Silver, Nickeline, Breithauptite

This fascinating specimen is cut on one side, revealing rich native silver intergrown with metallic nickel and a small amount of rose-hued breithauptite, while the reverse side retains its rough, natural texture. It represents a fragment of the first silver vein discovered and staked in the historic Cobalt Mining Camp. The discovery of this vein occurred on August 7, 1903, when J.H. McKinley and Ernest Darragh, two foremen scouting for railway ties at the southeast end of Long Lake (later renamed Cobalt Lake), noticed metallic flakes gleaming in the sunlight. Recognizing their pliability and metallic luster, they sent samples to Montreal for analysis. The assay revealed an extraordinary concentration of 4,000 ounces of silver per ton. This find spurred the staking of the McKinley-Darragh mine, which became one of the cornerstones of the Cobalt Camp, igniting a mining boom that defined the region’s history.

The specimen and its story encapsulate the beginnings of one of Canada’s most iconic mining districts, where silver discoveries shaped the economic and social fabric of the early 20th century.