Adventurous men have left no place unturned in their search for Earth’s hidden wealth. One such place is British Columbia’s famous Fraser River. The place holds great history where gold mining is concerned.
Lets take a look at some of the early gold mining activities around the Fraser River. While the heyday of mining is over now, there is still gold left to be found hidden amongst the gravels.
Placer Gold in British Columbia
British Columbia is one of the major gold mining provinces in Canada. The Fraser River, along with many other rivers and creeks, is one of the major areas that have continued to contribute significant amounts of gold in the country. Placer gold is distributed throughout the river, which prospectors can easily recover through the use of simple techniques and methods such as panning and sluicing.
There are several places within British Columbia known for gold mining. In fact many of the waterways in the more mountainous western half of the province (ranging from Vancouver all the way to the Yukon Territory) that will produce some decent gold.
Historically, the Fraser River was one of the bigger strikes here. The top 3 would include:
The Early Gold Rush to the Fraser River
The earliest gold discovery was made on Thompson Creek near the town of Lytton. This occurred in 1857, and miners soon found that the placers extended down into the Nicoamen River and Fraser River too.
At this point in history, the California Gold Rush had already been underway for nearly a decade and many miners were excited by the word of a new gold strike. Many of them headed to the Fraser River for a new chance at riches.
After the discovery of gold on Fraser River, it triggered a gold rush in the region, and the venture attracted the establishment of various mining towns along the river. The entire river system produced at least small amounts of gold, with a handful of locations that have been noted to be particularly rich.
Also Read: Gold Mining History of Atlin, British Columbia
The Placer Mines at Boston Bar, Lytton & Yale
The major gold producers on the Fraser River included Boston Bar. This particular area was one the places where gold mining took place along the river and gold concentrations were particularly rich. The name came from the many miners who showed up from the east coast. The native people of the region called them “Boston men,” and eventually the name Boston Bar came to be.
Boston Bar is still a surviving town with a population of about 900 people. There is still gold to be found in the river here, although tourism is now more focused on fishing and rafting. Some businesses in the area do cater to tourists interested in doing a little gold panning.
Lytton is yet another noteworthy location that was once a hotspot for gold mining on the Fraser River. The town is situated at the confluence of Fraser River and the Thompson River. This place used to host hundreds of miners at the time of the gold rush, but today there are only a few residents.
Lytton still has good potential for gold prospectors, as it still contain some fine gold deposits within the gravel which can still be recovered from the river banks by panning or sluicing.
Other locations known to offer opportunities for gold panning on Fraser River include the town of Yale. It was also among the towns that were thriving at the time of the gold rush in the region. The place is also known to offer opportunities for gold panning to its visitors, along with the visitation of the museum where people can access information about mining in the early days.
Gold-Bearing Creeks and Tributaries
The source of the gold placers that are found in the Fraser River have eroded from many veins in the surrounding mountains. Thus, you shouldn’t be surprised to known that many other tributaries in the surrounding area also hold decent gold deposits.
Tranquille Creek which is located in the vicinity of the Tranquille Kamloops. This place is known to have produced gold worth $250,000 dollars after it was first discovered here.
Lastly but not the least of course, Cayoosh Creek is yet one of the locations known for gold mining on Fraser River. The creek is known to be a tributary of Seton Creek that flows into the Fraser River. Just like the other places mentioned above, this area was established for gold mining. It is known to be surrounded by hills and mountains which have small creeks known to contain placer gold deposits.
Cayoosh Creek has several places with good access where the public is allowed to conduct gold panning near its confluence with the Fraser River.
How to Get the Gold
It is important to note that most of the gold on this river’s gold mining locations contain fine gold which is recovered well by panning and sluicing. Some nuggets have been found, but mostly it will be tiny specks of gold that you will recover at the bottom of your gold pan
A few basic tools will be required to get to the gold. Since gold is heavy, it settles down deep in the gravel and near or on bedrock. You will need a good shovel to dig down deep and get to where the gold is. Dig down until you hit solid bedrock and then shovel a scoop into your gold pan. Pan it out and see if you can find any color.
If you are serious about recovering gold, then you will want to use a sluice box
Next: Minerals Associated with Natural Gold