Don’t panic, the plan was conceived more than 50 years ago and never got off the ground.
But for a while there it was a serious plan that would have involved draining Fortune Lake.
Why would anyone want to drain Fortune Lake and start a mine there?
Because of what’s underneath, that’s why.
From some angles Fortune Lake looks kind of swampy and gives the false impression of being shallow. In fact Fortune Lake is the deepest lake in Gatineau Park.
In the 1950s a man named Harry Harris staked a claim on what he suspected might be some valuable mineral resources in the area of Fortune Lake; at the time the Federal District Commission -FDC (predecessor to the National Capital Commission or NCC) didn’t control those rights.
In 1956 two men met unexpectedly in the woods (Don Hogarth and Pete Hart).
Each worked for mineral exploration companies (Quebec Metallurgical Industries and Frobisher Explorations), each had arrived with explosives in their backpacks, each had intended to do a little exploratory blasting to see what lay beneath the surface, and each thought that their companies owned the legal right to do so.
But Harry Harris had pulled a fast one; he’d sold his rights twice.
Even funnier, both of the companies that bought those rights were actually owned by the same parent company (Ventures Limited).
That winter one of the exploration companies drilled through the ice on Fortune lake and down into the bedrock below, bringing up samples that ultimately proved that the site wasn’t rich enough to be worth mining.
But what was it they were looking for?
This was the rise of the nuclear age and believe it or not there’s uranium in them thar hills.
Not only that, but some of the springs that bubble up so merrily are practically glowing with radon.
In the swampy area south of Fortune Lake there is a spring that is among the most radioactive of any spring anywhere. (see map)
So, pack in your own drinks!
The above transcript and video are created based on an article written by Don Hogarth for the Gatineau Valley Historical Society‘s publication Up the Gatineau, Volume 30 published in 2004. Dr. Hogarth is described therein as being a “semi-retired geology professor” at the University of Ottawa.
UPDATE: In putting the video together I wondered just how deep Lake Fortune actually was, and since most people think of Pink Lake as being a mysterious deep lake, how does Fortune Lake compare. Denise at the NCC was kind enough to send me the following info:
- The maximum depth of Fortune lake is 22.50 m and the mean depth is 3.99 m (Pluritec Ltée, 1982).
- Fortune Lake is not meromictic. It does not have the same characteristics as Pink Lake. Pink Lake is meromictic (i.e. the top and bottom lake’s waters do not mix) mainly because of it’s sheltered position (surrounded by steep cliffs that protect it from the wind) and its shape (small surface area, average depth and bowl-like shape). Also, suspended particles in the depths of Pink Lake make the water even harder to mix. Please see our web site for information about Pink Lake
Glad that Hogarth and Hart did not succeed and left us this lovely lake… can’t imagine skiing up to Keogan with a pit instead of the lake to look upon. I’ll think of them when I ski up in December (I hope!).
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