Yellowknife (Dec 05/03) - Alice Payne's dad had a hunch while scoping out the western shore of Yellowknife Bay many summers ago that under his feet a gold mine would grow.

Alice Payne, daughter of Con Mine co-founder Tom Payne, was in Yellowknife this week to reminisce about the operation, which shut down last Friday. - Mike W. Bryant/NNSL photo

Few people have shown such remarkable foresight. Tom Payne's claim stakes would become part of a Con Mine legacy that would last more than 65 years.

Alice Payne was in Yellowknife this week to commemorate the closure of Con Mine, and share a few anecdotes from Quin Kola, her book about her father, with members of the NWT mining community at the Northern Heritage Centre, Monday night.

"At first I thought I was going to burst into tears but I guess all good mines come to a close," said the former Yellowknifer and Order of Canada recipient.

Payne, who followed her father's footsteps into the mining industry, is president of Arctic Enterprises Limited.

Payne offered some hopeful words to her audience, saying she believes gold will once again become an important part of the Northern mining industry.

Launched rush

All it will take is another enterprising person like her dad or Chuck Fipke, who launched the Northern diamond rush more than 10 years ago, to kickstart another gold rush in the NWT.

"Right now everybody is looking for diamonds," said Payne. "Well, while they're looking for diamonds I'm sure they'll find a few more gold mines.

"Nobody expects mines until they find them."

Her dad, disowned by his father for such crimes as shooting a cannon down their street and derailing a train, left England for Canada in 1912 to seek his fame and fortune. He eventually found his way to Yellowknife just prior to the gold rush that would launch the town in 1935.

Having teamed up with Gordon Latham, the pair struck a plot to renew 14 claims that were about to expire where Con Mine stands today. Tom had found some gold ore there while visiting the Cominco camp, which held the claims, but the company appeared to be in no hurry to re-stake them.

As it turned out, it was a very rich find, and while Cominco held title to most of the mine, Payne never let go of his share of the claims. He held onto them until his death in 1996. His daughter only sold them a few years ago.

Payne said even though mining is mainly in the hands of multi-nationals today, there is still room for the little guy to succeed. Being somewhat eccentric would likely help, too.

"Everybody thought my dad was crazy, hanging around Yellowknife while everybody else was out at Gordon Lake," Payne said, laughing.

"I think all prospectors are a little bit crazy or they wouldn't be doing it."