Darren Campbell
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jul 29/98) - Two historical mines sites are no more.

The Tibbitt Lake fire, now 145,000 hectares in size, destroyed the abandoned Thompson-Lundmark mine site near Thompson Lake and the former Argonaut mine on the east shore of Gordon Lake.

The Thompson gold mine opened in 1941 and closed for good in 1949 after processing 125,000 tonnes of ore. It was located about 50 kilometres east-northeast of Yellowknife. The Argonaut site was a gold and tungsten mine.

Dave Nickerson, a mining engineer who has studied the old mines, said there will be mixed emotions among people in Yellowknife about the Thompson being destroyed by fire.

"The people who would like to tear it down will probably be happy," said Nickerson. "Those that thought it was a historical site will be disappointed."

One of those that is disappointed is Walt Humphries, who was involved with Spirit Yk. That organization was also involved in trying to get the Thompson site designated a historical site.

Humphries said he knew both mine sites were in danger of being destroyed, but it is still a shame.

"It's like knowing an area really well and finding out your favorite spot is gone," said Humphries.

He said the NWT is slowly losing old mine sites that people love to visit.

For example, he said the Argonaut site's old cabins, a bunkhouse, storage shed outhouses and other buildings presented an attractive hiking destination.

"It was like walking into a ghost town," said Humphries. "It throws you back to a different era and you get a different feel for life in the North in those days."

Humphries suggests that once the dust clears from this fire season that the federal government go out to the remaining mine sites and document what is there, interview people who worked on them and even do some archeological work.

The latest reports from forestry officials say that crews are gradually trying to get control of the western front of the Tibbitt Lake fire.

The two mine sites were not the only properties lost due to the fire in recent days. A cottage on the east shore of Lower Pensive Lake and a cabin on the eastern shore of Ross Lake were also destroyed.