Just above the Lac le Jeune Road south of the industrial park is the old site of the Ironmask Mine. Back in 1888 coal was found on what is now Coal Hill, on the slopes of the family-run Guerin Ranch. In 1892 iron was found by a prospector working for a syndicate in the hills to the west in what was then called the Ironmask Hills. In 1896, rich copper-gold ore was found at the Python Mine site (directly above Pineview Valley). This started a rush of prospecting and over 90 claims were filed on Coal Hill, the Ironmask Hills, Sugarloaf Hill, and Mount Dufferin. A few mines with names like Pothook (now Afton), Lucky Strike, Makaoo, Norma, Lockie, Smuggler and Chieftain each had a short life of activity in the hills.

The two largest mining operations that continued for many years were the Iron Mask Mine and the Python Mine. A few remains of the Iron Mask Mine can still be seen (on private property) just north of the Lac le Jeune Road close to the trailer park and at Galaxy (sometimes Galaxie) Lake mine site (next to a tailings pond) on the south side of the Ironmask Hills. The buildings and shafts of the Python Mine were still being mined a bit about 25 years ago, but the buildings have since been leveled and the shafts filled in. Some of the bike trails go right past the old mine site but most are unaware of the history.

At its height in 1913, the Ironmask site had several homes, a school, a hotel, and electrical power. Ore was shipped down the hill to the CPR line at the river. Copper, gold, and silver were found over decades of intermittent mining.

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Ironmask Mine

Ironmask boarding house

The old roads that connected the mines to the small community on the north side are still there and they provide the main hiking corridors. The mountain biking community has added many single track trails over the hillsides now. The Low Iron Trail passes within 150 m of the old Ironmask Mine and within 200m from the old Galaxy Mine. Some images of the mine area from a hike on a snowy day are provided here. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption: