BC Culture - Dick Garneau

Note that Slumach is mentioned on a page "Early Years" on Dick Garneau's interesting and informative Web site Canadian History Directory as follows:

1891 -- January 16 : New Westminster, B.C., Old Slumach an Indian is hanged for the murder September 8, 1890 at Lillooet Slough about 2 1/2 miles above Pitt River bridge, of Louis Bee a half-breed who had insulted the old Indian. Some believed that with the death of Old Slumach knowledge of the location of a rich gold deposit in Pit Lake country was lost.

For more abbout Dick Garneau and his unique Web site click here.

Lost Gold Mine of Pitt Lake BC

This summer Douglas DuHamel joined the choir of those who claim that Slumach was "... the only man who knew about the gold mine at Pitt Lake." Click here to read his copyrighted contribution!

August Jack's Mine

In December 1951, Bruce Larsen interviewed Chief (August Jack) Khahtsahlano, "the only Indian still living who knows the whole story." That was about "Slumach's Mine," but what about "August Jack's Mine"?

R.C. (Dick) Winkelman has been told that August Jack and a few others had a mine somewhere on the North Shore but that it caved in and killed two and for that reason it became tabu. "The Natives in Squamish hiked to the north arm [Indian Arm] of the Burrard Inlet. It took 14 hours and they camped overnight. In the morning August Jack would show them some nuggets, but never told where he got them."

C.V. Tench

The story that Slumach would have murdered several women to prevent them from telling the location of his legendary gold mine dates back to 1939 (Hugh Murray/Jack Mahony).

Prolific pulp writer C.V. Tench created some Gothic tales about it, enlivening the stories with "authentic" photographs of the "victims" and other imaginary players. Transcripts of these articles are on the slumach.ca Web site. To get an idea of what else C.V. Tench wrote just Google "C.V. Tench." He also produced articles under a number of pseudonyms. C.V. Tench's imagination was boundless.

Very little seems to be known about Charles Victor Tench. His death certificate shows that he died in Vancouver General Hospital on 17 December 1963, 71 years of age, of arteriosclerosis. He lived with his wife (nee Edith Maud Petersen) at 66 West 12th Avenue. He was born in Hampton England in 1892 and migrated to Canada (British Columbia)around 1930. His widow seems to have moved away from BC after his death. There are no known relatives.

Anyone who knows more--please post a note.

Recycling

From Monte Gibson the following e-mail and the photo alleged to show Eneas George:

Just saw your blog about Slumach, and noticed the photo of Slumach as reported by C.V. Tench [1939]. The funny thing is that C.V. Tench also used that same photo in one of his articles for Factual Detective Stories #7, March 1942, except the name of that person is Eneas George, a Nicola Indian, who was one of three Native brothers executed for the 1934 murder of 2 police Constables on the Canford Reserve.

Thought you might find the discrepancy of interest. Who knows what C.V.Tench was thinking, and perhaps was using the same photo for numerous articles, if he could not find an accurate one to accompany his articles. Weird.

X Doesn't Mark the Spot

The latest book by Ed Butts titled X Doesn't Mark the Spot, is now available at the bookstores. As the publisher, Tundra Books, puts it: "Anyone who has fantasized about becoming fabulously rich overnight can relate to this collection of treasure hunt stories — tales of buried pirate gold, of hidden outlaw loot, of wrecked ships loaded with valuable coins and jewels, and of “lost” gold mines." Written for readers from 10 to 12 years, it is a good read for any age group. As a bonus: a chapter on the tale of Slumach's gold closes the book.

Firewood

A 1921 article I came across recently tells about a frantic race by two competing Seattle groups to stake "a Pitt Lake Valley," ending with the following comment:

The Seattle men are much more excited about the possibility of finding gold around Pitt Lake than the old-time prospectors who have worked the district for many years.
"Shuck," said a gray-haired veteran, "I wouldn't go across the street to stake that valley. And yet, every ten years or so, there is a new gang goes in with dreams of buried treasure. There's enough stakes in there now to keep those Seattle fellows in firewood for a month."