Photograph of streetscape, Timmins, ON, ca. 1910
Black and white photograph of streetscape,Timmins, ON, ca. 1910. The dirt streets have yet to be paved. Telegraph poles are visible along the street.
The settlement of Timmins began with the discovery of gold in 1909. The resulting gold rush led to roughly 30 mining operations within a year of the discovery. Work in the mines was so difficult and dangerous that English Canadians, or native-born Canadians, were often unwilling to engage in this type of labour. As a result, mine owners sought immigrants to fill these positions. Italians were among these immigrants.
