A Giant Christmas

Christmas time always was a special time for the miners who worked in isolated communities on the edges of civilization, like the Giant Mine near Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. It was a time when fellowship and comraderie warmed the frosty winters of these remote mining camps. Here is a story written by Ken Hall about Christmas at the Giant Mine. It's called "A Giant Christmas" . To visit the website please click on

 http://www.nwtminingheritage.com/newsletters/7

                                                                                 "A Giant Christmas"

A special bond formed amongst folks who worked and lived together in a remote mining camp. Although Giant Mine was on Yellowknife’s doorstep, it was very much a separate little community. Christmas was a time when the camaraderie amongst employees was especially apparent and socializing was the mainstay of the season.

Staff congregated at the manager’s house to kick off celebrations. Many people in camp hosted open houses on Boxing Day. Workers from camp and those who lived in town would go from house to house, enjoying the hospitality and good cheer.

 Burt Raper was a long-time electrician at Giant who built a large wooden star, adorned it with Christmas lights and set it up on the cliffs next to the houses on the hill. The star can still be seen today.

 Getting the kids out of the cozy, steam-heated houses into the frigid winter air over the holidays could be a chore. Dad played for the company’s hockey team, the Giant Grizzlies, and refereed minor hockey so skating was right up there with breathing and eating. He helped clear a skating rink on the lake each winter for us kids. Unfortunately the winter winds frequently filled the rink with drifting snow, right up to the top of the banks, which made shoveling a real chore.

 The commissary was another focal point of camp life. The staff at the front counter would take Christmas orders for turkeys, puddings, canned goods, candies and anything else needed to adorn one’s festive table, and the company would pay the freight to expedite the orders in time for Christmas.

 Cafeteria staff, under the watchful guidance of managers like Jim St. Marie, put on a Christmas spread with all the trimmings for the single men living in the bunkhouses. The cafeteria also served as a Christmas social event venue, especially during the early years of Giant Mine.

 Ask most kids from camp what they remember about Christmas and they’ll tell you it was the Kid’s Christmas Party. The rec association put on an annual Kid’s Christmas Party with treats, presents and a visit from Santa Claus. Dragi Jovanovic would make his annual migration to the bush in search of a tree that was at least twelve feet tall and had more than three branches on which to hang the multitude of lights and decorations. It was always a showpiece.