Lynn Smith. The town planners soon realized, however, that it would bbe less expensive to haul the ready-made buildings from Sherridon, which was soon to be abandoned, to the new site. Eldon Brown, President of Sherrit Gordon Mines, summarized the feelings of the company and the people in this statement "Sherridon won't become a ghost town; we'll take the ghost with us." The trail was rough and each trip extrememly dangerous. It took between 70 and 75 hours to travel one way between Sherridon and Lynn Lake. Despite the potential danger, very few mishaps occurred.
The mine at Sherridon finally closed in 1951. A fishing company bought the site but all that remained was an overgrown golf course and empty streets leading nowhere. By 1953, the transfer was complete. Sherritt Gordon Mines Limited had succeed in its objective to develop both a mine and a town in this isolated region of Manitoba. The majority of residents of Sherridon moved to Lynn Lake and took with them the spirit that made their town a closely-knit community. Today Lynn Lake is a gold mining town whose hardy people offer a welcoming hand to any visitor or new resident.
Lynn Lake, we are at the end of the road, but it is definitely worth the trip, come and see why by choosing the next button
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