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HISTORY OF KEARNEY (cont'd) ing up many small resorts which have helped to increase the summer population. The close proximity to Algonquin Park has been a draw- ing card for fishermen. Kearney has long been known as a sports centre. Since the days of the famous championship ball teams of 1903-4-5, there has been ball teams of more or less proven ability. Too, there have been hockey and football teams that did well. The Kearney Girls' Softball Team were the first winners of the i cup donated by Bucko McDonald, Kearney became a town in 1908. There has been many questions asked as to the reason it obtained the status of a town, because of its rather small population. Previous to it becoming a town. it had been part of Perry Township, and that muncipality was debating the question of a referendum on the Scott Act. It was thought that the area would go dry, and Kearney had two licensed hotels. It was felt by some that the loss of the two hotels would hurt business, and others perhaps had thirstier reasons. At any rate, a petition was pre- pared, which a great many refused to sign. But the petition was sent through the proper channels with sufficient names on it to persuade the powers that were to declare Kearney a town. Rumour has it that the names on the tombstones in the two graveyards were in the list. When the vote was taken it was in favor of local option, and Perry is still a dry township. The man who was Kearney's first postmaster, A.T. O’Neil, became 'also the first Mayor. He was followed by RA. Mann, who held office for several terms, and again at a later date. Other mayors have been, R.R. Rankin, Harry Travis, R.G. Rrmstrong, R.Al Flavelle, Ralph Bice H.A. Shaw, ES. Stamp and Chas. Fetterley. R.A. Flavelle was per- haps .one of the youngest mayors in the province, having held that office when only twenty-seven years of age. Clerks have been R.H. Flavelle, John A. MacDonald, G. Brosnon, J.E. Woodruff, A.J. Wood and Wm. Allen. The area has had one or two mild mining booms. Years ago, seve- ral pits were drilled in a search for gold, as there had been traces assay- ed. The only producing mine was a deposit located on the top of the hill where the creek from South Branch Lake joins the Magnetawan. The largest book of mica that had up to that time been sent to Chicago was taken from that pit. The hill, known as Old Baldy (no relation to Old Smoky) now has the Department of Lands and Forests fire tower. In 1919 radio active ore was discovered in Butt Township. Wm. Elliott, who made the first discovery claimed the reward of $25,000.00 ' the Dominion Government had offered for the discovery of pitchblend, but while the ore was of very high quality, there was not enough to warrant mining. Some ore was taken out, but just at that time the huge deposits were found in the Belgian Congo, and our hopes of a radium mine vanished. Following the/atom bomb advent, some of the old radium mines have been re-opened, and traces of uranium have been found. In 1932 someone started a gold rush. 'Some fair assays were obtained from samples mined in Butt Township, and for a few months there was great activity. The whole of Butt not included in Algonquin