Karl Brooks Heisey was a well-known Canadian mining engineer and mining executive in the 1930s. Heisey pioneered the exploration and development of the Sanshaw/Red Lake metal deposits located in northwest Ontario. The Red Lake Mine is one of the richest gold mines in the world, still in production today with annual production of 600,000 ounces gold and over 11 million ounces produced to date.
As both a highly experienced pilot and mining engineer Heisey was well positioned to participate in the Red Lake and Kirkland Lake Gold Rushes in northern Ontario in the 1930s. Red Lake was inaccessible by road until 1947 when Ontario Highway 105 was constructed and the only access prior to then was by boat or plane. Kirkland Lake had no road access until 1937. Heisey engaged in geological surveys for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources between 1919 and 1922 in Kirkland Lake and West Shinintree and conducted magnetic surveys for discovery of gold with pyrrhotite iron. Following this, Heisey worked as an engineer with Argonaut Mines, Kirkland Lake from 1922 to 1923. In 1924 he was appointed chief engineer of Tough Oakes Gold Mines and the same year he joined the Mond Nickel Company as exploration engineer in the Quebec field. Heisey opened his own office in Kirkland Lake in 1928, coming to Toronto in 1930. Heisey was affiliated with numerous other mining corporations throughout his career where he held various roles, some of these corporations include: Manitoba and Eastern Mines Ltd., Marquette Long Lac, and Russet Red Lake Syndicate. His appointments with these mines included being in charge of surface work, consulting and direction of a new extensive diamond-drilling program, as well as consulting and analysis leading to recommendation of diamond drilling of a section of the property respectively. Heisey also has authorship on an assessment report on Ossian Mines Ltd. for the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines of Ontario; his assessment outlined analysis of the mine as well as recommendations for future work.
Heisey was President of Sanshaw Mines, Limited, incorporated in 1936, which owned claims on White Horse Island, on Red Lake which was first staked by the Sanshaw Mines Syndicate. 15 diamond drill holes were drilled totalling 1160 m in 1936. He was the manager and driving force of the Sanshaw Gold Mine which was developed on White Horse Island during 1936–7. Heisey's crew uncovered a previously unknown well-mineralized shear and gold vein in 1936 which was the most important discovered up until that time in the Red Lake area. Buildings constructed on the property included a bunk-house, two-storey office and warehouse, ice-house, cookery, directors' lodge, manager's residence, blacksmith shop, powder magazine, detonator-house and dry-house. A 35-foot shaft was sunk on White Horse Island in 1937. Operations ceased in September 1937 and Heisey died shortly thereafter in December of that year at the age of 42. Heisey is buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto in a family plot, where as his parents are buried in Quantztown Cemetery in Markham, Ontario and earlier members of the Heisey or Heise in Heise Hill Cemetery in northwest Markham. The Sanshaw Mine name was a pun on the name of John Whitman Shaw, who was a consulting mining engineer operating in the Red Lake area. The mine was proceeding with diamond drilling and sinking a shaft "sans" Shaw. Shaw's nickname in the mining industry was "turn em down Shaw" referring to his lack of support for many new mine proposals. The White Horse Island discovery was one of the few in the Red Lake area that didn't use John Shaw's services.
Orlac Gold Mines
Mining at Sanshaw was not restarted until after World War II when it reopened as Orlac Red Lake Mines, Limited. During the period 1946-47 Orlac deepened the shaft to 139 metres and established levels at 68 and 106 metres. During this period, Orlac drilled 701 metres of underground development, 15 surface holes that totaled 1,655 metres, and 523 metres in 54 underground drill holes.
