Thomas Creighton
Encyclopedia
Thomas Creighton was a prospector
who found mineral deposits in Saskatchewan
.
With his partners Jack and Dan Mosher, Creighton discovered gold on the west side of Amisk Lake
in 1913. This was the first significant mineral in the area, leading to an influx of more than a thousand men and women from all over Canada. By 1914 a row of tents and log cabins, along with two cookhouses capable of feeding two hundred people at a time, developed at a place known as "Beaver City". Soon a freighting business was set up, then barns and boarding houses were also built to look after the many travellers. With the gold rush
, the freighting industry, and the fishing industry, the boom town
Beaver City seemed sustainable. However, when the First World War broke out, many left or moved to Sturgeon Landing to find work in the Mandy Mine there. Beaver City began to deteriorate, and by 1918 had practically become a ghost town
.
One day whilst wandering in the wilderness
he came upon a copy of The Sunless City
by J.E. Preston Muddock
. The story is about a man named Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin, who piloted a submarine
through a bottomless lake. Upon passing through a hole lined with gold, he found a strange underground world. When Tom Creighton discovered a rich vein of almost pure copper
, he thought of the book and called it Flin Flon
's mine, mercifully shortening the name.
The Town of Creighton
was founded in the 1930s, when some twenty homes were built on either side of the winter trail between Flin Flon and Sandy Bay (Denare
). The community grew somewhat after the Saskatchewan Department of Natural Resources constructed a road from Flin Flon to Amisk Lake.
A commemorative cairn
to Thomas Creighton is located on Main Street near Creighton School. In 1978, the National Film Board of Canada
produced the short documentary Canada Vignettes: Flin Flon about the origin of the city's name.
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
who found mineral deposits in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
.
With his partners Jack and Dan Mosher, Creighton discovered gold on the west side of Amisk Lake
Amisk Lake
Amisk Lake is a lake of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is located in east-central Saskatchewan near a copper mine.-Fish Species:...
in 1913. This was the first significant mineral in the area, leading to an influx of more than a thousand men and women from all over Canada. By 1914 a row of tents and log cabins, along with two cookhouses capable of feeding two hundred people at a time, developed at a place known as "Beaver City". Soon a freighting business was set up, then barns and boarding houses were also built to look after the many travellers. With the gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
, the freighting industry, and the fishing industry, the boom town
Boomtown
A boomtown is a community that experiences sudden and rapid population and economic growth. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although the term can also be applied to communities growing very rapidly for different reasons,...
Beaver City seemed sustainable. However, when the First World War broke out, many left or moved to Sturgeon Landing to find work in the Mandy Mine there. Beaver City began to deteriorate, and by 1918 had practically become a ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
.
One day whilst wandering in the wilderness
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
he came upon a copy of The Sunless City
The Sunless City
The Sunless City: From the Papers and Diaries of the Late Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin is a dime novel written by J. E. Preston Muddock in 1905. The novel is about a prospector named Josiah Flintabbaty Flonatin who explores a bottomless lake in a submarine, and discovers a land where everything is...
by J.E. Preston Muddock
J.E. Preston Muddock
James Edward Preston Muddock also known as "Joyce Emmerson Preston Muddock" and "Dick Donovan" , was a prolific British journalist and author of mystery and horror fiction. For a time his detective stories were as popular as those of Arthur Conan Doyle...
. The story is about a man named Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin, who piloted a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
through a bottomless lake. Upon passing through a hole lined with gold, he found a strange underground world. When Tom Creighton discovered a rich vein of almost pure copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, he thought of the book and called it Flin Flon
Flin Flon
Flin Flon is a Canadian mining city located on the border of Manitoba and Saskatchewan, with the majority of the city located within Manitoba.- Founding :...
's mine, mercifully shortening the name.
The Town of Creighton
Creighton, Saskatchewan
Creighton, Saskatchewan was named after Thomas Creighton. It had a 2006 census population of 1,502 inhabitants, down 3.47% from 1,556 inhabitants in 2001.The town lies beside the Saskatchewan-Manitoba border, adjacent to Flin Flon, Manitoba...
was founded in the 1930s, when some twenty homes were built on either side of the winter trail between Flin Flon and Sandy Bay (Denare
Denare Beach, Saskatchewan
Denare Beach is a community on the east shore of Amisk Lake, Saskatchewan.It has a permanent population of about 770. This doubles in the summer when cabin owners return.-History:...
). The community grew somewhat after the Saskatchewan Department of Natural Resources constructed a road from Flin Flon to Amisk Lake.
A commemorative cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
to Thomas Creighton is located on Main Street near Creighton School. In 1978, the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
produced the short documentary Canada Vignettes: Flin Flon about the origin of the city's name.