McKinley Darragh Mill - Historic Places Days

McKinley Darragh Mill

Cobalt, Ontario
Type
Industrial
Address
Coleman Road, Cobalt, ON, Canada
Get directions

This is where silver was first discovered. The mill was named for James McKinley and Ernest Darragh who found silver on this claim in August of 1903. It was the first mill to operate in the summer of 1907. Its capacity was only 15 tons per day but was gradually enlarged to 225 tons per day by the year 1913.

It was a typical “gravity mill” built on a hillside so that crushed ore would flow downward by gravity as it passed through the plant. Crushed first by a line of pounding stamps, the pulverized ore then went to jigs, ball mills, and gravity tables.

The ore came from eight shafts on the property and from the Savage Claim at Cart Lake  by means of an aerial tramway. The mill ceased operations in 1927 having recovered more than 13,000,000 ounces of silver.

The Nipissing Central Railway, a streetcar service between Cobalt, Haileybury, and New Liskeard passed right beside the mill. This privately owned railway provided economical and comfortable service in the area until it closed in the 1930s.

Amenities

  • Family-Friendly
  • Guided Tour
  • National Historic Site
  • Parking
  • Pet-Friendly

Location

Coleman Road, Cobalt, ON, Canada
Get directions

Nearby Places

Little Silver Vein

Cobalt, Ontario
Former workings from the famous Cobalt silver mining camp.
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Cart Lake Tailings Pond

Cobalt, Ontario
A former lake now recovering from being a mine waste dump.
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Townsite Mine

Cobalt, Ontario
A former mine site from the famous Cobalt silver camp
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Cobalt Mining Museum

Cobalt, Ontario
Preserving Cobalt’s Silver Rush legacy, and the impact it has had on Canadian history.
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