While farming and fur trading dominated Pakan they were not the only local industries.

Mining began in the 1860s when gold was mined along the shores of the North Saskatchewan. The returns were small; the hours spent digging and panning long. Towards the end of the decade miners, taking as much as $5.00 per day in gold from deposits in the sand bars, were rich. In those days, wages of $20.00 a month were considered adequate.

However, no large scale development took place and by the end of the century miners were finding only $2 a day in gold.

By the 1870s settlers had discovered coal outcrops on the river banks and were using it to heat their homes. Large quantities of coal were found along both banks of the river as well as along the banks of Egg Lake Creek. At Egg Lake Creek a 13 inch seam was found at a depth of about 4 feet.

William Garred  pit mined 600 tons of coal from the banks of the creek. Several other mines were worked by tunneling into the banks and bracing the ceiling with props.

Unfortunately the cheaply run and haphazardly financed mines were never economically successful. There were not sufficient quantity, or quality, to attract large scale mining companies.

Pakan might have been the "oil capital of the Northwest Territories" had the early drilling attempts been successful. Oil well drilling was still in its early infancy when the first well was drilled in the area. That well was the second to be drilled in the territory which became Alberta some 16 - 17 years later. Although the well was unsuccessful, it along with two others drilled at Athabasca Landing and Pelican Rapids, demonstrated the uniformity and extent of oil and natural gas fields over the large area of the northwest.

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Notes: John McDougall mentions some miners having dug out the cellar of the mission house as a thank you to his father!