42-659: The Big Nickel is a nine-metre (30 ft) replica of a 1951 Canadian nickel , located at the grounds of the Dynamic Earth science museum in Greater Sudbury , Ontario , Canada, and is the world's largest depiction of a coin. The twelve-sided nickel is located on a small hill overlooking the intersection of Municipal Road 55 and Big Nickel Drive at the westernmost end of the Gatchell neighbourhood. The Big Nickel celebrated its 45th anniversary on July 22, 2009 with
84-674: A "birthday party" on the grounds of Dynamic Earth (Ontario), including a display of coins from Science North 's Inco Coin Collection. The idea for the Big Nickel began in 1963 when Ted Szilva, at the time a 28-year-old City of Sudbury fireman, read in the Sudbury Star of a contest, sponsored by the Sudbury Canada Centennial Committee (Maurice Lacourciere, Chairman), asking Sudbury residents how
126-587: A Kennedy profile above the words 'In God We Trust, 1964' surrounded by 'Canadian Centennial Numismatic Park, Sudbury, Canada'. On the reverse, each was marked with an eternal flame above the words 'And so let the word go forth that the torch has been lit,' and the words 'John Fitzgerald Kennedy 1917.1963' . The brochure discussed the medallions, the park ('Canada's Most Unique Tourist Attraction—Canadian Centennial Numismatic Park'), other fundraising ideas, and planned future attractions. In December 1963 Szilva had earned enough funds through mail-order sales to proceed with
168-598: A backup in the event of a malfunction in the new system, following which the dismantling of the Superstack would begin. As of 2024, however, Vale has not yet announced the awarding of a demolition contract on the Superstack, and some have called for the stack to be left in place as a tourist attraction; in September 2024, Vale announced an updated plan which will see the stack dismantled by 2029. In addition to further reducing sulphur dioxide emissions by 85 per cent,
210-418: A building permit. Not yet financially secure, Szilva needed investors in order to make the dream a reality. Three men from Sudbury indicated that they would invest, but when the time came, they refused to put any money into Szilva's new company, Nickel Monument Development Ltd. Szilva eventually owned 99.9% of the shares of the company. In order to raise the money for the development of the project, Szilva had
252-482: A five-cent coin out of chromium. He contacted Szilva, and the two proceeded with the construction of the 1951 nickel. It was to be built with stainless steel, so it would endure the harsh Sudbury elements. Cavallo spent several months forming the artistic work. The first step was to project the image of the 1951 five-cent piece against a large wall at the Sudbury Steelworkers Hall . After projecting
294-468: A large role in the establishment of Sudbury as a mining town. Before 1751, the element now known as nickel played havoc with refiners. Thought to be an alloy of copper, German miners coined the term, "Kupfernickel" or "Old Nick's Copper". This "Devil's Copper" could not be extracted with the technology of the time. Cronstedt, however, was able to prove that the trouble refiners faced was due to an unknown element which he named nickel. Szilva ultimately chose
336-428: A much smaller chimney. In 2017, Vale announced plans to decommission the Superstack upon the construction of two smaller, more energy efficient stacks. On July 28, 2020, Vale updated that news, stating that the stack at its Copper Cliff Complex had been taken out of service. It would remain on "hot standby" for about two months while the replacement flue connections were tested but the stack would then be demolished over
378-516: A series of commemorative coins struck which represented each of the monuments to be erected at the park. To have worldwide appeal, he conceived the idea for a numismatic park and called it the Canadian Centennial Numismatic Park. The Big Nickel would be its centrepiece. The uniqueness of this park appealed to the numismatists worldwide, who purchased the medallions in order to support the construction and development of
420-472: A viable and worthwhile project. He began to make this dream a reality by scouting out the highest hills in Sudbury to find the best location. On December 11, 1963, he purchased 17.5 acres (7.1 ha) of land from Walter Holdich for $ 1,000.00 with a $ 25.00 down payment. The land was ideal because of its unique location between Sudbury and Copper Cliff . To the west, the large hill provided a sensational view of
