Public Workers Strike Gold

Mike Boileau, famed hunter of Forbidden Treasure, wonders why our governments keep picking our pockets. In his column in The Province of today Jon Ferry writes about Mike and his quest. Click here to read it. 
In 1983 John Ferry was part of the joint Province-CKVU TV expedition that hunted for the treasure. Click here to read his series of reports on that venture: First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth. 

B.C. Prospectors Web site

Rob Nicholson's lets us know that his BC Prospectors Web site is "...temporarily down....I am revamping the site with more video content." Stay tuned. 

Don't miss the show !

Adam Palmer will be doing a show and film presentation of his and Evan Howard's famous traverse of the Terrarosa and Stave Glacier on December 18 in Chilliwack. 

This is a fundraiser for the Youth Inclusion Program in Agassiz and admission will be by donation. All of the proceeds will go towards funding this season’s ski-snowboard-snowshoe-ice climbing youth trips.

The presentation will be on December 18, starting at 7:00 pm and the location is Mt. Waddington’s Outdoors, 5643 Vedder Road, in Chilliwack. 

Mt. Waddington's Outdoors is a brand-new outdoor store owned and operated by Sam Waddington, who has generously supplied outdoor equipment and clothing at a discounted price to the Agassiz Youth Inclusion Program. 

Try to be there and take along a friend or friends ... and let the word go out, that would be great. See you there.  

DUTCHMAN'S GOLD BOOK

The story of the Lost Dutchman Mine in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. THAT likely is North America's most famous hold mine story! You may want to download the Kindle Book for free from Amazon.  CLICK HERE 
Yes, you can read Kindle Books on your PC or Mac. Click HERE to download Kindle for PC and HERE for Kindle for MAC. Thanks to Brian Antonson for this tip!
Oops .... Waited too long. Now you have to pay $6.00 plus to download your copy!!

Kalgoorly nugget

The Teylers Museum in Haarlem is the Netherlands' first and oldest museum. It opened to the public in 1784. Among their treasures is this gem from Kalgoorly, Australia. Its greatest width is no less than an inch. I took a picture of it because this is how I imagine the nuggets in Jackson's creek would have looked: indeed, as large as a walnut!  

Not yet sold out....!

Rick and Brian at Chapters-Indigo downtown Vancouver last week promoting their (Brian, Rick and Mary's) Slumach and his (Rick's) Timbuktu and Route 66 stories. There are still a few copies left for sale.

Another chance...don't miss it THIS time!

Chapters at Robson and Howe in downtown Vancouver is hosting Rick and Brian Antonson for another book signing, this one on Saturday, October 20th, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. 
Get your signed copy of Route 66 Still Kicks, To Timbuktu for a Haircut, and Slumach's Gold right then and there and ask the author(s) to personalize your copy or copies with a dedication. Of course you don't HAVE to buy anything. Just drop in and meet these two famous authors. The underground garage of Pacific Centre next door charges a low one-time fee for all-day parking on weekends and the SkyTrains stops close by. 

The Antonsons at YVR.

The two Antonson authors were at Virgin Books at the airport today selling and signing books. 
They sold 18 books in four hours--not bad! They'll do it again next year!
The picture shows Brian and Rick and bookstore folks.

Gold Fever is Hereditary

Teresa Grigg wrote a heart-warming and interesting and above all well-told story that starts: "I grew up with gold fever in my blood. My grandfather Grigg, and his father before him were both dreamers of gold. They spent their life searching for the Lost Mine of Pitt Lake, also known as Slumach's Gold... "
Click here to read it all.

Local Legend Brought to Life in New Novel

In the legend of Slumach's infamous gold, it's written that Slumach was an elderly Katzie First Nation man who lived where the Pitt River flows out of Pitt Lake. Tried and hung for the shooting of a man in New Westminster in 1891, the whereabouts of his widely sought wealth said to be hidden somewhere near Pitt Lake, British Columbia, seemed destined to remain a mystery forever. With her talent for creating characters to truly care about, and her intuitive ability to summon excitement and passion in her readers, Bonny Darby weaves the historical search for Slumach's Gold into her novel. A tale of adventure, mystery, romance, and a hunt for true buried treasure, White Rose Caper provides the unmistakable elements of an engrossing escape.

