 |
When the dust settled and
the frantic goldrush to the Val d’Or area of Quebec in the 1930s was completed,
Pierre Beauchemin emerged as the foremost Quebec miner and one of Canada’s leading
mine developers [The National Miner]. |
Pierre Beauchemin
Renowned for his intuition, courage, and determination as a mining entrepreneur, Pierre Beauchemin, one of the foremost developers of Canadian mineral resources, provided the leadership which made the Sullivan group of mines in the Abitibi region of Quebec an extraordinarily profitable mining operation. By the 1930s, the frantic gold rush to Val d’Or, centre for the Sullivan mines, had become second in fame only to the celebrated Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. Beauchemin also established the Quebec Lithium Corporation which brought Canada’s first lithium mine into production.
Raised in the St. Lawrence River Valley and the Abitibi region north of Noranda, Quebec, Beauchemin gained his initial business experience in the lumber industry in Amos, Quebec. Like many others, he and his brothers encountered financial problems in the 1920s. Convinced that the mining industry offered better long-term prospects than lumbering, he persuaded his brothers to invest in a particular mining venture.
Although geologists and mining engineers saw little possibility of its development, Beauchemin concluded that the Sullivan mine in the nearby Val d’Or (Valley of Gold) area had significant potential. Years earlier, a prospector, Jim Sullivan, had discovered and begun to develop a small gold-bearing vein. A number of people in Amos, Quebec, had purchased stock in the Sullivan company. In 1927 Beauchemin and his brothers took a major financial interest in it.
The Sullivan mine was
brought into production in the spring of 1934. Soon the mill, which had been installed on
the property south and east of Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, was processing 500 tons of ore a
day. Beauchemin’s intuition had been correct.The Sullivan mine became a great
success.
|
When the dust settled and
the frantic goldrush to the Val d’Or area of Quebec in the 1930s was completed,
Pierre Beauchemin emerged as the foremost Quebec miner and one of Canada’s leading
mine developers [The National Miner]. |
Beauchemin used some of the profits from the Sullivan to acquire properties in Bourlamaque Township east of Val d’Or. Extensive drilling on a site southeast of Val d’Or brought disappointing results but Beauchemin was persuaded to continue. A large ore body containing copper, zinc, silver, and some gold was discovered. The site was incorporated as East Sullivan Mines Limited in 1944 and financed primarily through Beauchemin’s company, Sullivan Consolidated.
In addition to the East Sullivan Mine, Beauchemin also developed Quebec Copper in the Eastern Townships and contributed to the development of the Louvicourt Gold Fields. Sullivan Consolidated also began to develop the mineral potential of an area of more than ten thousand acres, 25 miles north of Val d’Or. The discovery and development of this property by the Quebec Lithium Corporation Limited led to Beauchemin’s designation as “Canada’s Mr. Lithium.”
Lithium, a silvery-white metal, is one of the lightest of all the solids. It is used today to increase the tensile strength of aluminum,magnesium, and aluminum-zinc alloys. An alloy of lithium and lead is used to cover electric cables. In addition to lithium’s industrial uses, a variety of lithium compounds are used for medical purposes.
The success Pierre Beauchemin gained through his perseverance and entrepreneurship established his reputation as one of Canada’s most accomplished mine developers. He was honoured by Laval University and the University of Montreal. When the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame was established in 1988 he was elected, posthumously, as a charter member of this select company of individuals who have made Canada’s mining industry known around the world.
