EVENTS
Wednesday, November 4th, 2026, 10am CT
Zoom Community Meeting
Summitville - A Mining Disaster
by Pat Rheaume, MS,Chair of Planning, Zoning & Parks, Emily, MN.
Gold mining at Summitville, in the San Juan Mountains of south central Colorado, began around 1870, ending in 1992. The processes used to extract gold from the mostly pyrite ore caused a river to die, poisoning fish and affecting wildlife and communities downstream. We will review the contaminants, cost and consequences of what has been called "the worst cyanide spill in United States History." Finally, we'll touch on how this is relevant to Minnesota's Iron Range and the proposed nickel mining project near Aitkin.
Patrick (Pat) Rheaume graduated from the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse - with a B.A. (cum laude) in Psychology, in December, 1976, and received his Master of Science degree in Clinical Psychology from Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas, in December, 1979. He worked in the field for 42-1/2 years in a variety of direct service and administrative roles, all of them in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. Pat became interested in the environment as a high school sophomore and was the class representative for the first Earth Day, in 1970. He was active in demonstrating at a Milwaukee beverage plant against the use of aluminum pop tabs when they first appeared. Pat attended an all-night symposium and workshops at Northwestern University in Chicago in January, 1970, with speakers including Paul Erhlich and Barry Commoner. He has been active in recycling for about 30 years. Mr. Rheaume moved to Emily, Minnesota in the fall of 2021, where he serves as the chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Parks Commission.
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