Bessemer

In Mayo Township the land was rich in iron deposits as having been recently discovered by two men named William Coe & Harry Johnson. All that was needed now was a way to ship out the precious minerals.

To solve the shipping matter, in the late 1890's a subsidiary company under control of the COR was formed. It's name was The Bessemer & Barry's Bay Railway Company (B&BR - inc. 1904). The name Bessemer was derived from the namesake of a man named Harry Bessemer. He was an Englishman who had developed a process for making steel from cast iron.

The B&BR was granted permisson to construct a railway line from the COR (Central Ontario Railway) to the Child's Mine. On the other side of the main line, another railway spur was constructed to the Bessemer Mine. Between the two mines they produced almost 3000 tons during the first year and 100,000 over their entire course.

In between the two mines, a small town contained the company store and a boarding house. The mine itself consisted of an open cut, three open pits and a 72 metre deep shaft.

The Mineral Range Iron Mining Company began working at the two mines in 1901. From 1901 until 1907 they continued to operate a mine at Bessemer. In 1909 until 1910 the Canada Iron Corporation took over. A total of 90350 tonned of ore was produced.

The mines closed in 1914 and today nothing remains except for a gravestone belonging to a member of the Child's family.

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