Frood Mine and Extension

History

The infamous Frood Mine, which held the title for many years of being the greatest nickel-copper ore bodies in the world, also has one of Sudbury’s most colourful mining histories.

It began in 1884 when a trapper, William Nelson, tipped off Thomas Frood about a potential mineral outcrop in the northern part of McKim Township. Frood enticed a partner by the name of A.J. Cockburn to investigate the site with him. Both men set off for the bush and quickly found the spot on lots 6-7, Concession 6, McKim Township.

Cockburn staked lot 6, Concession 6, while Frood only applied for the south half of lot 7, Concession 6. Both men independently transferred their titles to J.H. Metcalf and W.B. McAllister, who received the patents in the summer of 1884. Subsequently the two men transferred the titles to the Canadian Copper Company (CCC). The CCC only did some light exploration, but kept the property (number 3 mine) idle.

In the meantime a few other prospectors had also canvassed the area and made a few significant discoveries. Then two seasoned prospectors, James Stobie and Rinaldo McConnell entered the scene. Both men staked the Stobie Mine, located on the south half of lot 5 Concession 1, Blezard Township, just north east of the Frood property. In 1886. William McVitties also staked a small claim for himself on the north east quarter of lot 7, concession 6, McKim Township.

The CCC quickly purchased the claims within Blezard Township. Subsequently, they opened as the Stobie Mine that same year. McVitties later sold his own claim to Frank Cochrane in 1908. Cochrane in turn sold it to the Mond Nickel Co. for $100,000 in 1910. Mond Nickel Co. quickly re-staked the neighbouring claim on the northwestern section of Lot 7, Concession 6, McKim after it lapsed in 1909.

Although the neighbouring Stobie Mine was operational until 1901, it wasn’t until 1899 that they sent a drill crew to explore the number 3 mine which by then was also as the Frood property. After they found a sizeable ore body, they hurriedly sank a shaft and erected some crude mine buildings and a rail spur. The following year the mine began production. Difficulties in separation and processing of the ores forced the CCC to close the mine in 1903 after producing 110,545 tons of ore.

The CCC (later INCO) anticipating an early closure of the Creighton Mine hastily reopened the Frood Mine in 1913. Inco deepened shafts number 1 and 2 and built a larger shaft house, added a larger hoist, rock house, along with supporting buildings. In anticipation of a large operation, the firm surveyed and incorporated a village site known as the Town of Frood Mine. That same year INCO built nine homes and a rooming house, complete with a post office, dryhouse, following a year later with a school. The mine was operational by 1914 but closed barely a year later after producing 174,354 tons of ore. The discovery of a larger ore body at the Creighton Mine, and the difficulties of processing the Frood ores, were again the main factor for its closure.

The Mond Nickel Company was by then searching for additional ores to honour its war commitment. Drill crews and shaft sinkers extensively probed the two claims forming the Frood Extension in 1913. The company even built a large camp to house the men. The Frood spur was pushed from the Stobie Mine’s spur to reach the site. By 1915, they discovered ore at a depth and discontinued the work when the shaft reached the 1,000-foot level. Once Mond shut down the property, the post office and school quickly followed suit.

In 1924 INCO reopened the Frood deposit for additional exploration. It soon became apparent that the site contained 90 million tons of nickel-copper ore. They resurrected the small townsite which quickly became home to over 100 men who lived at the site, some with their families. The post office reopened once more in 1926. Activity underground had resumed on both properties. INCO had commenced the sinking of its deepest shaft, the number 3, and built a larger shaft house. In 1925 Mond also reopened their deposit and began preliminary work by erecting a proper shaft house, hoist and additional buildings. This time there was no turning back.

Mond began erecting a townsite on the property, hurriedly building 25 homes, a three-storey bunkhouse and cookery. They also established a company store and added a schoolhouse. The two sites filled quickly accommodating 400 residents. INCO’s townsite, although the smallest, contained 150 residents.

By 1926 the die was cast. Both companies had deepened their production shafts down to 2,000 feet and began raising ore. However the fragile balance established by both firms was about to become upset. In 1926 they found the Frood Mine and Frood Extension were one continuous ore body. In 1928, INCO had sunk a five-compartment shaft to 3,040 feet and Mond, a four-compartment shaft to 3,345 feet. The Mond workings were extensively developed to exploit ten levels at 400, 750, 900, 1,200, 1,400, 1,700, 2,000, 2,400, 2,800 and 3,300 feet. Serious money was now at stake.