462-637: The INCO mining and smelting complex, including the nightly slag dump , while to the east one had a beautiful view of the city of Sudbury. After the land was acquired, the city refused to give Szilva the building permit for the monument, or a road allowance for access to the landlocked property, so he visited the president of INCO, John Pigott, and requested a lease for 4 acres (1.6 ha) of adjacent INCO land in Copper Cliff. This acquisition would ensure that Szilva would have access to his land. INCO did lease
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#1732782609457504-586: The Kennedy half-dollar coin memorial (featuring an eternal flame ), the fantasy copper (Canadian one cent 1965) penny , and the Lincoln coin memorial (1965 American penny) . There is no public record of the dismantling or current location of these other numismatic monuments, though pictures still exist. Mayor Joe Fabbro dedicated the wampum monument and Brotherhood of Man Memorial in May 1975. This memorial symbolized
546-651: The second-tallest freestanding chimney in the world after the Ekibastuz GRES-2 Power Station in Kazakhstan. It is also the second-tallest freestanding structure of any type in Canada, behind the CN Tower but ahead of First Canadian Place . As of 2023, it is the 51st-tallest freestanding structure in the world. The Superstack is located on top of the largest nickel smelting operation in
588-598: The 1951 Canadian nickel, minted by the Royal Canadian Mint in 1951, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the isolation of nickel as a metal, to show where Sudbury's wealth came from, and to be a lasting tribute to the men and women who mined and processed the minerals in the Sudbury Basin. In short, the nickel was intended to exhibit Sudbury's pride to the whole world. Bruno Cavallo, a local sign manufacturer and artist, also had an idea of constructing
630-506: The City should celebrate the upcoming Canadian Centennial . Szilva put forward the suggestion for a major tourist attraction featuring a giant replica of a five-cent coin, an underground mine and a mining science centre. Szilva's idea was rejected because the committee felt that "it did not have sufficient use for the citizens of Sudbury as such". By this time, Szilva had independently researched his idea, and had concluded that it could indeed be
672-567: The Greater Sudbury area. In 1992, Inco and the city were given an award by the United Nations in honour of their environmental rehabilitation programmes. On November 3, 2014, Vale announced that they may decide to stop using the stack, following a $ 1 billion project to reduce emissions by 85% that negates the need for the stack. If no other use for it is found, Vale may decommission the superstack, demolish it, and replace it with
714-564: The Regional Municipality of Sudbury to proceed with the development of a major tourist attraction, as the government was willing to grant the funds to non-profit organizations. Szilva sold the Big Nickel to the Regional Municipality of Sudbury for $ 550,000, and the Sudbury Science Centre, later to be named Science North , was founded. On January 22, 2001, the Big Nickel was dismantled for refurbishing of both
756-545: The Sudbury Jaycees under president Allan Barnard in entering a float into the November 28, 1964 Grey Cup Parade with a replica of the monument along with the newly crowned 'Miss Big Nickel'. The underground model mine was built in 1965 by J.C. MacIsaac, of MacIsaac Mining and Tunnelling Co., and was expanded by the same company in 1969. Not only was the underground mine visited by over 100,000 people every year, but
798-636: The Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.236 via cp1112 cp1112, Varnish XID 947526505 Upstream caches: cp1112 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:30:09 GMT Inco Superstack The Inco Superstack in Sudbury , Ontario , with a height of 381 metres (1,250 ft), is the tallest chimney in Canada and the Western Hemisphere , and
840-407: The biology of some 7,000 lakes. Prior to Vale's purchase of Inco, a major construction effort by Inco in the early 1990s dramatically scrubbed waste gases before pumping them up the Superstack. These upgrades were completed in 1994 and emissions from then on have been much reduced. By comparison to the plume prior to installation, the plume now disperses quite rapidly and is often see-through even at
882-532: The centre of the buildings, was not erected until 1971. It would seem that The Big Nickel was the cause of these rumours, because of the similarity of its design to the five-cent coin and its proximity to the INCO complex. The 1951 design was chosen for the Big Nickel since it marked the bicentennial of the chemical isolation of nickel by the Swedish chemist Baron Axel Frederic Cronstedt. This metal, of course, played
