Bancroft Gem and Mineral Museum

Bancroft Gem and Mineral Museum Explore the rich geological history of Bancroft the 'Mineral Capital of Canada'

Did you know that the Bancroft Gem & Mineral Museum is located in an old train station? The building, now housing the To...
05/24/2026

Did you know that the Bancroft Gem & Mineral Museum is located in an old train station?

The building, now housing the Town of Bancroft Municipal office and Gem & Mineral Museum, used to be Bancroft’s train station. It was built in 1899 and was a stop on the Central Ontario Railway (or COR) when the first train arrived in Bancroft in 1900 (1). There is a model of this train at the entrance to the museum. It was made by Jim Smith and added to the museum in 2000.

Source:
(1) Town of Bancroft. (n.d.). Historical. https://bancroft.hosted.civiclive.com/visiting/about_bancroft/historical.

Love fluorescent specimens? Check out our colourful display! We’re open every weekday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm & 1:30 pm...
05/20/2026

Love fluorescent specimens? Check out our colourful display! We’re open every weekday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm & 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm.

We're open today from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm! We hope to see you soon!
05/18/2026

We're open today from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm! We hope to see you soon!

Looking for something to do this holiday Monday (May 18th)? Why not come to our Museum and check it out! We will be ope...
05/18/2026

Looking for something to do this holiday Monday (May 18th)?

Why not come to our Museum and check it out! We will be open
from 9am to 4pm. 😊

Feldspar is not just one mineral, but a large group of minerals (2). In fact, more than half of the Earth’s crust is mad...
05/10/2026

Feldspar is not just one mineral, but a large group of minerals (2). In fact, more than half of the Earth’s crust is made of feldspar (1)!

The term feldspar is used to describe any mineral made of aluminum, oxygen, and silicon (2) that contains calcium, sodium, or potassium (1). There are two main types of feldspar: plagioclase feldspar (ie, oligoclase, labradorite, etc.) and alkali feldspars (ie, orthoclase, microcline, etc.) (2). Amazonite (pictured) is a variety of microcline, an alkali feldspar (4).

Feldspar can be used to make glassware, pottery, fillers, buildings, monuments, and even semi-precious gemstones (2).

The MacDonald Mine, located in Monteagle Township, was a feldspar mine from 1919 to 1928 (3). It produced approximately 5,000 tons of feldspar per year, as well as a diverse range of rare-element minerals (3).

You can check out many different specimens of feldspar at the Bancroft Gem & Mineral Museum, or go find some for yourself at the CN Rock Dump, just a few minutes' walk from the museum!

Sources:

(1) Dietrich, R. (2025, April 3). Feldspar. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/feldspar.

(2) Feick, K. (n.d.). Feldspar. University of Waterloo: Earth Sciences Museum. http://uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences-museum/resources/detailed-rocks-and-minerals-articles/feldspar.

(3) Mindat. (n.d.). MacDonald Mine, Monteagle Township, Hastings Highlands Municipality, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada. https://www.mindat.org/loc-544.html.

(4) The National Museum of Natural History. (n.d.). Amazonite. Smithsonian Museum. https://naturalhistory.si.edu/explore/collections/geogallery/10002689.

Need something to do this week? The Bancroft Gem & Mineral Museum is open every weekday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm & 1:30 ...
05/06/2026

Need something to do this week? The Bancroft Gem & Mineral Museum is open every weekday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm & 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm. We hope to see you there!

We are excited to announce that we have a Summer Staff position at the Bancroft Gem and Mineral Museum. We are looking f...
04/30/2026

We are excited to announce that we have a Summer Staff position at the Bancroft Gem and Mineral Museum.

We are looking for someone 29 years of age or younger since the position is covered in part by The Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program.

Here’s the job details. Apply today to help us showcase the "Mineral Capital of Canada!" by email to: [email protected] with Subject line: Museum Application

In 1959, the United States stopped purchasing Canadian uranium as uranium occurrences were discovered in New Mexico and ...
04/26/2026

In 1959, the United States stopped purchasing Canadian uranium as uranium occurrences were discovered in New Mexico and Wyoming, and the British were no longer in such dire need of Canada’s uranium (2). Several programs were initiated by the Canadian government to avoid the collapse of the uranium industry, including a stretch-out program and a series of stockpiling programs (2), but the profitability of the industry ebbed nonetheless.

