Chateau

Harry Oakes came to the Kirkland Lake area in 1911, virtually penniless. Following his gold discoveries with the Tough Oakes and Lake Shore mines, his modest home was built in 1920, a log construction on a solid rock outcrop on Lake Shore property. After being partially destroyed by a fire in 1929, it was rebuilt in its current location and expanded to its current size today. Henceforth, it was referred to as The Chateau.

The first floor included Sir Harry Oakes’ mining office, the kitchen, the dining area, and a large pool room. The second floor was considered the main floor, which had higher ceilings and included the Oakes’ private rooms. The third floor contained the attic, which today has been converted to archival space for the museum. Following the moving of the Oakes family to Niagara Falls and later the Bahamas, the Chateau became a guest house for the Lake Shore mine until its closure in 1965.

In 1967, the building was altered to accommodate a nursing home. Minor changes were made to the interior to bring it up to modern code requirements, but the exterior saw major changes. The building was stuccoed, and the windows were replaced with traditional double hung wood windows. The nursing home continued to operate out of the Chateau until 1976.

The Chateau was officially designated as a heritage site in 1980 by the Ontario Heritage Trust. Between 1981 and 1982, the building underwent more renovations to restore the exterior to its original appearance. The interior was then renovated to accommodate the Museum of Northern History, which would relocate from the former Wright Hargreaves Mine assay office (where the OPP station is currently located). The grand opening of the Museum of Northern History inside the Chateau was July 2, 1985, and the museum continues to operate out of this location today.

The expansive home of Harry Oakes was centrally located on the Lake Shore Mine property, which at one time would have included the “Kirkland Lake” body of water to the North of the home.