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#1732782609457924-589: The coin and the facility. Once refurbished, the coin was installed on the grounds of Science North, and the original Big Nickel site was redesigned into the Dynamic Earth facility. On May 10, 2003, the coin was moved back to a plain kickstand on the Dynamic Earth grounds, and the stones of the original pedestal were discarded. 46°28′24″N 81°02′02″W / 46.47336°N 81.03391°W / 46.47336; -81.03391 Nickel (Canadian coin) Too Many Requests If you report this error to
966-478: The construction platform when the storm hit, and all survived. The same day was the final day of construction on the stack, with the construction fully completed by the evening of August 21, 1970. The stack entered into full operation in 1972. From the date of its completion until the Ekibastuz GRES-2 chimney was constructed in 1987, it was the world's tallest smokestack. Between the years 1972–75 it
1008-437: The decommissioning of the stack was expected to cut the complex's natural gas consumption in half. The Superstack was built by Inco Limited (and later purchased by Vale ) at an estimated cost of 25 million dollars. Construction on the structure was underway during the Sudbury tornado of August 20, 1970; the structure swayed heavily in the wind, but remained standing and suffered only minor damage. Six workers were on top of
1050-677: The early money traded by Canada's Aboriginal peoples and European settlers. In March 1975, Szilva expanded on the idea of creating a world-class mining science centre and submitted his proposal to the provincial minister of tourism in Toronto and to the Regional Municipality of Sudbury . Similar to the proposal of the Big Nickel, the idea was rejected by the government. The government at the time refused to give money to private enterprise. According to documented proposals and files, Szilva continued his efforts, and in 1980 he convinced
1092-433: The early to mid-20th century and logging for fuel, an inevitable near-total loss of native vegetation occurred. Of particular interest to geologists are the now exposed rocky outcrops, which have been permanently stained charcoal black, first by the pollution wafting over the decades from the roasting yards, then by the acid rain in a layer which penetrates up to three inches into the once pink-grey granite . The Superstack
1134-473: The event by The Sudbury Star , Canadian Coin News , and other Canadian publications as well as television coverage. The day marked both the culmination of many months of planning, and the beginning of an era, which would see The Big Nickel develop into a world-renowned landmark, and Sudbury into a northern tourist centre. In an attempt to market the park as a world-class tourist attraction, Szilva co-operated with
1176-465: The famous "jail", moon module, and informative film. Articles and pictures featuring the Big Nickel appear in hundreds of books, and it is recognized as an international landmark. The Big Nickel, as the world's only numismatic coin park, also featured coin monuments other than the 1951 nickel. Some of these coin monuments were the $ 20 gold coin monument (featuring the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada ),
1218-506: The first phase of the proposed development. He chose the 1951 five-cent piece and "coined" the phrase "The Big Nickel". Artist Steve Trenka designed the 1951 five-cent piece. His rendition of a nickel refinery was not based on any actual complex, though some believed it to be the INCO refinery in Sudbury. In 1951 the INCO smelter had three stacks, not one (unlike the five-cent piece) and the Inco Superstack which supposedly appeared in
1260-403: The image, it was traced by Szilva and Cavallo over a period of two nights onto large, thick pieces of brown paper. The traced sections were then transported to Cavallo's shop where he handcrafted the numerous steel sheets from a wooden mould. The individual parts were then fastened to a moulded girdle structure and joined with silver solder. Szilva worked with Jim Nemis, whose company Noront Steel
1302-465: The mine represented the first time in Canadian history that a private enterprise and an educational institution, Cambrian College , would collaborate in order to provide on-site practical training in all facets of mining for students. The park was always expanding and adding new features. Some of these features included helicopter rides, a train track around the park carrying 55 passengers, a carousel,