In order to process all the Frood ores, Mond would have had to spend over $12 million to expand their smelting, refinery, and mine facilities. INCO had already spent $10 million on the property by 1926 and was planning to spend another $14 million to complete its necessary upgrades. Both firms realized that each other’s operations would soon hamper the workings and tie up good rich ore, lost in the creation of buffer zones. Duplicating the same processing facilities would waste millions and create an unsafe working environment for the hundreds of miners working below ground. There was only one solution, a merger between the two largest nickel producers, the Mond Nickel Company and INCO.

In 1928 Alfred Mond (Lord Melchett), Chairman of the Mond Nickel Company, and Robert C. Stanley, President of INCO, met to discuss the merger. The direct result was an immediate agreement between the two men. A simple exchange of shares integrated the Mond Nickel Company within INCO. January 1, 1969 saw the quick and quiet merger without any complications of changes. To this there was only exception, the Frood Mine properties.

Following completion of the merger, focus shifted to working the Frood Mine to full production. INCO soon realized the combined properties contained no less than 43.5 million tons of high grade ore with 91 million tons of lower grade ore also outlined. Besides that, they then discovered the defunct Stobie Mine was also an extension of the Frood property and found nearly 14 more million tons of ore. INCO quickly upgraded their facilities to incorporate a daily supply of 10,000 tons of ore from the Frood Mine alone.

The stock market crash in the fall of 1929 had very little effect on the firm. However, by the following year, the general malaise of the economy led to a deep depression in the nickel markets and it was necessary to drastically curtailed production levels. By 1931 only 173 residents lived on both townsites. INCO didn’t make much use of the Frood Extension townsite, apart from a few homes. By contrast, the Frood Mine townsite, which housed the managerial staff, was still fully occupied.

By 1934 INCO recovered financially and ready to increase production. They drew up plans for an open pit and the project finally commenced on a large scale in 1936. They followed by removing the Frood Extension mine buildings and townsite. The post office closed in 1937. They added a few additional homes to the INCO townsite, however by 1941 the settlement only contained 70 residents.

A decade later the open pit was nearing its end after gouging a 200-foot deep hole in the Frood-Stobie pit. Underground operations eventually resumed at the Frood and Stobie mines. By 1948, work commenced at the Stobie Mine. That involved connection the underground workings to those at Frood. The Frood pit closed for good in 1952 and underground operations fully resumed.

As a result of all the new activity at the mine, INCO revamped the small townsite in 1951 to include additional homes. By then there were 24 dwellings for the additional supervisory staff of the Stobie-Frood Mine. The following year the population had grown to 109 residents and by 1956 had increased further to 124.

In 1959 the city of Sudbury applied to the provincial government for permission to annex the remainder of McKim Township and the town of Frood Mine. The city approved amalgamation in 1960 much to the disappointment of INCO. The company responded by shutting down the townsite. By 1966 only a small population of 19 people left and by 1971 none remained. INCO removed the townsite in the 1970’s completing its revenge against the city of Sudbury.

Mining activity continued despite the loss of the townsite. By 1968 the infamous number 3 shaft contained two underground shafts, numbers 4 and 5. They sank number 4 shaft to a depth of 3,200 feet from its earlier level of 2,783. Shaft number 6 reached 3,390 feet, number 7 reached 3,105 feet, and number 8, 2,624 feet. They completed the number 9 production shaft in 1969 and began operations. Number 9 replaced the older production shafts. Stobie Mine was the site of shaft numbers 6 to 9, however by this time INCO was treating operations as if it were a single mine. The numbers 7 and 9 had been deepened to 3,892 feet and 2,774 feet respectively.

In 1999, INCO officially shut down operation on number 3 shaft thereby ending the Frood Mine’s long history. INCO’s Frood Mine headframe finally came crashing down in 2005, however number 3 shaft is still in operation and continues to produce. Stobie’s shaft still stands and produces to this day continuing the legacy of mining on the Frood deposit.