Sloquet??

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Spotted at the Sasquatch Inn in Harrison this morning Brian and Adam. Were they just reviewing findings in the area or preparing for an intensive search this coming summer? What did Adam find out that caught Brian’s interest?  Seeing Brian, Sloquet Valley comes to mind. In that case it is strange not to see Rob there as well.  Did they keep Rob out intentionally? It seems that UBC is analyzing an ore sample but Adam remained tight-lipped about the location of his find.

Adam and Brian keeping out of sight. Photographer at the bar. 

Screwballs and Reputables

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Two types of people still seek the legendary Lost Creek Mine: “Screwballs” and “Reputables.” That is how, in 1951, Carl Agar of what is now Okanagan helicopters classified those asking him for a ride to where the goldmine was supposed to be located.  Just for record, it is Alfred (Fred) Gaspard ... not Albert Gaspard.  

Not new after all. Click here.

SLUMACH'S GOLD on Global National at 5:30 this coming Sunday, September 16th.

On Sunday, Global National’s segment "Your Canada” will include a brief interview with Brian and Rick Antonson talking about Slumach and the search for the legendary gold. Tune in at the 5:30pm Global National newscast. Warning “Your Canada” usually runs closer to 6pm at the end of the program. 

Trip down memory lane

Donald Waite’s Kwant’stan (the Golden Ears), published in 1972, is a classic and one of the first two books telling stories about Slumach and the search for the legendary Pitt Lake gold.
Recently Len Pettit meticulously scanned Don’s book in high resolution. Click here to download Len’s handiwork.

The second book, published that same year 1972, was Slumach’s Gold by the Antonson brothers and Mary Trainer. 

Used copies of the first editions of both books are still offered on the Internet 

To the land of the golden bullets

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Evan and I decided to follow up another golden lead that we have always been interested in as well...And that is the mysterious Legend of the Golden Bullets from Port Douglas...So here we are, a month later from our first expedition and we decided to set off for another week in the mountains, hunting for the Lost Creek Mine...This time, in the remote peaks above Port Douglas, towering above the Lillooet-Nahatlatch divide...The Sasquatch Corridor!
Click here for a full report and fabulous pictures!

Thomas Lake Expedition

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Following message from Adam about an exciting recent expedition in the Thomas Lake area.

Ever since Evan and I started our research concerning Slumach and the Lost Creek Mine and the victims it has claimed, the name Bernard Rover fascinated us. For one thing, he was a survivor, but also, it is said that he was prospecting up around Thomas Lake for sometimes 30 days at a time and had various camps along the way... Well, that right there got our attention... 30 days at Thomas Lake? Really? What was he after? 
Evan and I needed to find out. If it was true surely there would be remnants of his explorations and camps, and maybe his cabin.
Well, this past week we set out on a Thomas Lake expedition: a six-day traverse of Tingle Peak from Thomas Lake. On the second day we found the foundation of his cabin and various tools. On day 3 we found his ore and on day 4 his claim, high above Thomas Lake, looking down on the remains of his cabin. 
Was this the Lost Creek Mine? Did Bernard Rover find Slumachs Gold? We carried on our explorations for another few days... finding various clues along the high ridges of where he may have been on the path of Slumach! 

Click here to find a brilliant series of pictures of the expedition on Facebook.

Click here for a newspaper report about the rescue of Bernard Rover in 1968.

Lost Creek Mine meeting

Members met again! Now we know where the gold is!

From Daryl Friesen’s treasure trove comes this nice map said to be: "From the new book Slumach’s Gold.” Though perhaps intended to be included, the map was not used for the 1972 issue of the bestseller. Click on the picture to enlarge it. Thanks Daryl!

The Province, September 2, 2007

page B4 The Unwind Section

Having a look at the Wild Duck Inn map

Garth, Fred, Brian and Don in front of the famed map. Photo by Terry Marshall

Preparing for the ascent at Bruce’s. Photo by Terry Marshall.

Perspectives on Gold Rush

To order go to BC Studies

The truth and nothing but the truth?

Photo by Terry Marshall

As always Brian gave a great rendition of Slumach’s legend to an appreciative audience. Don (r) and Fred (l) tried to keep Brian honest — really not that easy. 

Brian lecturing in Abbotsford

On Tuesday, February 13th, starting at 10 am, Brian Antonson is presenting an updated version of the story of Slumach’s gold.
Location: Abbotsford Recreation Centre (Senior Activity Centre), 2499 McMillan Road, at the corner of Old Yale.
Everyone welcome. You don’t have to be a senior to attend. Brian is an excellent presenter and his talk is well worth the entry fee of $7.00.
Click here for more information about Brian’s and other Learning Plus classes.

Black Bond Books -- supporting local authors

Fact and  Fiction: Slumach and the Lost Creek Mine is now completely sold out. It was the #1 selling book in the Regional section for 2017 at Black Bond Books in Haney. 

Fred at Black Bond Books in Haney on Authors for Indies day in April 2017. "Indies" stands for independent book stores.  

Wild Duck Inn map

Correction July 2021: North is to the right -- south to the left. The location of the "mine" is east of Widgeon Creek.

What happened to the large map of Pitt River and Pitt Lake mounted on the wall behind the bar in Port Coquitlam's Wild Duck Inn? Some thought that it had been painted on a wall and was  therefore lost but a an article with a photo showing the framed map up mentioned that it and other items were up for sale in 2000.
The map was NOT painted on a wall but on sheets of fibreboard and we now know that it was purchased at the final auction at the Wild Duck Inn by of a long-time frequent visitor to the pub -- now a resident of Whonnock. As the attached pictures show the map is in excellent condition. Space did not allow taking a frontal picture of the entire map -- that has to wait until this summer.
According to the present owner the map was hidden behind behind some other images in the last year.  Click on images to enlarge.

Donnelly Rhodes 1937 – 2018

Veteran actor Donnelly Rhodes played the old prospector in Michael Colliers’s  docudrama “Curse of the Lost Gold Mine.”