Dr. Jack Thompson - and the role of science, research and technology in the discovery of nickel in northern Manitoba

Dr. Jack Thompson was the Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive Officer of INCO at the time nickel was discovered at Cook Lake (later renamed Thompson Lake) in northern Manitoba.

Dr. Thompson was a scientist, a mettalurgist who graduated of the Columbia School of Mines and was hired by International Nikkel to design and operate their first research labortory at Orford Works in Bayonne, New Jersey.

Dr. Thompson's background in science and research became important as he progressed up the chain of command becoming by 1956 the Chairman of the Board and the Chief Executive Office of INCO. Critical to the finding of nickel in northern Manitoba was the use of advanced technology to detect magnetic anomalies. For those who are interested, the full story is told in A Journey North: The Great Thompson Nickel Discovery by Hugh Fraser.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the founding of the City of Thompson. It is appropriate that we pay tribute to Dr. Jack Thompson, after whom the city is named. For the celebrations over the weekend, Thompsonites were delighted to see Mary Birdsall (Dr. Thompson's daughter) and Geoffrey Birdsall (Dr. Thompson's grandson). In the bottom photo, Tina Keeper, MP for Churchill is meeting Mary and Geoffrey Birdsall.

The top two photos were taken at the Heritage Museum in Thompson - a must visit for anyone going to Thompson.