Exploring the Bessmer Mine,
The small Magnetite mother load in near Bancroft
By: Michal Adamowicz, rockhound

Anyone that has ever explored or done research into exploring the Bancroft area from minerals must at some time have stumbled upon the Bessemer Mine. This mine was probably the third mine I read about in the area before I begun collecting.

This mine to me has been my unicorn. I have tried to get to it so many times but something kept stopping me from finding it. First time I was totally in the wrong directions and I ended up wondering is some woods for half an hour. Second I was closer but I ended up in a swamp, the swamp that you pass on the way to the mine. Thirdly I was going to go there but along the road my muffler got loose and I had to turn back. Finally on the forth time I made it and found it. It felt good to finally arrive at this elusive place.

Now what is the Bessmer Mine you ask? Well I will of course tell you.

The mine resonates especially with collectors in this region because it was the largest producer of iron ore near Bancroft. The mine originally started in 1901, so it is quite an old mine for the area. The mine consisted of an open cut, three open pits, and a shaft that was 72 meters deep. If you go to the mine all you will be able to find is an open pit. Others are located around but can be hard to find once the leaves return in the spring. The mine was also located near the Rankin & Childs Mine which were also iron mines.

Now you know what the mine was, ok not how to get there. From Bancroft, head onto highway 28 Northeast. You will pass the Princess Sodalite Mine shop & the York River. Keep on driving along this highway for 20.9 kilometers from Bancroft until you come to Bessemer Road. Turn right onto Bessemer road. Follow Bessmer Road straight until you come to a T in the road. The right will be Reves road, & the left will be Bessemer road. Go left & follow Bessemer road. Always keep right on the road. You will pass Adams road on the left, then the Sharrow Creek with a road leading to the Rankin mine right after the creek on the right. Keep on going straight. You will then pass McCaw road on the left. Keep right. Finally you will pass Foster Lake road, keep to the right. After the intersection with Foster Lake road the road will deteriorate with many small stones on the road. The road is drivable just don’t hurry too much. Keep on following this road, if you do you will see a small clearing to the right & a small march/lake on the right with many submerged trees. Keep on going straight. Soon you will come to a gate with orange post on the right. This is the road to the mine & is also a logging road, it receives little traffic but just to be safe park on the side before the gate just in case a car or truck needs to pass. So here you are, the mine is now near. Just follow the road after the gate. It will take a turn to the right and then it will head down. There should be a small clearing & you should be able to be see Little Mullet lake on the left through the trees, & a fenced water filled pit on the right. There also will be some ruins further down the road of the pit & the dumps on the left side of the road. The distance from the gate to the mine is about 200 meters.

This is the road to the mine. Note the orange gate posts.



Ok now you are at the mine, so what now? Well that’s easy you begin exploring. I will mention to have some bug spray though. When I was there ,there was no mosquito issues but Horseflies were an issue, but not too bad just an annoyance of having to swipe at them. The dumps you can’t miss they are on the road on the left before the road turns left after the clearing. The dumps aren’t too big but they do offer a nice view from the dumps overlooking the lake. The lake also has bass & pan fish in case you want to throw in a line.

Alright, enough of the history lesson, now to the minerals. The dumps are by far the main source for collecting here. You can try around the water filled pit, but its fruitless and dangerous, the pit is very deep & I recommend not risking yourself. The dumps are where you want to go.

This is the open pit. There is little of interest here & its dangerous to come too close here as the water is deep.


This is the clearing. The dumps are on the left, the open pit & ruins on the right.


This is part of the dumps, viewed from the road.


This is the view from the dumps overlooking Little Mullet Lake.


This is the top of the dump looking toward the road.


This is some of the ruins near the pit.


Here is some magnetite octahedrals i found in calcite. They are about 1-2 mm long



The main mineral at the dumps of course is magnetite. There are raw magnetite samples ranging from small pebbles to large 200lb boulders & more. There are rumors of finding magnetite octahedral but that is not easy I assure you. Some octahedrals can be found in small vugs in the magnetite rocks, and in thin bands of pink calcite that is also present in the magnetite. The few magnetite octahedrals that I found were small (2 millimetres or less) and usually attached to the magnetite. There are small amounts of green Epidote & cherry red garnet. If you are lucky you might find a small sample of Garnet or Epidote that shows some crystal structure. The sample I found of epidote were very small but had some structure to them. With ought doubt the main reason to come here is for the magnetite pieces. There are so many you can be bringing back home buckets full of samples. And since they are magnetic that gives them a nice quality not to mention their metallic look & weight.

Believe it or not, the top of the dumps is a nice place for a break or lunch. The area is very quiet with the only sound being the wind through the trees, jumping bass, & the occasional bird call. On a sunny day the place is warm as the rock heats up and is very relaxing to sit and listen to the sounds of nature.

When you are looking at the dumps, there are no secret spaces to look. All the easy stuff on the top has been shifter through but if you look very carefully you will always find something. The smallest samples are on the top of the dumps while the largest boulders are near the bottom. It is probably easier to go through the smaller stuff since if you find something it is easier to break up a 5lb rock compared to a 100lb rock. The dumps are a bit unstable the lower you go so be careful, I almost had a 50lb boulder crush my finders. The best way to look for samples is true rockhound style, on your hands & knees. This method increases your stability on the slopes & makes it easier to find and get samples.

So here you have it, Bessemer Mine. Here is a summary of the site.

Advantages:
1.) Potential for large magnetite samples
2.) Located near other sites (Rankin Mine & Childs Mine)
3.) Easy to get to from road
4.) Has some ruins
5.) Potential for fishing
6.) Isolated from major rock hound traffic
7.) Some magnetite octahedrals can be found
8.) Mineral found: Magnetite(lots), Pyrite(small amounts), Calcite(very small amounts), Epidote(very small amounts), Garnet(really small amounts)

Disadvantages:
1.) Few samples except magnetite
2.) There are rumors that this mine might be reopened again.
3.) The road is a bit rough
4.) Most of the building ruins & mine pits are overgrown

Overall this is a good site for magnetite, but not for much else. Its not a bad idea to check this mine out if you are in the area, not to mention if you want to do some fishing in Big & Little Mullet Lakes. The site has historic interest if that is your thing.

Thanks for reading. Rockhound safe & with determination.

In order to leave comments to this article, you must be registered