Kirkland Lake Miners' Memorial

After ten years of hard work the Miners' Memorial project culminated on July 25, 1994, when the Monument was completed and donated to the town of Kirkland Lake during its 75th anniversary celebration.

The federal and provincial governments also made important contributions as did a Rita MacNeil benefit.

Further, once all of the components of the Monument were created, they were assembled by miners who volunteered their spare time to see their project completed.

Its black granite stone and bronzed figures speak to the timelessness of the miner, while the lawn and picnic tables in the park surrounding it facilitate the meeting of the past and present.

This speaks to the manner in which the monument encourages remembrance and reconciliation with the past in order to provide a basis upon which the community's future can be forged.

2The monument was not supposed to be a cold monolith embodying only the danger of underground work, and it is instead a memorial infused with the miners’ experiences.

However, the bridge was torn down after it became a safety hazard, leaving a spatial vacuum of cultural significance that the Miners’ Memorial now occupies.

3 Secondly, the Monument was constructed on the former property of Harry Oakes, one of the town's most influential mine owners and a man who was Canada's largest tax payer during the 1930s.3,4 As an historical figure, Oakes is central in many of the town's histories and was the founder of Lakeshore Mine.

'6 That the Monument stands upon Oakes’ property is important because it helps brings memories of the town's miners and the mine owners together to present a more complete local history.

3,8 In addition to the historical, cultural and identity roles of the Monument outlined above, it carries further significance to the community.

A few of these are: -The Monument inspired Bernie Jaworsky to write Lamps Forever Lit: A Memorial To Kirkland Lake Area Miners.

-The figure working the mucker was featured in commemorative mining stamp produced by the Canada Post3 -The Monument and its park are currently host to community picnics and seasonal caroling.

1 -It is featured in many textual discussions about the town, such as Bob Cowen's monograph and the flyer for Lamps7,9 1:Beveridge, Karl and Jude Johnston.