George W. MacLeod mine, McMurray Township, Algoma District, Ontario, Canadai

Regional Level Types
George W. MacLeod mine	Mine (Inactive)
McMurray Township	Township
Algoma District	District
Ontario	Province
Canada	Country

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See also https://www.mindat.org/loc-179952.html [Helen-MacLeod Mines, McMurray and Chabanel Townships, Algoma District, Ontario, Canada]

Multiple ore zones of the Helen Iron Range have been operated at different times under a variety of names by the Algoma Steel Corporation and affiliated companies:

1953: Algoma Ore Properties - No. 5 shaft started and reaches 283 feet (eventually the Macleod production shaft), surface diamond drilling.

1954: Algoma Ore Properties - No. 5 shaft to 1895 feet, 1800 foot long inclined tramway driven and tied to aerial tramway.

1955: Algoma Ore Properties - No. 5 shaft to 2066 feet, tramway extended to 4410 feet.

1956: Algoma Ore Properties - construction of new sintering plant.

1957-59: Algoma Ore Properties - underground tramway extended to 4877 feet, surface diamond drilling.

1960: Algoma Ore Properties - production from old Helen ore body ceases, production from G. W. Macleod Mine begins.

1998: G. W. Macleod Mine closes and mine rehabilitation begins.

The Helen Iron Range is one of 32 separate iron ranges that make up the Michipicoten Iron Formation. This iron formation caps the 2750 Ma volcanic cycle in the Wawa area and represents a period of considerable chemical and clastic sedimentation. The iron range is terminated by the Talbot Lake Fault at the west end and the Wallbank Lake Fault at the east end. The great thickness of the iron formation at its west end is due to tectonic activity along the Talbot Lake Fault which thickened the iron formation by drag folding.

All five facies are developed in this iron formation, however, all mining at the Macleod Mine has taken place in the carbonate (siderite) facies. A chert horizon lies between the siderite and the footwall volcanic rocks. This unit is not observed in any of the other iron ranges. Some chert and argillite have also been reported at the base of the carbonate facies. Their presence may be due to tectonic activity along the Talbot Fault.

The iron deposits near Wawa were discovered in 1898. They were worked in a small way for a few years but eventually sold to a new company, the Algoma Steel Corporation in 1912. Algoma built mining, ore treatment and smelting infrastructure and eventually mined 140,000,000 tons of iron ore, originally massive hematite and later siderite.

The Helen Open Pit Mine and, especially, the McLeod Underground Mine produced many fine mineral specimens over many decades, particularly well crystallized calcite, quartz, marcasite and goethite.
When David K. Joyce visited and worked at the McLeod Mine in the late 1970s he saw many huge crystal-lined cavities in the underground workings.

Situation in May 2025: "The Helen Mine Road has been gated and the road closed. All other satellite roads to the site are impassible." (Jonathan Hardin observation in https://www.mindat.org/mesg-723769.html)

Commodity List

This is a list of exploitable or exploited mineral commodities recorded at this locality.

Mineral List

26 valid minerals.