Laird Township QuarryA great boon to the residents around was the development of the quarry on the Ernest and Percy Evoy farms. A demand for Silica, an alloy used in the steel-making process, and the. proximity to the railroad, not to mention the abundance of this natural resource, made the development of this industry very favourable. About 1935. Dr. Symington expecting a great return on his investment, I am sure, signed a contract to develop this resource. With Jack McKay as foreman. and up to two dozen men working there at one time, the quarry was a going concern. The rock was dynamited into chunks, trucked to the railroad siding and transported by train to the Chrome Plant in Sault Ste. Marie. Here. it was crushed, smelted and used to make steel.

Some of the rock from the Laird Quarry even made its way to England, being shipped in barrels. Frank Lapish, who was working at the Chrome Plant at the time, is my source of information. Crude blasting methods and, perhaps less than ideal safety practices led to at least one serious accident, and some near misses. However, the quarry provided a livelihood for many township residents. Silica, produced as a by-product in the nickel industry at Sudbury, made it cheaper to be transported by rail from that city to the Soo, than for it to be mined locally, so the quarry closed around the early 1940’s. From then it became a popular spot for wiener roasts. The path up the side of the quarry is still used by blueberry pickers.

Curious to know more?  Delve Further Into The Laird Township Quarry Here:
Laird Chronicles Chapter 7 – Business And Industry