Kanuchuan Power Development
Overview
This article covers the history of the Kanuchuan Power Development for God’s Lake Gold Mine in Manitoba.
A 1900 Horsepower hydroelectric generating station was constructed in 1934-35 at Kanuchuan Rapids on the Island Lake River to supply power for the new gold mines at Elk Island in God’s Lake. The power was transmitted to Elk Island via a forty two mile long transmission line.
Gold Mine Information
In 1932 Robert Jowsey, and his associates, discovered gold on a small island situated north of the western tip of Elk Island in Gods Lake (Dept. of Mines and Natural Resources 5th Annual Report on Mines and Minerals, 1933 04-30). Note that an apostrophe is not used in the names of the lake or community. God’s Lake Gold Mines Limited was incorporated on June 19, 1933. Officers and directors of the company were: R.J. Jowsey, Toronto, president: H. R. Drummond-Hay, vice-president; R.E. Forde, treasurer; Fred Larn, secretary; and A.J. Milligan. The head office of the company was at 395 Main Street in Winnipeg (Dept. of Mines and Natural Resources 6th Annual Report on Mines and Minerals, 1934 04-30).
The company carried out a diamond drilling programs on Elk and Jowsey islands in 1933; and the results of this work, on the former, justified underground exploration. Therefore, the company ordered Tomlinson Construction Company Limited to deliver a mining and sinking plant by a 132 mile winter road from Ilford at Mile 286 on the Hudson Bay Railway to Gods Lake. In all 1,262 tons of freight were hauled to the property by April 10, 1933 (Dept. of Mines and Natural Resources 6th Annual Report on Mines and Minerals, 1934 04-30). The plan was to sink a shaft to a depth of 500 feet with 6,000 feet of underground work on three levels.
When
Surveys: 1932 Summer God’s River Alternative: March 12, 1933 – May18, 1934 Design: 1934 Mobilization; winter 1934 - 1935 Construction: 1934 – August 20, 1935 Spillway: 1936
Where
The Kanuchuan Generating Station is located at the Upper Kanuchuan Rapids on the Island Lake River. The Island Lake River flows from Island Lake to Gods Lake. The site is 6 kilometres upstream from Gods Lake. The area is 600 kilometres north east of Winnipeg and 130 miles south east of Ilford, Manitoba on the Hudson Bay Railway.
Access for personnel and small equipment was by small airplane on floats in summer and on skis in winter. Material and equipment was brought in on sleds by tractor train from Ilford. The route crossed the Bigstone River, Knee Lake on the Hayes River and Gods Lake. The 42 mile long transmission line commencing at Kanuchuan was located on the east side of the Kanuchuan River and Gods Lake. The line crossed Gods Lake to the southwest end of the island and ran on the island to the mill site.
Why
In the fall of 1932 gold was discovered on Elk Island in Gods Lake by R. J. (Bob) Jowsey and Archie McDonald. The initial find was on Jowsey Island a small island a few hundred metres west of Elk Island while looking for a camp site. On October 18, 1933 Gods Lake Gold Mines commenced drilling their #1 shaft. A second shaft was developed 1.5 kilometres west near the present Elk Island lodge and at least three additional shafts were sunk; Jowsey Island, Smelter Bay and Pumphouse Raise. Gold was mined from 1935 to 1943 (See WIKI on Gods Lake gold mines). The Kanuchuan hydroelectric power project and transmission line was built to supply power for the mines and mill. The mill and town was built west of Shaft #2.
How
Preliminary Engineering
Kanuchuan Rapids and the transmission line route were surveyed in 1932. While information on the engineers who made the survey could not be found, the engineer was likely William O. Chase, M.E.I.C., Member of the Professional Engineers of Ontario as Chase was involved in subsequent engineering. Chase noted in the following report on alternatives the Department of Natural Resources assisted with metering the flow in the Island Lake River. On March 12, 1933, William O. Chase, R. J. Jowsey and E. L. Brown made a reconnaissance flight of 60 miles of the Gods River downstream of Gods Lake looking for a rumored 38 foot waterfall for a power site. No such rapids were found and they decided to investigate a 4 foot rapid 45 miles downstream of Gods Lake and 75 miles from the Elk Island gold discovery.
