By Jenn Watt

The search for iron and the potential wealth it could bring was part of the early history of Haliburton County. In the area between Tory Hill and Kinmount, test holes and mine sites can still be found along the countryside – relics of the work of industrialists like Charles Pusey.

Highlands East artist Gary Blundell has used these abandoned mine sites as inspiration for his current exhibition Navigations of Iron, showing at the Agnes Jamieson Gallery in Minden.
To enhance the exhibition and to provide real-life context for Blundell’s work, a day-long outing has been planned for Saturday, Sept. 12 led by historian Guy Scott and Blundell, examining “the connections between human history, landscape and geology and how minerals have throughout human history become the resources that we use to modernize ourselves,” the workshop description reads.

The group meets at the Furnace Falls parking lot on County Road 503 between Kinmount and Gooderham on Sept. 12 at 10 a.m. From there, they will go to the smelting furnace and some old mine sites. After lunch, the group will drive by car to Pusey’s church in Irondale and then visit the old railway bridge and last remaining building from the I.B.&O. Railroad at Howland Junction.
If there is time, the group will continue to the gallery in Minden to view the paintings.

Those attending are asked to dress appropriately for a hike through the woods and to bring water to drink and a lunch. There is no fee for the hike, but donations are welcome. To find out more about the exhibition or to connect with Blundell, visit his website: www.hotspurstudio.com. (Navigations in Iron can be viewed Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Agnes Jamieson Gallery in Minden until Sept. 26.)