Montreal Gazette, 30 August 1978

Click image to enlarge. Third Canyon? 

There was simply no gold in Slumach’s real life story.

Following published in Maple Ridge News December 2nd, 2014. Click here.

“Lost Mine” found at the headwaters of Pitt River in 1933?

In the Annual Report of the Minister of Mines of BC for the year ending 31st December we read the following on page A-245. Click on the image to enlarge it.

Thanks Roger Kennedy who referred us to this.
There are no 1933 or 1934 newspaper articles about prospects in the Upper Pitt River and so we will never know who spread those rumours that seem to be believable enough to be mentioned in the Minister’s report. It could not have been Volcanic Brown. He died in 1930/1931. 

Southgate River: notes from the Glacier Museum

Still we don’t seem to know what was the fate of Jack Mould who in 2007 disappeared without a trace in the waters of the Southgate River.
Looking around for new information about him I came across an undated posting on Judith M. Williams’s Web site that I thought worth sharing. Click here for the link. 
Shown here is the picture of what was recognized by Mould as the tent-shaped rock and the end of Bute Inlet; one of the illustrations shown in the article.
Ms Williams is the author of Dynamite Stories (2003). I quoted from that book on the Slumach Web. Click here.

The Antonson Brothers now hunting for gold themselves!

The Antonson brothers returned from several days out in the wilds hunting for Slumach’s gold and are planning to go out again!  Click here to read the full report in The Province of October 10th.
The picture of the brothers above is from the same article in The Province. Another picture shown with the article is from the Widgeon Creek area at the south end of Pitt Lake. That suggests the brothers are focussing their search on the area where Slumach lived and that he would have known like the palm of his hand.  

Notes on the Golden Mountains

This was the house the Downies built 

Charles Miller mentions an Abraham Downie as the discoverer of the “Prosser” mine. 

In fact his name was not Abraham but William. He owned a quarter section of land near Rolley Lake. where he and his sons built a substantial house. After William died in 1896, 67 years of age, his family settled in the United States. The 1898 BC Directory shows sons William (Jr.), Daniel, and Hugh as loggers for the Ruskin Mill and their oldest brother John Downie as a carpenter. The 1899 Voters list shows William as a logger and Hugh as a “common labourer” for Ruskin Mills.
The Downie house was where "Mr Wilson" lived later and where Charlie Miller’s father built a chimney of rocks with pyrite crystals.

Squamish Times Today

An article so far unknown to me about the legend of the lost creek gold mine has turned up. This article written by Rose Tatlow was published on the fifth page of the Squamish Times of 2 October 1984. Click here to see the issue. 

The lovely illustration "Sasquatch with Indian Girl” is one of the pictures shown in the article. 

Slumach’s Gold

Aunt Mandy (Amanda Charnley), Peter Pierre’s daughter, told Donald Waite in 1972 that Slumach sold the equivalent of a half a ten-pound sugar bag of gold to a storekeeper in New Westminster for $27. Click here to read the interview.  It was the only gold Slumach took out according to Aunt Mandy’s story.
Gold weighs 18 times more than sugar and half a 10-pound sugar bag full of the stuff would have weighed  90 pounds  or about 40 kilograms. Unbelievable.
Based on the gold price of $18.94 per troy ounce (31 grams) of that time these $27.00 would have been the value of not more than 44.33 grams. The shopkeeper would have paid less than that of course. The amount of gold Slumach would have sold him would have been within reasonable limits--say 100 grams. That of course if Slumach ever found and sold gold at all!

Map of the Upper Pitt River – 1940

Courtesy Danny Gerak, Alvin BC

 

Click on image to enlarge. 

