3 - A Legal Immigrant-A new Frontier

After leaving Toronto our family moved to Elliot Lake, Ontario. The Uranium Mining Capitol of the World. My father got a job at that time at a Mine called Lake Nordic, later known as Laknor. This small town of Elliot Lake quickly grew to a population of 22,500, all in a period of 5 years and as the Uranium Stockpile grew the town shrank almost as quickly as mine started to close and people started to move away. The kids I hung around with and me of course knew very little about all of that.

My friends and I had the greatest time exploring the lakes and forests that surrounded the town. This is where I learned to hunt, trap and fish. We build endless rafts and forts in the forests and provided an excellent meal for the local mosquitoes. Our parents also enjoyed this adventure as they developed quite a circle of friends that would party virtually every weekend. We lived at 22 Valley Crescent for most of those 5 years. My friends at the time or at least all that I can remember were Pete Herrmann, Henry and Jack Rogall, Robert and Donna Hogg, Nancy and Penny, Jordy and Grady Markland and the little gal with those cute freckles who taught my how to whistle louder than anyone else, Bonnie Martin. We were quite a crew. I still keep in contact with Henry and Jack Rogall and Pete Herrmann. The rest I'm afraid are lost to history. Oh wait I remembered several more. Francine and Louise Joyal who's father was a doctor also lived down the street.

I have a lot of pictures and great memories from those 5 short years that always get rehashed when-ever some of us get together. Those memories are probably what after all of these years brought me to the Pacific NW. So much like Ontario, Canada. That town was very much like the old frontier towns of the past with its boardwalks and false store fronts. The old downtown didn't last long when the new shopping center was built. I only have a couple of pictures of it the day we arrived. Today, Elliot Lake, judging from it's website is largely a tourist skying destination and from all accounts doing real well. Anyway once the mines started to close we were to head back to Toronto, where Dad had a job waiting. But first we were going to take a little trip across the USA visiting various relatives. We sold our house back to Rio Tinto Mining, said out good-byes and took off . That was early 1961.

next, across the USA in your VW? Hey, what happened to the Chevrolet?