History
The cabin the Cochenour brothers built
A log cabin from the last great gold rush in North America, built by the men who gave the town of Cochenour its name.
Red Lake, 1925–1926
Gold under an upturned tree
In the summer of 1925, brothers Lorne and Ray Howey found gold under the roots of an upturned tree on Red Lake. Word spread quickly, and by the winter of 1926 more than 3,000 people had made the trip north over frozen lakes and rivers, by dog team, on foot and before long by bush plane. It became known as the last great gold rush in North America, and it founded the town of Red Lake.
Among the prospectors working the east shore of the lake, across from McKenzie Island, were Bill Cochenour and Dan Willans.
Timeline
From prospectors’ cabin to family landmark
- 1925Lorne and Ray Howey, with George McNeely, find gold near Howey Bay and stake the claims that become the Howey mine.
- 1926The Red Lake gold rush. More than 3,000 people pour into the area.
- 1926–1928Bill Cochenour, Dan Willans and Horace Young prospect the east shore of Red Lake. The Cochenour Willans Syndicate forms in 1928.
- 1928Bill and Ed Cochenour build their log cabin on the point at Bruce Channel, picking what the family has always called the best spot on Red Lake.
- 1936Cochenour Willans Gold Mines Limited is incorporated. The same year, Red Lake’s Howey Bay is listed as the busiest airport in the world.
- 1939The mine pours its first gold brick and goes into full production just before the Second World War.
- 1939–1971Over 32 years the mine recovers about 1.24 million ounces of gold. The cabin sits in the shadow of its headframe.
- 1997–todayGoldcorp buys the old mine property, explores the Bruce Channel gold discovery just south of it, and in 2020 Evolution Mining takes over the Red Lake operations.
- TodayThe cabin still stands on Cochenour Point, a private Fahlgren family cabin with its lakeside gardens.
The Fahlgren years
A family cabin on Red Lake
Nearly a century on, the cabin has a new roof but is still a log cabin on the point, with a screened porch facing the water and a dock a few steps from the door. Ute Fahlgren has looked after the cabin and its lakeside gardens for many years, and for a number of summers she and John Fahlgren welcomed visitors to stay.
The Fahlgrens’ ties to this part of Ontario run deep. The family has been on Sydney Lake, about 40 miles southwest of Red Lake, since 1933, and runs Sydney Lake Wilderness Lodge there today.
Visit
See Red Lake’s history for yourself
The Red Lake Regional Heritage Centre on Highway 105 tells the story of the Lac Seul and Wabauskang First Nations, the gold rush, bush planes and the people of Red Lake. In town, a full-size Norseman floatplane stands in Norseman Park. Red Lake calls itself the “Norseman Capital of the World” and celebrates with the Norseman Festival every July.
Please note: Cochenour Cabin is a private home and isn’t open for tours.
More things to see in the Red Lake area →
Fishing near Red Lake?
Visit our family’s fly-in lodge on Sydney Lake
The same family that cares for Cochenour Cabin runs Sydney Lake Wilderness Lodge, about 40 miles southwest of Red Lake. There are no roads in. You fly 30 minutes by floatplane from downtown Kenora, and it’s the only lodge on Sydney and Kilburn Lakes.
- Walleye first, plus trophy northern pike and lake trout
- Private housekeeping cabins with your own boat, motor and gas
- The family has been on Sydney Lake since 1933
