Manganese Mines

Manganese Mines is a small rural community in Colchester County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is northeast of the town of Truro. The place is named after manganese, a metal that people mined there long ago.

The community is also home to Gittens Lodge, a place where students and groups learn about nature.

 Where it is 
Manganese Mines is in the countryside. It has farms, forests, rivers, and wetlands. Part of the land is protected as the Manganese Mines Wildlife Management Area. This area helps protect animals and plants, and hunting is not allowed by law.

 History 

 Early history 
People from New England moved to central Nova Scotia in the 1700s to farm and start towns. The rural area around Truro, including where Manganese Mines is today, grew at that time.

 Mining history 
In the late 1800s, people found manganese rock in the area. Manganese is a metal used to make steel stronger. Small mines were active in the 1880s and 1890s. About 1,800 tons of manganese were taken from the ground before the mines closed.

Later, people also dug limestone nearby to make cement. That work stopped in the 1990s.

 Recent news 
In May 2025, a small wildfire burned near Manganese Mines on Old Pictou Road. Some people were asked to leave their homes to be safe. The fire was brought under control, and people could return. This was reported by CBC News.

In 2022, police investigated gunshots on McLeod Road in Manganese Mines. McLeod Road is the road that goes to Gittens Lodge. This was reported by Global News and confirmed by the lodge’s address on an NSCC information sheet.

 Gittens Lodge 
Gittens Lodge is a building in the woods at Manganese Mines. It is owned and run by the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC). Schools and groups visit the lodge to learn about forests, animals, and nature.

 History of the lodge 
Gittens Lodge was planned in 1969 by two teachers, Ted Gittens and Verl Short. A paper company (Scott Paper) leased the land to the teachers’ college. The lodge was built from 1971 to 1973, with wood and help given by local groups.

Many children and adults visit the lodge each year for nature study and group stays. The forest around the lodge has marked study sites used for learning about plants and animals.

 Notable people 
 Ted Gittens – a teacher who helped create Gittens Lodge.
 Verl Short – a school leader who also helped start Gittens Lodge.

 Nature protection 
The Manganese Mines Wildlife Management Area was created in 1973 to protect forests, wetlands, and wildlife. The Government of Nova Scotia manages it, and the official record is also kept by the Government of Canada.

 References 

Category:Nova Scotia