long line of visits to the mine in which Canada showcased its gold mine in the sub-arctic. Other Royal visits have included Queen Elizabeth (1970) and her son Prince Charles (1975). An increase in gold prices in the 1970s led to the expansion of the Con Mine, including a deep new shaft. In 1975, the first women began to enter work in the Mines. As Yellowknife developed and became more accessible by road to the Con Mine, workers and their families began to access facilities and eventually live in the city and the "Con Camp" declined until it was razed in the 1980s. After the closure of the Mine in 2003, the mine itself was reduced to rubble and concrete. Future prospects The defunct mine's deep shafts posed the possibility of extracting geothermal energy for heat generation free of greenhouse gases. The mine has the potential to heat half of the city of Yellowknife. A Memorandum of Understanding signed between the City of Yellowknife and Corix Utilities in June 2011 gave new impetus to the project. After a referendum voted against the geothermal plan in 2011 it was abandoned by the City. Hopes of preserving the iconic Robertson headframe sitting over the shaft were dashed when the City's Development Appeal Board dismissed a final appeal by prospector Walt Humphries to delay planned demolition. "Miramar Northern Mining, the company that is remediating the Con site, says it plans to begin the demolition right away." At 4:50 PM on October 29, 2016, demolition commenced bringing down the headframe. References Texts Ryan Silke. High-Grade Tales: Stories from Mining Camps of the Northwest Territories, Canada. NWT Mining Heritage Society. 2012. Endnotes Gold mines in the Northwest Territories Underground mines in Canada