46
s P r i n G 2 0 1 4 map : eldorado mining & refining Ltd .
history. The historic Beaverlodge ura-
nium rush was in high gear in and
around Beaverlodge Lake and along the
north shore of Athabasca Lake, with
more than 100 companies and numerous
prospectors combing the area in search
of pitchblende.
Numerous new occurrences were
discovered, and one of the most impor-
tant was found by veteran prospectors
Walter Blair and Albert Zeemel. In July
1952, they discovered radioactive boul-
ders in muskeg near the south end of
Crackingstone Pennisula, 25 kilometres
southwest of Uranium City. This discov-
ery would be developed as the Gunnar
mine, the second-largest producer in the
camp between 1955 and 1963.
Following the initial staking rush
in 1948, a stampede of field programs
involving geological mapping, trench-
ing, drilling and underground explora-
tion would assess the potential for the
numerous properties. The fi eld season
was comparatively short, but the sum-
mer days were long, and it was a com-
mon sight to see fl oat planes fl ying well
into the evening. Geological consultants
were in high demand, and it was common
practice for the consultant to request
payment in advance, as payment after the
job was not always guaranteed.
Exploration activity was especially
hectic from 1953 to 1955, during which
time there were as many as 19 properties
involved with shaft-sinking and driving
underground adits and drifts. The logis-
tics to equip and service all these proj-
ects were challenging for the expeditors
and float plane operators. McMurray
Air Service, with its fl oat plane base just
south of Uranium City at Martin Lake,
serviced many of the exploration camps.
The Beaverlodge Uranium Area during the 1950s boom era.
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