NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA MUSEUM OF ART AND HISTORY
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How did a ‘dead cow’ come to play a decisive role in Orillia’s development. Local historian Dave Town will enlighten us when the popular Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH) History Speaker Series resumes virtually via ZOOM on Wednesday, April 14 at 7 p.m.
The OMAH History Committee is excited to resume the popular talks. Join us online for this fascinating chapter in Orillia’s history.
One Dead Cow: The Legacy of Orillia’s Unlikely Smelter is the story of Orillia’s industrial past. Just before WWI Orillia’s town fathers actively sought out new manufacturing enterprises. This was a time when it was thought that anything was possible.
The first big one to respond to the enticements was in 1910, when a smelter was built to melt the silver out of the ore blasted out of the ground in the silver boom-town of Cobalt.
In a nutshell, Orillia’s politicians were giddy over a silver smelter in Orillia – lots of jobs and tax revenue, not to mention a huge customer for the power generated by the new dam on the Severn River the town had just built.
There was great excitement on all fronts, until in 1912 a cow mysteriously died just 300 metres from the new plant. The ensuing legal battle divided the town and became a worrisome conundrum for the Town Council.
This was not just the tragedy of a dead cow. This became a tragedy on many fronts.
To hear the details of this amazing story, call Monica at 705-326-2159 or email [email protected] to register and receive a LINK to this special presentation. Admission is free, donations to OMAH are greatly appreciated. Stay tuned for more great talks!
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