30 g 1973 Cobalt Train Song 999 Silver Round

This is a 1973 Cobalt, Ontario, 70th Anniversary .999 silver medallion, commemorating the period from 1903 to 1973. 

Design: The medallion depicts a railway station and tracks, with the dates "1903" and "1973" inscribed, highlighting Cobalt's mining and railway history.

Cobalt experienced a major silver rush starting in 1903, which led to the town's growth and significant silver production.

For we’ll sing a little song of Cobalt, if you don’t live there it’s your fault. Oh, you Cobalt, where the big gin Rickies flow, where all the silver comes from, and you live a life and then some. Oh, you Cobalt, you’re the best old town I know.

Cobalt, Ontario, is known as the "birthplace of Canadian hard rock mining," where a silver boom in 1903 transformed the area into a major mining center, eventually becoming the silver capital of the world and contributing significantly to the development of the Canadian mining and financial industries. After the silver mines declined in the 1930s, the town faced hardship, but it remains a National Historic Site with a future focused on tourism, leveraging its rich history and unique landscape for visitors. 

The Rise of the Silver Capital

Discovery:
In 1903, lumberjacks Ernest Darragh and James McKinley discovered a silver vein while preparing timbers for the Temiskaming and Northern Ontario Railway. 

Boom Town:
This discovery led to a mining rush, and by 1910, the Cobalt district was the fourth-largest silver producer in the world, yielding 460 million ounces of silver in total. 

Economic Impact:
The prosperity from silver mining fueled the development of the mining and financial sectors across Canada, with professionals and capital from Cobalt expanding into other regions like Quebec and Ontario. 

Decline and Legacy

Shifting Focus:
By the 1930s, the easily accessible surface ore was depleted, and declining silver prices made operations less profitable. 

Shift to Gold:
Many skilled workers and capital moved to areas with more lucrative gold deposits, such as Kirkland Lake and Porcupine, leaving Cobalt to become a depressed region. 

Modern-Day Cobalt:
Designated Ontario's Most Historic Town and a Parks Canada National Historic Site, Cobalt now focuses on tourism, with attractions like the Cobalt Northern Ontario Mining Museum and the annual Miners' Festival. 

Key Landmarks

Cobalt Mining District National Historic Site:
Visitors can explore the landscape, which still shows remnants of mining operations, including open-cuts, headframes, and rockpiles. 

Heritage Silver Trail:
This trail allows visitors to discover historic mining sites, including the Glory Hole, an open-pit mine filled with water. 

Content: 30 grams of .999 fine silver

Weight: 30 g or .9645 ozt fine siver

Purity: 99.9%

Year: 1973