CAA Manitoba Fall 2016 | Page 56

Gerry Hart and Bobby Clarke mural at the hockey arena local getaway Falling for Flin Flon Manitoba mining town or Canada’s capital of quirk? apart from other northern towns: Jagged rocky outcroppings; a world-class choir; flies the size of birds. And, as many a Flin Flonner likes to brag, it’s the only city in the world named after a character from a dime-store science-fiction novel. It’s also become the unofficial supplier of hockey greats: At least 17 NHL players have come out of the town (population 5,500), including Ken Baumgartner, Reggie Flinty Leach, Gerry Hart welcomes and the “Toothless visitors to town Wonder” himself, Bobby Clarke. Many things set Flin Flon 56 Located 740 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, Flin Flon rests on the edge of the Canadian Shield, surrounded by cliffs and with a lake smack dab in its centre. It’s a city of incredible but challenging landscapes. On a recent hiking trip with Winnipeg-based Prairie Pathfinders, I discovered so much more about this quirky mining outpost that I returned home firmly believing Flin Flon is the coolest small town in Canada. My hiking group arrives one early afternoon, just as the sun is washing over Flin Flon’s craggy greenstone ledges. Such natural beauty is in stark contrast to the 251-metre-high smokestack that defines Flin Flon’s skyline. But that decidedly unglamorous landmark is a reminder of the importance of mining here—and one that’s revered by locals, who lovingly refer to it as “The Stack.” The town’s mining legacy began in 1914 with Flin Flon’s first prospector, Tom Creighton. According to legend, Creighton stumbled upon a tattered copy of a sci-fi novel while walking in a nearby forest. The Sunless City by J.E. Preston Muddock told the fantastic story of Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin, who steered a submarine into a gold-coated tunnel and discovered a hidden civilization. At the edge of that same forest, Creighton spotted residual thick veins of zinc, copper, silver and gold. In 1915, he claimed the mine and named it Flin Flon, after the hero of his found novel. Today, a 24-foot statue all photos: randy whitbread By Karen Burshtein