March 17, 1933 a survey was made of the site and the river for 3 miles upstream. The high banks at the site and rapids upstream led them to believe a head of 27 feet could be developed. In addition a control structure at the outlet from Gods Lake into the Gods River was investigated that would provide a flow of 4400 cfs by controlling the 400 square mile lake.
Cost estimates were prepared for a 12,000 horsepower power plant with 2 – 3000 HP units initially and 2 future units. The power would be transmitted by a 75 mile long 66 K.V. transmission line.
A report dated May 18, 1934 was prepared by W. O. Chase. The report compared the Gods River site to the Kanuchuan site and stated “If you (Gods River Gold Mines) believe that the probable requirements for power by your Company may ultimately reach the neighborhood of five thousand horse power or if you believe that the total power requirements of the God’s Lake district may exceed that amount, then there should be no hesitation in preferring the God’s River site, rather than the Island River Kanuchuan site for development, by reason of its much greater ultimate capacity”. Nevertheless, the Kanuchuan site was selected. It was designed by W. O. Chase and constructed in 1934-35. Design drawings by Chase are dated October 17, 1934 and revised to As Constructed 1934/35.
Material and Equipment Mobilization
Mobilization was by Hudson Bay Railroad to Mile 286 near Ilford, then by tractor and sled train via the 130 mile winter trail to Gods Lake. Over 8200 tons of freight was hauled in for the mines, mill, and power development, 1600 tons for Kanuchuan. The freight for Kanuchuan was hauled in during the winter of 1934-35. It included the turbine, generator, 4 single phase transformers (1 spare) cement, steel frame building, construction equipment, camp, and conductors and many other items.
Power Plant
A 1100 foot long intake channel was excavated from the left river bank with the excavated material forming a dike on the river side of the channel for a distance of 700 feet, where it makes a 30 degree bend to the left cutting across a sharp bend in the river. The generating station is located 400 feet below the bend. The tailrace was excavated another 400 feet to rejoin the river. The picture on the left shows dump wagons used in the construction.
The intake structure consists of a floored timber crib base with five timber crib piers to make four 16 foot openings with stop-logs and trash racks. A rock fill dam 200 feet long with a clay blanket seal on the upstream face makes the closure between the intake structure and the crib work forming the spillway channel along the right bank. Normal operating head was 14 feet.
The generating station was designed for three 1,900 horse power units with one unit installed initially. The generating station is a concrete substructure with a steel and wood superstructure. A 15 ton hand operated crane was provided to handle the heavy equipment.
The generation equipment is an Allis-Chalmers 1900 hp, 144 rpm, 18 foot head vertical propeller type turbine with an elbow type draft tube. The generator is Canadian General Electric 1600 kva, 2300 volt, 60 cycle, 3 phase with a direct connected exciter. A bank of 3-1200 kva single phase 44000/2300 volt O.I.S.C. transformers is located on the south side of the generating station with disconnects to switch the spare transformer. The control room encloses the main switchboard with battery and rheostats and station service transformers located in the basement. A wood stove heated the basement and control room through two grates in the floor of the control room above.
Spillway
The spillway was constructed in 1937 to pass high flows in the Island Lake River. The spillway channel is approximately 150 feet wide leading about 200 feet to the spillway structure. The structure consists of 6 timber crib piers sheeted with 2 inch planks and 1 inch boards, which with the spillway channel crib formed six - 16 foot sluiceways, with 12” x 12” stop logs to control the flow. The centre pier is located over a 6 foot depression in the rock. The opening was filled a crib to support the pier and the adjacent space was filled with rock. A timber floor was placed over the rock fill. A sill for the stop logs was constructed of concrete about a foot high with a top width of 2 feet.
Transmission Line
The 44 K.V. transmission line was built with 40 foot local wood poles and 2 cross arms. Poles were spaced at approximately 300 feet. The conductors were half inch diameter of 6 strands of aluminum and 1of steel.
