Qualla: Flin Flon: The Mining Town Named After a Science Fiction Character https://qualla.com/flin-flon-scifi en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:06 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/c/9/x/x/flin-flon-scifi-wk/hero-small.webp Qualla: Flin Flon: The Mining Town Named After a Science Fiction Character https://qualla.com/flin-flon-scifi Flin Flon: The Mining Town Named After a Science Fiction Character: Introduction https://qualla.com/flin-flon-scifi/ Photo credit Theoffice89, CC BY-SA 3.0. The city was named after a science fiction character. In 1914, prospector Tom Creighton found gold-bearing ore along the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border. According to legend, he'd been reading 'The Sunless City,' an 1905 novel by J.E. Preston Muddock, featuring Professor Donatorblotz and his submarine pilot Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin - 'Flinty' for short. When Creighton discovered the ore body, he supposedly exclaimed something about finding Flinty's land. The shortened 'Flin Flon' stuck, becoming the name of the mine, the town, and eventually a city of 6,000 that straddles Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The story is probably apocryphal; the name is definitely real. A 24-foot statue of Flinty greets visitors.

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Image: Theoffice89 | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/c/9/x/x/flin-flon-scifi-wk/c9xx-flin-flon-the-mining-town-named-after-a-science-fi-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Flin Flon: The Mining Town Named After a Science Fiction Character: The Novel https://qualla.com/flin-flon-scifi/ Photo credit Green slash at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0. 'The Sunless City' (1905) is forgotten science fiction by forgotten author J.E. Preston Muddock. The plot involves Professor Donatorblotz and his assistant Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin traveling by submarine to a hollow Earth civilization. The book was cheap, popular, and carried...

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Image: Green slash at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/c/9/x/x/flin-flon-scifi-wk/c9xx-flin-flon-the-mining-town-named-after-a-science-fi-the-novel.mp3 0:06 2 full Flin Flon: The Mining Town Named After a Science Fiction Character: The Mine https://qualla.com/flin-flon-scifi/ Photo credit Green slash at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Flin Flon mine complex operated from 1930 to 2017, producing copper, zinc, gold, and silver. The ore body Tom Creighton found proved massive and long-lasting, supporting a city in otherwise remote country. The Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Company built the town, the infrast...

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Image: Green slash at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/c/9/x/x/flin-flon-scifi-wk/c9xx-flin-flon-the-mining-town-named-after-a-science-fi-the-mine.mp3 0:06 3 full Flin Flon: The Mining Town Named After a Science Fiction Character: The Statue https://qualla.com/flin-flon-scifi/ Photo credit Green slash at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0. Josiah Flintabbatey Flonatin stands 24 feet tall at Flin Flon's entrance. The fiberglass statue, designed by cartoonist Al Chicken and erected in 1962, depicts Flinty in diving suit and helmet, ready for submarine exploration. It's a landmark, a mascot, a reminder that this city ...

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Image: Green slash at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/c/9/x/x/flin-flon-scifi-wk/c9xx-flin-flon-the-mining-town-named-after-a-science-fi-the-statue.mp3 0:06 4 full Flin Flon: The Mining Town Named After a Science Fiction Character: The Border https://qualla.com/flin-flon-scifi/ Photo credit Green slash at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0. Flin Flon straddles the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border, with most of the city in Manitoba but portions in Saskatchewan. Residents literally cross provincial lines walking to neighbors. Some houses sit on the border itself. The complication was accidental - the ore body didn't respe...

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Image: Green slash at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/c/9/x/x/flin-flon-scifi-wk/c9xx-flin-flon-the-mining-town-named-after-a-science-fi-the-border.mp3 0:06 5 full Flin Flon: The Mining Town Named After a Science Fiction Character: Visiting Flin Flon https://qualla.com/flin-flon-scifi/ Photo credit Green slash at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0. Flin Flon is located in northern Manitoba, roughly 750 km north of Winnipeg via Highway 10. The Flinty statue greets visitors at the town entrance. The Flin Flon Station Museum covers mining history and the name's origin. The city sits on the Canadian Shield - rocky terrain, bore...

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Image: Green slash at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 3.0

]]> Mon, 12 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/c/9/x/x/flin-flon-scifi-wk/c9xx-flin-flon-the-mining-town-named-after-a-science-fi-visiting-flin-flon.mp3 0:06 6 full