Over the following years, Canada looked more closely at nuclear energy, investing in further research and development of nuclear reactors (2). Attempts were also made to stabilize the uranium market and drive prices back up; however, with new uranium occurrences discovered in Europe and lessened demand, it never quite got back to where it was (2).

Today, Canada is the second largest producer of uranium in the world, with the uranium industry employing over 2,000 Canadians and bringing in $800 million per year (1). Uranium is used in nuclear power plants globally, including the CANDU reactors in Canada, which supply approximately 15% of Canada’s electricity (1).

You can learn more about the history of radioactive minerals in Canada and Bancroft at the Bancroft Gem & Mineral Museum. We have several displays dedicated to uranium mining, as well as an entire display case dedicated to the remarkable specimens found in the Faraday/Madawaska mine!

Sources:

(1) Natural Resources Canada. (2024, December 20). Uranium in Canada. Government of Canada.

(2) Proulx, M. (1997). The uranium mining industry of the Bancroft Area: an environmental history and heritage assessment (Publication No. 0-612-21696-9) [Masters Thesis, Trent University]. National Library of Canada: Acquisitions and Bibliographic Services.

(3) US Department of Energy. (n.d.). Nuclear fuel facts: uranium. United States Government.

(4) The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2025, June 30). Marie Curie. Encyclopedia Britannica.

(5) The Editors of Wikipedia. (2022, February 10). Madawaska Mine. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.

The Bancroft Gem & Mineral Museum is open every weekday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm & 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm!
04/22/2026

The Bancroft Gem & Mineral Museum is open every weekday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm & 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm!

In 1953, “special price contracts” were introduced that made it more financially feasible for potential producers of ura...
04/12/2026

In 1953, “special price contracts” were introduced that made it more financially feasible for potential producers of uranium to develop lower-grade sites, leading to a rush of prospecting and staking sites (2). This resulted in the establishment of four uranium mines in Bancroft: Bicroft Mines Ltd., Canadian Dyno Mines Ltd., Faraday Mines Ltd., and Greyhawk Mines Ltd.

The Faraday Mine was in production from April 1957 to June 1964. It employed many people and produced many varied mineral specimens. Best known are the Uranophanes, green Fluorites, and Hematite-coated Calcites (often with Chalcopyrite and Pyrite inclusions). After its closure in 1964, the Faraday Mine was reactivated in 1975 under the name of Madawaska Mines. Ore production resumed in August of 1976 and ceased in June of 1982. During that period, a large quantity of spectacular twinned Calcite crystals were found, along with giant Gypsum and Quartz crystals, and massive veins of Anhydrite. This photo is of the Madawaska Mine in 1962 (the image is public domain) (5).

Check back in two weeks for the final part of this post!

Sources:

(1) Natural Resources Canada. (2024, December 20). Uranium in Canada. Government of Canada.

(2) Proulx, M. (1997). The uranium mining industry of the Bancroft Area: an environmental history and heritage assessment (Publication No. 0-612-21696-9) [Masters Thesis, Trent University]. National Library of Canada: Acquisitions and Bibliographic Services. https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp04/mq21696.pdf.

(3) US Department of Energy. (n.d.). Nuclear fuel facts: uranium. United States Government. https://www.energy.gov/ne/nuclear-fuel-facts-uranium #:~:text=Uranium%20was%20discovered%20in%201789,uran%E2%80%9D%20after%20the%20planet%20Uranus.

(4) The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. (2025, June 30). Marie Curie. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marie-Curie.

(5) The Editors of Wikipedia. (2022, February 10). Madawaska Mine. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madawaska_Mine.

The Bancroft Gem & Mineral Museum is open every weekday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm & 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm. We hope to see yo...
04/08/2026

The Bancroft Gem & Mineral Museum is open every weekday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm & 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm. We hope to see you soon!

Address

8 Hastings Heritage Way
Bancroft, ON
K0L1C0

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 12:30pm
1:30pm - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 12:30pm
1:30pm - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 12:30pm
1:30pm - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 12:30pm
1:30pm - 4pm
Friday 9am - 12:30pm
1:30pm - 4pm
Saturday 9am - 4pm
Sunday 9am - 4pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Bancroft Gem and Mineral Museum posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Museum

Send a message to Bancroft Gem and Mineral Museum:

Shortcuts

Share

Category