Pair of brokers once controlled Campbell, White mines at Red Lake

Two-Up — the famous, or could it be notorious? — Australian game of chance. Place two coins on a flat stick, flip the coins and when they are in midair, make your call, “Odds” or “Evens.” Nothing could be simpler.

Today, the mining fraternity simulates Two-Up with a bevy of lawyers but in 1944, the Toronto brokerage house of Brewis and White played it in the manner the Australians would have approved, with coins.

The land that eventually came under the control of Campbell and Dickenson mines was staked during the first Red Lake gold rush of the mid-1920s. Interest was sporadic and the claims came open in 1931. They were restaked soon afterwards only to lapse a year or two later when they were restaked again.

This cycle was repeated many times but interest of the time was mostly centred in the immediate Red Lake area where several properties, including the Hasaga mine and the famous Howey mine, were soon to be developed for production.

The fortune of the contiguous Campbell and Dickenson properties was also influenced by the progress being made at the Cochenour-Willans’ property, just over two miles away, and that interest had run hot and cold for a number of years.

It was not until 1939 that Cochenour-Willans finally got under way as a relatively small, high-grade mine but by that time the Second World War was only months away and grassroots exploration came to a standstill.

In 1944, the Second World War was entering its final phase and mining interest began to revive in the Red Lake camp.

The Campbell brothers staked a group of claims in January, 1944, and gave them their name. At practically the same time, 15 claims were staked by Shearn and Currie, both long-time Red Lake residents and this property was vended to two Toronto businessmen, I.J. Isbell and J.G. Dickenson.

In Toronto, the brokerage house of Brewis and White had been on the lookout for promising gold properties for some time, particularly with the end of the war in sight and the prospect of a boom in the immediately succeeding years. Almost as a matter of course, they came into touch with the Campbells and their claims were acquired and incorporated by John Brewis and Arthur White into a public company with the name of Campbell Red Lake Mines. Much later that year in November, Brewis and White acquired the Isbell and Dickenson claims and they too were incorporated, this time as Dickenson Red Lake Mines. Both companies were under the same roof, with the same underwriters and with both Brewis and White as controlling operators.

Both properties in Balmer Twp. suffered from the same problem, a thick covering of overburden and a paucity of outcrops. Dickenson was in the better position because extensive trenching had taken place during the thirties and there were quite a number of vein exposures. In addition many of the assays showed a good grade gold ore.

Campbell on the other hand had only one significant exposure, which was a shear rather than a quartz vein. It had been found by projecting one of the Dickenson showings across the boundary by means of a picket line.

Meanwhile, back in Toronto, Brewis and White discovered that it was much more difficult raising money for their ventures than they had anticipated and it was clear that they would not be able to afford the exploration of both properties. A choice would have to be made. Dickenson was the choice. It was in an advanced state of development and in comparison, Campbell was an unknown, it was a wild card.

Consequently, when Dome Exploration (Quebec) expressed an interest in the Campbell property during the summer of 1944, Brewis and White were more than pleased. This initial interest matured into an option and then a 60% interest and finally Brewis and White sold their last block of Campbell Red Lake shares to Dome Exploration.

Such is the element of luck in mining.