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The mining industry in the Eastern Townships was greatly effected by events outside of the region. In 1863, the Capelton Mines, on George Capel’s farm near North Hatley, was established due to the demand for copper coming from the United States during the Civil War. Many other copper and sulfur mines were also set up during this period within the North Hatley/Sherbrooke area, such as the Albert Mines, the Eustis Mines, the Hartford Mines and the Wheal Betsy Mines. Roads and highways were constructed between these towns, as well as a railway, to offer quick and efficient transportation. Although there were settlements already in existence in most of these areas, they were mostly spread out over a large amount of farm land and sparsely populated. The height of copper production in the Eastern Townships was during the American Civil War, which required 1000-1500 men to work the mines in order to meet the demand of the United States. Then began the long-running conflict between farmers and miners in the Eastern Townships, as it was a continual fear that the sheer number of miners the companies needed to meet a satisfactory level of production would take away from the farm labor the pre-industrial Townships had come to rely on for economic stability. Despite this, the copper industry continued to boom and bring wealth into the region, as well as increased settlement. Friction between farmers and miners continued into the 1900’s with complaints that the fumes from the mines were making livestock sick and crops die. This was on top of the initial complaints due to the stench of the gases that filtered through the area due to the industry. Another negative aspect to the copper and sulfur mining industry in the Eastern Townships was that the workers themselves, (a mixture of French Canadians, English Canadians, and immigrants mostly from Northern and Eastern Europe), were notorious for causing fights in Sherbrooke where they would go to drink. Despite the factors that gave the mining towns a poor image, there were a number of positive features contained within these mines as well. Even though injuries in the mines were frequent due to black powder explosions as well as other accidents, workers were paid extremely well for the risk; double the average wage of other industry employees. Their work day was also cut down to eight hours instead of the customary ten, which allowed the men sufficient rest each day in order to remain alert in the mines. While the miners for the most part took the threats of their employment as part of their job, the wives of the miners were extremely worried about the danger because it could mean a loss of a husband and/or father, as well as a main income. Originally land for farmers, the mining towns of the Eastern Townships had taken it over and established their own local services to provide for their needs, as well as music lessons, schools and churches. This community building worked to the advantage of the copper and sulfur companies, as the towns were run as smoothly and as strictly as the mines themselves, with only the occasional rowdy Saturday night. The copper and sulfur mines of the Eastern Townships experienced a slow in production after the Civil War, but they continued to contribute to the development of the region up until their closure in 1907 for Capelton and Albert, and in 1939 for Eustis. The impact of these mines on the area is still seen today however, in the landscape and structure of the towns themselves, as well as historical sites constructed to incorporate the most recent industry in the townships, tourism.
The first black powder factory in Quebec was established in Windsor, in 1864, located in the Eastern Townships. This was an extremely profitable industry as black powder was crucial to the development of settlements and railways through the power of dynamite that was used to clear land, and it was also used for military purposes. Within the town of Windsor, there was a separate “black powder town” created to house factory workers and also to provide them with the services of a general store. The head of the black powder factory also lived on site in order to promote the idea that the business was completely safe. Sixty employees were needed to work in a total of fifty eight buildings and their salary was the highest one could earn in the area (almost double the average wage) due to the extremely dangerous working conditions. Those who worked for the black powder factory were searched each morning before they started their long shifts to make sure that no one had any matches or small pieces of metal in their pockets, as these could easily set off an explosion. All machinery was made of wood to prevent this as well. Some women also worked in the factory, mostly doing light labor, switchboard and seamstress work, making employees pants with no pockets in order to cut down on the time it took to do the morning search. Employees at the black powder factory were looked upon by those in the town as being dangerous because of their affiliation with the explosive powder. The factory itself was spread out over a large amount of land so if one building exploded due to an employee’s accident, the others would be protected. Due to this, the largest explosion at the factory only killed four people, instead of the whole industry in Windsor. Although explosions did not happen often, they were detrimental enough to spread debris and human bodies across the factory grounds. The possibility of a black powder explosion was so feared by society that it was not allowed to be transported by train in case of an explosion. As the Windsor black powder factory was the only one of its kind in the Eastern Townships, and only one of three in Canada, employees had to ship the finished product long distances, sleeping outside the towns they came to along the way, and escorted by police when they came to their destination, due to the destructive potential of their cargo. The factory in Windsor closed down in 1924 due to a final massive explosion as well as because the town had been fighting for its closure for years. The black powder industry had been extremely popular to those who were employed there due to the impressive wages, and it was also crucial to the economy of Windsor, which suffered after 1924.
Industry in the Eastern Townships has been shaped by the success of the success of asbestos mining. This is seen with the formation of the town of Thetford, and soon after, the town of Asbestos (nee. Shipton), which were the first villages established around industry in the area. Asbestos was first discovered in the region by Joseph Fecteau in 1876 and it built up the region’s economy and population because of the many ways it could be used in every day life. Among these uses was railway brakes, which became more affordable with their local production, and helped develop the transportation network within the townships. From 1878 to 1886, Thetford was beginning to emerge as the leader of asbestos mining in Quebec. Producing 5,300 tonnes of material during these years, they contributed over half of the asbestos mined in the province and more than double that of their main competition, the town later to be named Asbestos. Companies like the United Asbestos Co., the Turner Brothers Asbestos Co., and the John Bell Co. wee able to prosper in this area because of the mass quantities of asbestos in the region, the lack of laws governing mining in Quebec, and the fact that the Central Railway already passed through the town on its way to Montreal, allowing for easy transportation of materials to major cities in Canada and New England. In order to combat economic difficulties through the late 1800's, the introduction of steam in 1889, and derricks in 1894 significantly reduced energy costs and increased the speed of extraction. By 1900 35.4 tonnes of materials were extracted per semi-mechanized employee, up significantly from the 2.7 tonne average ten years before. This contributed to the global impact of asbestos, as in 1909, Canada was its leading producer (centered in the Eastern Townships) with 58,150 metric tonnes of asbestos, while Russia, the next closest producer could only manage 11,911 tonnes. Although the Thetford region experienced economic success during the war years, the depression decreased production and value until 1936, when the mines once again reached the level of success they had experienced in 1920. The initial growth of the asbestos mining industry in the Eastern Townships mirrored the growth of the towns of Thetford and Asbestos. When the town of Thetford was officially formed in 1885, there were only 500 inhabitants, but this doubled during the summer months when the mines were in full production. Despite this small number, 260 people out of the original 500 were employed at the Thetford Mines. Along with a significant economic growth during the early 1900's, Thetford saw an increase in the town’s population, rising from 2,316 to 7,261 from 1900 to 1911. Due to the large number of people employed at Thetford, they were able to rally together to form a union of workers in 1915 called, “L’Union Catholique des Ouvriers de Thetford Mines”. However, in October of 1922, they changed their name to “L’Union Nationale des Mineurs D’Amiante”, and included branches in surrounding towns such as Asbestos, as well as Quebec City and Montreal. The union was responsible for implementing full salaries, an eight hour work day, employee lodgings, old-age pensions, theaters being closed on Sunday’s, and the formation of a sub-union for the mechanics and engineers who also worked in the mines. Economic and population growth continue to be connected to the asbestos mining towns of the Eastern Townships, which are still in use today, providing the region with jobs as well as a profitable industry.
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