Eldorado - Ghost Town

In August of 1866 Marcus Herbert Powell was prospecting a rock outcrop for copper on John Richardson's farm. Powell was exploring a shallow pit on Richardson's farm when the ground gave way and he fell into a cavern. He discovered that the walls of the cavern contained a bright yellow metallic ore that he believed was copper pyrite. It would take a few weeks before a jeweller from Madoc would announce to him that the copper was, in fact, gold.

The news travelled around the world and Ontario's first gold rush had hit the area of Hastings County. Prospectors rapidly descended upon the area. A series of hotels, bars, boarding houses, stores and brothels were constructed to service the 10,000+ prospectors. The area came to be known as Eldorado and was located 6 miles north of Madoc on Hwy 62.

A few prospectors had ventured five miles west to the Malone area and then south to the Deloro area. Others went north towards Kaladar. Prospectors panned out to cover almost 1200 square miles in an attempt to ensure that no gold was undiscovered.

Unfortunately the stories of riches were either falsified or exaggerated and by 1870 many of the gold mines had closed. The prospectors returned home with only their dreams. The town of Deloro was more fortunate and saw gold mining activity continue until the 1930's.

Eldorado still maintained a little of its former glory as a small terminus for the Central Ontario Railway where it serviced the farmers and few industries that remained.

Today you will find a few abandoned buildings, the Eldorado Gold cheese factory and The Trading Post which serves as a gas station and general store. A historical plaque can be found along the highway which tells the story of Eldorado's past.

Directions: On highway 62 just 9km north of the Highway 7 junction.