In 1928, an experienced prospector and businessman Thayer Lindsley purchased mining claims containing rich deposits of nickel-copper ore in the area northeast of Sudbury.

[2] These claims had been established as early as 1901, when Thomas Edison made the original discovery of the Falconbridge ore body, but remained undeveloped until Lindsley's purchase.

[citation needed] Soon thereafter, planning and construction of a company town began, to house and service workers for the future mines.

By 1930 ore from an underground mine was being extracted at 250 tonnes per day, and a nearby smelter was in operation to process the material.

In 1962, Falconbridge acquired Ventures Limited, including its numerous international operations and geological exploration infrastructure, allowing further expansion and growth outside of Canada.

In 1971 the Falconbridge Dominicana (Falcondo) mine and process plant commenced operation in Bonao, Dominican Republic.

To aid in community development, the Falcondo Foundation was established in 1989 and has been a pioneer in Natural Resource Corporate Social Responsibility.

The late 1970s saw the company play a role, alongside Inco, in the environmental reclamation efforts undertaken in the Sudbury region.

This commercially saleable chemical had been a source of significant ecological damage when it was produced in the atmosphere by the reaction of sulfur dioxide emissions.

Expansion continued in the 1990s, with a new mine in Sudbury, and one at Raglan in northern Quebec, though Falconbridge lost the bidding war with Inco for the deposit at Voisey's Bay.

Noranda brought significant variety to the business, including operations in aluminum mining and recycling of electronic hardware.

[8] At the time of the Xstrata takeover, Falconbridge had major operations in and around the Sudbury Basin, including the Craig, Fraser, and Thayer Lindsley underground copper/nickel mines, as well as a mill (Strathcona), nickel smelter, sulfuric acid plant, and a technology centre.

In 2005, Falconbridge had started the Deposit Definition phase of the Nickel Rim South mine near the Sudbury Airport.

Swiss Xstrata, already 19.9% owner of Falconbridge through its purchase of Brascan's share,[8] bid for a complete acquisition, while Teck Cominco of Vancouver set its sights on Inco.

Xstrata acquired and absorbed Falconbridge in late August 2006, leaving Inco open to bids by Phelps Dodge and the Brazilian company CVRD.

Citizens, particularly workers and their families, came to develop an attachment to what were seen as local companies with significant size and influence in the mining industry.

A proposal to merge Inco and Falconbridge in 2006 was headed with the slogan "Two proud histories, one great future",[13] in reference to the strong identities which workers and the community had attached to the companies.