Cobalt Heritage Silver Trail

A Town That Boomed In 1903 When Silver Was Found During Railway Construction, Once Among The Richest Silver Camps In The World, Now A Heritage Mining Town With A Self Guided Silver Trail Of Headframes And Shafts, The Northern Ontario Mining Museum, The Colonial Mine And A Main Street Of Brick Buildings. A Quiet Stop On The Highway 11 Route To Timmins And The Clay Belt · Cobalt, Ontario

Cobalt is a small town of about a thousand people in the Temiskaming district of north-eastern Ontario, on Highway 11B, a short drive south of Haileybury and New Liskeard. In 1903 silver ore was found during construction of the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway, and within a few years the camp had thousands of prospectors, dozens of mines and some of the richest silver ever taken from the ground anywhere in Canada at the time. The rush faded as the veins ran out, but the town kept its brick main street, its steep rock-cut lanes and a remarkable collection of headframes, shafts and mine buildings. A self-guided Heritage Silver Trail links the main sites with signs, and the Northern Ontario Mining Museum explains the rock, the people and the work. Some mine tours run in summer, but many old workings are open hazards, so keep to marked paths, respect every fence and confirm what is open first.

Cobalt, a former silver-mining town in the Temiskaming district of north-eastern Ontario on Highway 11B, about 10 km south of New Liskeard and 100 km north of North Bay; coordinates approximate, Cobalt, Ontario, Canada

The town and the silver trail signs are open all year and can be seen free at any hour of daylight. The Northern Ontario Mining Museum and the Colonial Mine tour usually run in summer, often from late May or June to early September, with shorter days or bookings only in spring and autumn, so confirm opening days and times before you drive up. Cafes and shops keep small-town hours and may close on Sundays and holidays. Winter is long and cold, with snow on the lanes, most attractions shut and the trail best seen from the car.

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