Some thoughts about the "Jackson Letter"

In his story "The Lost Mine of Pitt Lake," published first in Canada West Magazine in 1970 and after that in his book Historic Treasures and Lost Mines in 1977,reprinted in 1993 as Lost Mines and Historic Treasures , N.L. "Bill" Barlee shows a fragment of a letter attributed to "Volcanic" Brown dated May 28, 1924 and the text of an enclosure, a copy of a letter alleged to have been written by "Jackson," a main player in the legend of Pitt Lake gold.

Barlee shared the content of the Jackson letter in his article, not in the form of a reproduction but as a retyped version (verbatim we are told) of "Volcanic" Brown's copy. Thus we have to take Barlee's word as to its authenticity. We are also missing the benifit of "Volcanic" Brown's own words in the 28 May 1924 letter about provenance or authenticity of the precious relic, since the content of Brown's letter is not disclosed.

In 1925 the press mentioned the "Jackson letter" for the first time, but it is a prospector called Stockwell, and not one called Jackson, who was said to have written it. Jackson only steps in the limelight in 1939 and content of his letter quoted at that time was based on a copy said to be in the hands of pioneer Hugh Murray. Variations of this version are quoted in articles published in 1947 and 1951. Those texts are very humble affairs compared with the version Barlee started to present in 1970.

Click here to see Barlee's version followed by the earlier versions.

Note that others before Barlee presented their version as a part of the letter written by Jackson. Their versions start with the sentence "After reaching the headwaters of Pitt Lake, I discharged my two native guides and set out into the mountains." Barlee choose to present his version as a whole, omitting that first sentence.

Wouldn't it be great to see a true early a copy of any version of the legendary "Jackson Letter"? Yes, but I doubt that anyone has or ever had one and I am not going to look for it.

A prelude to "Jackson" -- First, in 1905, an newspaper item appeared about an Indian on a pony, coming to New Westminster three times exchanging gold dust for money. As is standard in this story he became ill due to the harsh conditions in the mountains and on his death bed he told his story to a relative, who involved a white man etc. In a 1906 article a man called Frazier told about an unnamed "old man" "who was ere this been gathered in his rest," who had recovered $8000 in gold nuggets, which he had hidden under a rock. Shotwell took his place in the legend in 1925. Etc.