Page 34 Contribution of W omen to Canada s 150 years in mining Saskatchewan Rice started as a teacher after graduating from University of T oronto with a BA in mathemat ics and physics in 1906 Rice also worked as a journalist a dog trainer a horticulturalist and was a pioneer environmentalist with a deep appreciation of First Nations culture She taught for fve years before moving to Mani toba in 1913 where she homesteaded in The Pas The property was listed under her brother s name since women were not viewed as persons un der Canadian law at the time Rice spent winters study ing geology assessment reports learning Cree and mastering bush skills She prospected in the Beaver Lake area in Saskatchewan after hear ing of a gold discovery there Her frst discovery occurred at Rein deer Lake Manitoba Rice traveled 800 km by dog team and canoe from north of the Pas to Reindeer Lake helped by First Nations friends There she discovered zinc and vanadium in 1914 After moving to the Snow Lake area with her partner Dick W oosey a re tired army ofcer she staked gold claims along strike of the Rex Kiski and Bingo gold mines In the early 1920s she staked the frst nickel properties in Manitoba which lured Inco to northern Manitoba be cause of the highgrade discovery val Page 34 Photo of Kathleen Rice appears courtesy of the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame ued at 5 million in 1925 Rice had a strong intellectual curiosity that led her to write a scientifc paper on the Aurora Borealis and plans for hydrogeneration at W ekusko Falls Rice staked the Starr claim s along the strike of several gold mines in the Snow Lake cam p Robert C W allace the frst head of the U of Manitoba s Geology and Mineralogy department noted that he knew of no other wom an who had done the actual prospect ing that she had done Rice s major discovery came after she staked 16 nickel and copper claims on Rice Island in the W ekusko Lake area in 19202 She formed Rice Is land Nickel Company 1928 and was recognized as Canada s frst woman prospector If women could understand the thrills of prospecting there would be lots of them doing it Rice said W omen need not hesitate about entering the mining feld because she is a woman it isn t courage that is needed so much as perseverance Rice s frst option ofer from V entures Ltd for the nickel discovery was halt ed by a lawsuit On resolution of case in the 1930s Rice and W oosey each received a 25 stake In 1948 Canadian Nickel Company Limited CNCL optioned the claims Rice paid fees on the property till 1958 when Inco took over CNCL s options T oday V ALE Inco s succes sor still holds the mining lease Recently the mining community re discovered Rice s story and like a rich ore vein she is again being val ued and respected Rice was induct ed into the Canadian Mining Hall of By Frank Giorno The Canadian mining industry is looking to fll its future labour de mands by encouraging more women to enter the mining feld W omen in Mining has even written a National Action Plan to encourage the industry to hire more women in mining The history of mining in Canada still includes major contributions by women like Kathleen Rice and V iola McMillan Kathleen Kate Rice came from a wealthy southern Ontario region and became a prospector and mining de veloper in Northern Manitoba and Kathleen Rice httpwww mininghallofamecainduct ees201 12014kathleencsrice Contd on pg 36