I had heard about this place through a fellow explorer although he wasn't entirely sure where it was. He had found it by accident after making a series of wrong turns while on his way elsewhere.
The refinery was first opened by Silanco Mining and Refining Company in 1949. A smelter was built by Cobalt Chemical and Refinery Company in 1949, but burned down the following year. It was rebuilt again by 1954 but soon closed again due to changes in the refining process.
Gold was first discovered on the site of the Kerr Addison Mine in 1911. In 1938, a new manager would take over making the mine one of Canada’s highest producers.
Operations began here in August of 1940 with the newly-formed Crown Corporation, Small Arms Limited. This company established a factory in Long Branch, Ontario that would see some form of government service until its demolition in the 1990's.
The southern building was a restaurant, while the northern building was the motel. Units lined the front and back with a connecting corridor down the centre.
This place gives you the creeps pretty much the moment you walk in. Perhaps it's the fact that the beds are made, or that everything looks very lived-in. Perhaps it's the number of personal belongings scattered everywhere that you can't imagine anyone leaving without. Perhaps it's something else.
At the moment, the history I've been able to find is a little sketchy. Apparently, sometime prior to 1960, Hay and Company opened this mill. It was later sold to Weldwood Veneer, and finally purchased by Martin Veneer.
The Government of Canada began a program of assimilation of the native population. To this end, many schools were opened, mostly by religious entities, across the country. These schools would teach English culture to native children and weed out their own language and way of life.
Opened in 1957, Millbrook Correctional Centre became the Ontario Government's only maximum security facility. It would also see a significant amount of trouble during its 46 years of service.
