Several summers back, a number of people gathered in both The Pas and Minnedosa and said a proper and fitting goodbye to a pair of trailblazers who persevered the elements and hardships of the early North, and focused on pursuing a pioneering creed within solitary lives.
Richard "Dick" Woosey and Kathleen "Kate" Rice were honoured during small dedication ceremonies on July 31 and Aug. 1, 2009 (respectively). The two observances saw proper headstones placed on their graves and words spoken that recognized their deeds in this world and their places in the annals of Northern Manitoba history.
Arguably, these two are responsible for much of the mineral development in Northern Manitoba. Woosey, (along with Mike Hackett), was the first to discover gold on the eastern shore of Wekusko Lake and in doing so, brought a rush of people to the area to prospect for the elusive mineral. They of course found it, but others came to mine gold and numerous other minerals in the region and more notably, the area around Snow Lake.
Rice - along with Woosey - was responsible for bringing Inco to Northern Manitoba when the company came looking to purchase the couple's Rice Island copper and nickel claim (a property that Vale still owns). While here, Inco, of course got into that whole Thompson thing, which appears to still be quite lucrative. On her own, Rice staked surveyed, proved, and assessed a number of claims over the years; most notably the Starr Claim, which was on strike with the Rex, Kiski, and Bingo Gold mines.
In spite of all that Rice and Woosey accomplished in their lives, they seemed to have been forgotten in death. Woosey's grave at The Pas' Lakeside Cemetery was marked with nothing more than a wooden stake (albeit, suitably inscribed), and Rice's final resting place in the Minnedosa Cemetery was not marked at all.
Nevertheless, through the generosity and help of a number of people - Michelle Pruder of Northern Life Tours and Adventures out of Thompson, prospector and developer, Peter Dunlop from The Pas, former Herb Lake resident Dan Davies, and his wife, Irene, from Wanless, Snow Lake area prospector Ken deGraff, and his wife, Mae, economic development officer Dennis Strom from Creighton, Sask. Snow Lake and Herb Lake historian Linda Butler from Chilliwack, B.C., Vale from Sudbury, USW Local 6166 and USW Local 7106 from Flin Flon, and Marc Jackson, of Snow Lake, Hemauer Granite Memorials in The Pas, and Guinn Brothers Memorials in Neepawa.
For those who know and respect the area's history, this enormous omission was redressed during that summer long weekend four years ago. At the time, there was money left over from the headstone project and it was thought that two brass memorial plaques would be an appropriate purchase. The plan being that they would be placed on the rock faces of Wekusko's Rice and Woosey Islands. When the plaques were commissioned through Hemauer Funeral Home, owners James and Neil Hemauer wouldn't even discuss payment for them - they would be a donation! This, after the Hemauers had already donated Woosey's beautifully inscribed headstone. As a result, the leftover money was donated to the Snow Lake Mining Museum.
The plaques were cast shortly after and they sat waiting for the perfect opportunity to be placed. That pristine morning occurred on Aug. 13 when Ted Stabback and Marc Jackson put in at Bartlett Landing and floated two kilometres east to Rice and Woosey Islands. There, with materials supplied and donated by Hudbay, they drilled into rock on the islands and installed the two plaques. The inscriptions read: "In Memory of Kathleen 'Kate' Rice. With the aurora borealis illuminating her pioneering trail, her courage and ethics spoke volumes, while her deeds and prospecting helped define the North we know. In Memory of Richard 'Dick' Woosey. A man who although short in stature had the heart of a giant. He helped open this area to mining, thus bringing prosperity and development to the North."
It took four years to do it, but Kate Rice and Dick Woosey are now suitably honoured. They have headstones on their final resting places and brass plaques denoting their deeds on the islands that bear their names. Anyone who has ever been concerned about this omission of the past can now rest easily, and those who made it possible financially, or through donations of time, materials, or work can feel proud that they played a part in righting a historical wrong. May Kate Rice and Dick Woosey forever rest in peace.
