MAIDENS

NAME: Maidens COUNTY: Temiskaming (or Temiskaming) dist. South Lorrain ROADS: 2WD GRID: 1 CLIMATE: Cold winters, warm summers BEST TIME TO VISIT: May-October

COMMENTS: From North Cobalt follow Hwy 567 south (~30 km), turn left on a dirt trail annoucing "Maidens Camp" the site lies another 3 km near the shores of lake Temiscamingue (or Temiskaming. An old truck marks the site of the Lorrain Consolidated, and extensive mill foundations are to be found farther back, a second mine site is to be found near the camp. When the lake is in sight the road will dip a steep hill and branch in two. The right forks goes up tailings to a fenced in shaft. REMAINS: Foundation of presidents home, minning foundations.

Maidens (the minning camp) began just after the Silver Centre rush of 1908, when Norman Maiden discovered silver here. As South Lorrain experienced a staking boom for silver a few bits of calcites were found and contained some high grade silver. As the Silver Centre boom subsided to nothing by 1913, Maidens was also left alone to rot. As larger silver deposits were found agin in Silver Centre (1921), Maidens also reopened its properties for silver, and some profitable highgrade veins were uncovered. Two mines came to open, The Nipissing-Lorrain Mine, and the Lorrain Consolidated Mine. A small village was established between the mouth of Maidens Creek to the original Silver Centre Town site (at the wharf)three milea away from the Silver Centre Mines and new town site. The community contained a store, a post office (1924-1930), a dozen cabins, bunkhouses, a small school, and a wharf (old Silver Centre wharf &town site). the prsident of the Nip-Lor.mine also had a karge home here. While some ore was found, it didn't yield much highgrade and the mines were silenced with the drop in silver prices after 1930. The site was simply abandonned. Submitted by: Yvan P.Charbonneau

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