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1344-405: The park. One such medallion package, mailed out to purchasers in 1964 from Nickel Monument Development contained three coins and a descriptive project brochure. Two of the coins were identical silver-dollar-sized 0.999 silver content Kennedy commemorative coins. The third was a silver dollar sized copper-coloured Kennedy commemorative coin. All three coins were identically marked on the obverse with
1386-553: The refinery were contracted to Cavallo Signs. All artistic work was affixed to the stainless steel panels on site. The base, which was 12 feet high, 12 feet wide and 5 feet thick (3.7 m × 3.7 m × 1.5 m), was constructed by the Maple Leaf Masonry Company of Sudbury. It was made of various ore-bearing rocks, field stone, and minerals mined in the Sudbury Basin in order to indicate
1428-478: The requested land, for 99 years at $ 1.00 per year. Eventually he bought the leased land from INCO, in addition to another 15 acres (61,000 m). Szilva contracted a firm to build the Big Nickel road, and Pioneer Construction paved the new road. The Big Nickel was eventually built on the crest of the hill, three feet outside of the city of Sudbury limits in Copper Cliff Ontario, which did not require
1470-564: The source of wealth in the Sudbury area. Upon its completion in 1964, the total cost of the construction of the Big Nickel was approximately $ 35,000. On July 27, 1964, the park was officially opened. Szilva was extremely pleased that John Fisher, the Canadian Centennial commissioner, had accepted his invitation to be on hand to unveil the Big Nickel Monument to a crowd of 1,500. There was extensive media coverage of
1512-534: The stack site. Emissions reductions and increases in thermal efficiency have reached the point where natural draught is no longer sufficient to draw flue gas up the stack, necessitating the use of induced draught fans and/or reheating of the flue gas using natural gas burners. As well as SO 2 emissions, Inco's Superstack has had very high arsenic , nickel and lead emissions to the atmosphere. In 1998, Inco emitted 146.7 tonnes of lead from Copper Cliff while producing 238,500 tonnes of nickel-copper matte. This
1554-466: The sulphur dioxide plume formed a permanent, opaque, cloud-like formation running across the entire horizon as seen from a distance. Periodic inversions would cause the plume to fall into the city. Construction of the Superstack was followed by an environmental reclamation project which included rehabilitation of existing landscapes and selected water bodies such as Lake Ramsey . An ambitious regreening plan saw over three million new trees planted within
1596-457: The world at Vale 's Copper Cliff processing facility in the city of Greater Sudbury. In 2018, Vale announced that the stack would be decommissioned and dismantled, beginning in 2020. Two new, smaller stacks were constructed under the company's Clean Atmospheric Emissions Reduction Project. In July 2020, Vale announced that the Superstack had been officially taken out of service, but would remain operational in standby mode for two more months as
1638-451: The years. While the Superstack lowered the ground-level pollution in the city, it has dispersed sulphur dioxide , and nitrogen dioxide gases over a much larger area. Though not the single source of lake acidification , it appears the heavily industrialized Ohio Valley has contributed to the ecological problem of lakes as far north as northern Ontario. Research from data gleaned up to the late 1980s demonstrated acid rain to have affected
1680-456: Was built to disperse sulphur gases and other byproducts of the smelting process away from the city of Sudbury. It did this by placing the gases high in the air, where they normally blew right past the city on the prevailing winds . As a result, these gases could be detected in the atmosphere around Greater Sudbury in a 240 kilometres (150 mi) radius of the Inco plant. During the 1970s and 80s,
1722-466: Was contracted to engineer, fabricate and install the framework of the Big Nickel. The large stainless steel panels were fabricated by Dalite Corporation of Toronto and shipped to the Big Nickel site in May 1964. When completed, the Big Nickel was 30 feet (9.1 m) high and 2 feet (0.61 m) thick. The artistic work such as the design of the King George VI head, the numerals, maple leaf and
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1764-399: Was the tallest freestanding structure in Canada. Prior to the construction of the Superstack, the waste gases contributed to severe local ecological damage. The Copper Cliff smelter was already home to some of the world's tallest stacks, including two 500 ft (150 m) chimneys constructed in 1928-29 and 1936. However, these proved to be insufficient and compounded by open coke beds in
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