Mattie Mitchell, a prospector and guide of Mi'kmaq and Montagnais ancestry employed by AND, is credited with the original discovery of zinc-lead-copper ore on the banks of the Buchans River.

Unfortunately, no milling process at the time could adequately separate the complex mixture of copper, lead and zinc sulphides.

In 1916, the American Smelting and Refining Company (Asarco) learned of the Buchans River ore deposit and obtained samples for metallurgical testing.

This prospecting led to the discoveries that would ensure a long and prosperous mining operation at Buchans and the construction of a permanent company town.

Oriental orebody, named due to its location east of Buchans River, was discovered on August 7, 1926.

It was named after Dr. Hugh J. MacLean, Asarco's chief geologist in Buchans from 1941 until his tragic death in a bush plane crash at South Pond in 1951.

Between 1927 and 1984, the years of Asarco mining at Buchans, a total of twenty-three men lost their lives in accidents.

At that time, most of the buildings and equipment at the site were removed; the three houses for airstrip staff were relocated to Buchans.

When passable, it still provides access for local residents and visitors to the Lloyd's Valley and Southwest Brook areas.

In 1929, the company constructed tennis courts, a ski run, an athletic field, and, in winter months, converted one of its concentrate sheds into a skating rink.

Company support, subsidization and direction also continued during that time for most of the town's major recreational services.

This settlement was named after the fictional community of "Pigeon Inlet" created by Newfoundland writer Ted Russell.

Games were played on nearby ponds, and eventually of the two large Asarco ore sheds on the north side of the town was converted each season into a skating/hockey rink.

Buchans was among the towns on the island to compete for the Herder Memorial Trophy, fielding senior teams from the 1930s through to 1969.

Buchans Minor Hockey Association sported impressive local Pee-Wee and Bantam leagues.

From the 1960s through the early 1980s, Buchans Atom, Pee-Wee, Bantam and Midget teams frequently won championships in NAHA's B divisions.

There was also a brief resurgence of championship wins in E-H divisions for Pee-Wee, Bantam and Midget teams from Buchans in the 1990s.

Pulp and Paper Limited (Incorporated in 1962 replacing AND co - would later become Abitibi-Price then Abitibi-Bowater) signed a new contract whereby Price repossessed its original mineral exploration rights over the entire 1905 A.N.D.

In 1980/1981, Asarco also mined a 2,000+ ton bulk sample by way of an adit developed at the Tulks Hill Lead-Zinc orebody near the southwestern corner of Red Indian Lake.

This work was also complemented with a multitide of studies, water and soil monitoring activities, and mine site decommissioning/demolition projects throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Companies including but not limited to Amec and Boojum have studied the area and aided in the remediation efforts.

With expropriation, responsibility for the land and assets in the Red Indian Lake watershed area, including Buchans, mostly came to rest with the provincial government's crown corporation - Nalcor.

In recent months and years, in light of the financial difficulties of involved companies and some community interest, the provincial government has taken a renewed interest in one of the remaining stages of Buchans mine remediation - an older "tailings spill" area located to the southwest of the Town.

Testing of one of the samples from this tailings area re-confirmed the (expected) presence of lead, one of the metals mined at Buchans.

The 2010 Newfoundland and Labrador budget included $4 million to aid in the beautification, final cleanup and additional remediation of this site.

There has been intermittent renewed private interest in the recycling of mine tailings to remove Barite for use in engineering services related to offshore drilling.

It remains a tourist destination - especially for people interested in fishing, hunting, hiking, other outdoor activities or learning about the town's rich mining heritage.

Fundraising efforts at these events, as well as others such as the annual "Save Our Plant" (SOP) curling bonspiel help ensure that the residents of Buchans are able to continue to maintain and enjoy many of the exceptional recreational facilities and amenities established during the Asarco mining era.

It has significant seasonal lag, which renders September to be only slightly cooler than June in spite of much less daylight.

Buchans receives relatively high precipitation year-round, causing plenty of snowfall in winter.