The 42 mile long line was on the southeast side of Gods Lake to near the southwest end of Elk Island. Here it turned west on a peninsula, reefs and timber cribs to Elk Island and the mill site.
Stories
While in operation the mine supported a local population of 400 people and a town that included a clubhouse, ice rink, movie house and church. The mine was shut down in 1943.
The power plant remained in service with a caretaker for a number of years supplying a small amount of power to a local camp. Manitoba Hydro’s 1966 report notes the station was still operating at reduced power and head as part of the spillway washed out.
The Kanuchuan project is not mentioned in ‘A History of Electric Power in Manitoba’ although Manitoba Hydro produced the report named in the References and two subsequent reports on hydro power in the area.
A tractor train of ore concentrate fell through the ice. It was known for many years the gold was at the bottom of the lake and an engineer who is also a diver, Bruce Kondratuk P. Eng., attempted to recover the ore in the 1980’s. The difficult conditions and high cost resulted in less than a break even on the sale of the ore and the project was abandoned.
In February 2001 Manitoba Department of Industry, Trade and Mines called tenders for safety and clean-up of the mine shafts and ancillary works including the removal of the transmission line poles and conductor. The work did not proceed until after a retender in 2007. A separate tender was called for the removal of the transformers and safety work at Kanuchuan such as closing hatches.
Elk Island Lodge still operates in the original town site offering spectacular fresh water sport fishing in a tremendous wilderness setting. Over the past few years Gods Lake produced the following local records: Lake Trout – 55 lbs., Walleye – 14 lbs., Northern Pike - 36 lbs., Brook Trout – 9 lbs.
Influence
The Kanuchuan power project provided power for the gold mines at Elk Island in Gods Lake from 1935 to 1943. Up to 400 people were employed in the mines, a tremendous opportunity for the local First Nation communities. The economic benefit was significant for the area, Manitoba and Canada.
Key players
Client – Gods Lake Gold Mines Engineers – William O. Chase M.E.I.C., APEO.
References
Preliminary Survey Report, God’s River Power Site, 1934 – William O. Chase M.E.I.C., APEO. Annual Reports – God’s Lake Mines, 1933 - 1948 Kanuchaun Generating Station - Manitoba Hydro, Engineering Division, February 1966. Elk Island Lodge website.
Power Development for Mine
To provide electrical power to the potential mine, a survey of suitable power sites was made by Mr. W.G. Chace of Toronto, which indicated that abundant economical water power was available (God’s Lake Gold Mines (GLGM), 1st Annual Report, 1933-12-31). Of all the sites, the Kanuachuan Rapids site on the Island Lake River (draining Beaver Hill Lake) was chosen as being the most suitable, and a tentative application for power rights was made to the Manitoba Government.
Work on the 1,900 hp Kanuchuan power house (UTM NAD 83 15U, 380238E, 6025174N) was started in the fall of 1934. The base of the plant was situated on Precambrian bedrock comprised of Oxford Group greywacke with arkose, quartzite and slaty metasedimentary rocks (Wright et al. 1961, Preliminary Map 21-1961). A survey of the transmission line was made and clearings were made at intervals along the right-of-way (Figure 1). Fuel power costs were calculated at $275 per horsepower per year due to the scarcity and poor quality of wood (Dept. of Mines and Natural Resources 7th Annual Report on Mines and Minerals, 1935 04-30). Total cost of the work to the end of 1934 was $95,532.17. All of the construction material and machinery for the mill and power development, as well as a year’s supplies for the whole operation were transported by GLGM on the “shortened” 125-mile winter road (GLGM, 2nd Annual Report, 1934-12-31).
