Silver leaf

This specimen features native silver leaf on matrix, an elegant example from the famous La Rose Mine, the discovery that sparked the legendary Cobalt silver boom. The silver occurs as fairly lustrous metallic sheets resting on carbonate-rich matrix classic of the high-grade silver veins that made the La Rose one of the most storied mines in Canadian history.

The La Rose Mine, located at the north end of Cobalt, is among the district’s most historically important operations. The massive open cuts carved into the cliff faces remain visible to this day, a physical reminder of the rich ore bodies once extracted here. Discovered in 1903 by Fred LaRose, a blacksmith working for the Temiskaming & Northern Ontario Railway, the mine went on to produce over 26 million troy ounces of silver and 1 million pounds of cobalt, ranking it among the greatest silver producers in the world.

According to local folklore, as recorded by Grice (1989, Cobalt: The Mining District that Silver Built, p. 87), Fred LaRose discovered the vein by accident. One evening, he allegedly threw his hammer at a red fox that was prowling near his camp, missing the fox but striking a rock that revealed a gleam of silver. Though perhaps apocryphal, the story has become part of the enduring mythology of the Cobalt Camp.

This specimen is a fine and historically meaningful example of native silver from the mine that started it all, representing both the mineralogical beauty and rich heritage of Canada’s premier silver district.