To the rescue of Volcanic Brown

 The Volcanic Brown rescue party, 1928. Left to right: Herman Gardner; B.C. Provincial Policeman: Spud Murphy; Alvin Patterson, after whom Alvin is named; Caleb Gardner; Harry Corder. – Roy McMartyn (provided by Harry Corder)

This picture and caption appear in many books and articles with writings about Volcanic Brown. It is a fascinating picture but the caption needs two corrections. The real year of the rescue of Robert Brown was 1926 – not 1928 and the surname of Herman and Caleb Gardner is correctly: Gardiner. The two Gardiners and Alvin Patterson lived in Alvin.
Harry Corder, or Henry Gordon Corder, was a fisherman. He died in 1983 and his is grave is at the Maple Ridge cemetery. Donald Waite knew him personally and visited him many times.
The first name of “Spud” Murphy of the BC Provincial Police was Eugene. He is one of the man searching for Volcanic Brown in 1931/1932. Aroung 1935 he lived in Port Hardy.
Harry Corder provided the photo that came from LeRoy McMartin (not Roy McMartyn). LeRoy played a prominent role in the search in the mountains for Volcanic Brown in 1931/1932.
The names of none of the people shown in this picture appeared in the newspapers at the time of the rescue. Mentioned in the newspaper are:  “Constable George Elliott”, “A. McMartin, trapper from Hammond” or “Fire Ranger McMillan.” “A. McMartin” suggests that either LeRoy or one of his brothers James or George from Hammond helped in the 1926 search. George F. Elliott was stationed in Mission. McMillan has not been identified yet.

Where the gold is

So you wonder where your best chances are of finding gold in the Lower Mainland?
The New Westminster Registry offices recorded the following number of claims registered in 1902  by area:

Sumas and vicinity     23
Stave River                 18
Harrison Lake             10
Chilliwack                    9
Whonnock                    9
Pitt Lake                      7
                                 -----
Total                            76

Lost Pitt Lake Mine Society

Members of The Lost Pitt Lake Mine Society met recently to review the program for this summer’s search for hidden treasure. A low snowfall and early thaw may open a unique opportunity to explore more than one location of interest. From left to right: Fred, Adam, Daryl. Evan, and Don.

Meet Brian Antonson at Port Coquitlam on May 3rd, evening

Brian Antonson will be the guest speakers for PoCo Heritage at Leigh Square, at the Outlet, 2253 Leigh Square, Port Coquitlam on May 3rd from 7:00 to 9:30 pm. 
Brain will speak about Slumach’s Gold, the book he co-authored with his brother Rick and with Mary Trainer, and the experience of writing it.  
Adult beverages and nibblies will be served. Admission by donation. The proceeds go to PoCo Heritage. 
Heritage at Leigh Square is Port Coquitlam’s new multi-use heritage facility. 

Winter Games starting in a few days -- in Mission.

Brian Antonson of Slumach's Gold fame is president of this year’s  BC Winter Games at Mission that will take place starting on Thursday February 20 and ending on Sunday February 23. 
The focus is, writes President Antonson "... to provide an exceptional experience for almost 2,000 athletes, coaches, and official who are coming to Mission full of hopes, dreams, competitive spirit and their own goal setting." 
Well done, Brian. You deserve a gold medal! 
Click here to get all information you need.

A Chance Encounter

Four members of the Lost Pitt Lake Mine Society happened to run into each other at Don's place. They took the opportunity to talk about Adam and Evan's 2013 "walkabout" through the mountains (see map) and to hear about their plans for this coming summer. After years of exploration chances to find "the gold" and Volcanic Browns last camp are exceedingly favourable. Click on image to enlarge.

Evan, Don, Adam, and Fred 

Walkabout 2013

Book Hunters Alert

The good news: At the MCC Thrift Shop in Mission BC is for sale a copy of Charles Miller's famed but rare book The Golden Mountains. 
The bad news: It is part of a small collection with other famous but not-so-rare gold-hunters book offered in a "silent auction."
The last reported bid is $40 and who knowns how much it will be in the end!
Slowly creeping up and up!
Today, January 29, the bid is up to $60.
The collection walked out of the door on February 15th with a high bid of $75!