In the first 3 months of 1935, a total of 4713 tons of machinery, building materials and supplies were hauled over the winter road with 1600 tons going to Kanuchuan and the remainder to the mine. The haul amounted to a total of approximately 668,600 ton miles at an overall cost of 22.85 cents per ton mile, exclusive of depreciation. Construction on the Kanuchuan power development, started in 1934, continued without stop during the first 8 months of 1935. Electric power was delivered to the mine site over the 40 mile transmission line on September 7, 1935. The mining plant was converted from steam to electric drive; and the mill machinery was run in with production initiated on September 10th. The Kanuchuan power unit operated very satisfactorily under loads ranging from a small fraction of capacity up to its full rated capacity (Dept. of Mines and Natural Resources 8th Annual Report on Mines and Minerals, 1936 04-30). The hydro installation produced more power than the mine required; and the surplus power was used at the mine for heating purposes until, hopefully, other operations in the area would purchase the excess. In addition, space was set aside in the hydro station for two additional generating units (3,800 hp), if required in the future. The cost of the Kanuchuan Rapids power development increased to $637,364.06 (GLGM, 3rd Annual Report, 1935-12-31); and to $679,664.26, a year later (GLGM, 4th Annual Report, 1936-12-31).
In 1937, an auxiliary sluice-way was constructed around the dam to protect the power plant against excessive heads due to record high water, at a cost of $18,000 (GLGM, 5th Annual Report, 1937-12-31). In 1939 a second shaft (No. 2) at the mine was put down at a cost of $2,799.48, including the cost of the extension to the transmission line from Kanuchuan (GLGM, 7th Annual Report, 1939-12-31). In September 1940, automatic equipment was installed in the power plant at Kanuchuan, which increased its total cost to $695,504.85 (GLGM, 8th Annual Report, 1940-12-31). In May 1941, the No. 2 shaft was completed to a depth of 1,887 feet with pumping stations excavated at the 600, 1,200 and 1,800-foot levels (GLGM, 9th Annual Report, 1941-12-31). God’s Lake Gold Mines ceased operations in September, 1943: due to a lack of essential labour during the Second World War; the lack of ore, work in the area of the No. 2 shaft; and depletion of ore in the No. 1 shaft area as of August 26, 1943. During the life of the mine, from September 1935 to September 1943, a total of 524,000 tons of ore were produced from which gold worth $5,925,844 was recovered. One caretaker was left at the mine and another, at the power house, 40 miles away (GLGM, 11th Annual Report, 1943-12-31; Wright et al. 1961, Preliminary Map 21-1961).
As of February 20, 1946, the 2,000 hp hydro electric plant at Kanuchuan was maintained in first class condition with an experienced engineer in charge. The value of the power development was reduced to $20,831.89 due to depreciation (GLGM, 13th Annual Report, 1945-12-31). In an unsuccessful attempt to find another mine in the area, God’s Lake Gold Mines spent $67,500.00 on prospecting and diamond drilling (GLGM, 15th Annual Report, 1947-12-31). As a consequence, the company transferred title to its assets to Lake Lingman Gold Mining Company Limited on October 25, 1948. Shut down expenses at God’s Lake and at the Kanauchuan power site were $15,470.51 (GLGM, 16th Annual Report, 1948-12-31).
Total amount spent by God’s Lake Gold Mines Limited at its mine site for buildings and machinery amounted to $675,852.95. The total amount spent by the company at its Kanuchuan Rapids power development for buildings and development amounted to $695,768.33 (GLGM, 15th Annual Report, 1947-12-31). In addition, $15,470.51 was spent for shut-down expenses at both sites (GLGM, 16th Annual Report, 1948-12-31). Also, the company had spent an additional $67, 500.00 for exploration to find another mine to replace the one at Gods Lake, which would have utilized the power from Kanuchuan, The grand total spent by God’s Lake Gold Mines Limited in the Gods Lake area from 1935 to 1948 was $1,454,591.79, which was almost 1/4 the value of gold ($5,925,844 @ US$35/oz.) recovered by the company (charter cancelled on March 21, 1956).
References
God’s Lake Gold Mines Limited, 1st to 16th Annual Reports, 1933-12-31 to 1948-12-31. Wright, J.F., Quinn, H.A. and Currie, K.L. 1961: Geology of Oxford House area; Geological Survey of Canada, Preliminary Map 21-1961, scale 1:253_440.
