Thompson Nickel Discovery

Thompson Nickel Discovery is a Manitoba Heritage Council commemoration in Thompson, Manitoba.

Manitoba · Thompson · location approximate

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After ten years of extensive aerial surveys, the International Nickel Company (INCO) announced in 1956 the discovery of a large, high-grade ore deposit south of the Burntwood River. The magnitude of the nickel discovery led Manitoba to negotiate a comprehensive agreement with INCO to ensure the orderly growth of a new single-resource community, named after the company’s Chairman, Dr. John F. Thompson. Separate negotiations led to the construction of two railway branch lines and the Kelsey Generating Station on the Nelson River, both essential to the nickel-refining operation. On March 26, 1961, the first integrated nickel mining, smelting, concentrating, and refining complex in the Western Hemisphere was officially opened. Thompson’s location significantly altered the culture and geography of northern Manitoba. New roads opened the north for recreation, tourism, and commerce. The Thompson mine and smelter complex became the largest in Manitoba and a major contributor to the provincial economy.

Français

Après dix ans de relevés aériens approfondis, la International Nickel Company (INCO) a annoncé en 1956 la découverte d’un important gisement de minerai à forte teneur en nickel au sud de la rivière Burntwood. L’importance du gisement a entraîné le Manitoba à négocier une entente complète avec Inco pour garantir la croissance harmonieuse d’une nouvelle collectivité à vocation unique, nommée en l’honneur du président de l’entreprise, M. John F. Thompson. Des négociations distinctes ont mené à la construction de deux embranchements ferroviaires et de la centrale électrique Kelsey sur le fleuve Nelson, éléments essentiels aux opérations de raffinage du nickel. Le 25 mars 1961, le seul complexe intégré d’extraction, de fusion, de concentration et de raffinage du nickel dans l’hémisphère ouest a officiellement ouvert ses portes. L’emplacement de Thompson a modifié de façon importante la culture et la géographie du Nord du Manitoba. De nouvelles routes ont été construites à des fins récréatives, touristiques et commerciales. Le complexe mine et fonderie de Thompson est devenu le plus grand au Manitoba et contribue considérablement à l’économie de la province.

This is the Manitoba Heritage Council’s text as the Historic Resources Branch publishes it. The Branch calls these plaque inscriptions and says they reflect the time they were written; TreeAlive has not compared them with the plaques themselves, so a plaque may read differently. The Branch’s plaque list ↗

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Plaque text and location: Manitoba Heritage Council Commemorative Plaques, Historic Resources Branch, Government of Manitoba, as the Branch publishes them on its plaque pages. The text is the Manitoba Heritage Council’s text as the Branch publishes it; the pin on this page is ours, worked out from the location the Branch gives and marked approximate. Contains information from the Government of Manitoba, licensed under the OpenMB Information and Data Use License (Manitoba.ca/OpenMB)
TreeAlive is an independent project and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by the Manitoba Heritage Council, the Historic Resources Branch or the Government of Manitoba.
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