Flin Flon and area residents should wholeheartedly support plans to erect a cairn in memory of David Collins.
As reported in this edition of The Reminder, Greg East, a volunteer and community activist, is forming a committee to bring this overdue goal to fruition.
Kudos to East. Though a century has passed since Collins purportedly showed prospector Tom Creighton the outcroppings that would become Flin Flon’s first ore body, recognition for the Métis trapper is better late than never.
Surprised
Some residents are surprised at the lack of acknowledgment Collins has received. Other than Collins Street and the new Collins Crescent in the community of Creighton, I can’t think of anything else bearing Collins’ name.
Surely some of this has to do with the murky nature of distant history. The interaction between David Collins and Tom Creighton took place 100 long years ago. Who knows for sure what really happened?
Nonetheless, there is sufficient evidence in Collins’ favour so as to warrant him a coveted place in Flin Flon’s official history.
Tom Creighton has a cairn in the community that bears his name. David Collins deserves no less in Flin Flon.