Join Maggie Garrison, owner of flower shop in British Columbia, as she seeks to recover the key for an antique desk left to her by her grandmother. With her life threatened, she must uncover the secret of what the desk contains and in so doing, is pulled further into a mysterious hunt.  Along the way, she finds herself becoming more entwined in partnership with Jake McAllister, a handsome lawyer with a burning passion for her. Maggie’s friends and family reveal long-kept secrets, as she discovers an inheritance beyond anything she could have imagined. Fast-paced chases, blackmailing villains, family secrets, and a simmering romance propel Maggie into a covert and exciting life that is far-removed from her quiet days in the flower shop.

Fred Rogers 1919 - 2012

Only today did I learn about the passing of Fred Rogers on April 1st of this year. I had the pleasure meeting him in the summer of 2008 when he kindly shared with me what he knew and had collected over time about Slumach. I never would have guessed that he was approaching his 90th birthday back than. From him comes a wonderful story related to the chase for Slumach's gold. Click here to read it. To find the reports of the Province's 1952 expedition search here.  Photo: Interviewing Fred Rogers in 2008.

The Antonsons are at it again! It will be FUN

Just as last summer Rick and Brian will make a guest appearance at Virgin Books at Vancouver International Airport. You can meet and greet the brothers there on Friday, August 31st between 10:00 and 2:00. Rick will sign copies of Route 66 Still Kicks (his latest book) and To Timbuktu for a Haircut. Of course Brain and Rick will both sign your copy of their famous, bestseller Slumach's Gold. The photo shows Rick (left) and Brian at YVR last year.

Nuggets from Barlee's Gold Pan

From: brian_antonson@hotmail.com

To: tfletcher@blackpress.ca

Subject: RE: Your item on Bill Barlee

Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2012 20:54:15 -0600

Mr. Fletcher:

I read with interest your item in last week's Mission Record, "Nuggets from Barlee's gold pan".  You cite his coverage in Canada West Magazine of the story of the "Lost Gold Mine at Pitt Lake", 

In 1970, three young, budding writers, myself, my brother Rick, and our friend Mary Trainer, read that same Canada West article.  We'd heard about the legend of Slumach and his lost mine years before, but reading the item in Canada West magazine blew fresh air onto the coals of a smouldering fire and we set about to research and write a book on the story.  We published our book in 1972, a slim 56-page volume that sold, over three editions in nine years, 10,000 copies.  With 5000 in sales being a best seller in Canada, we were thrilled.

Time moved on, careers changed, and in the middle years of the last decade, the current rights holder for that book encouraged us to produce an updated version.  We took on the challenge, and the result was 2007's 35th anniversary edition, a much larger (160 page) tome that took our original treatment and writ it large, with expanded tales of people who have been integral to the legend...and to the search for Slumachs lost mine...over the past century, along with a great deal of updated research. 

That 2007 book, Slumach's Gold:  In Search of a Legend, now has sold over 9000 copies, pushing once again on the edges of being a double Canadian best seller.

And we dedicated this 2007 edition to the man whose seminal work on British Columbia history had started us on our own journey, Bill Barlee.

Here's a pic of our book.  Some copies, from the third printing, are still available in bookstores, and an online version is now on sale, as well.

Historian Fred Braches of Whonnock has two excellent sites on the Slumach legend.  One is a frequently updated blog, http://www.slumach.blogspot.ca/, and the other is a very thorough site encompassing the whole fascinating tale,

http://www.slumach.ca/.

And all of this...and much more!...exists because Bill Barlee sparked the interest of three young people in this intriguing local legend.  He had that effect on people, and left a larger-than-life imprint on our province and its citizens.

Brian Antonson

And now for something completely different

Route 66 Still Kicks. Driving America's Main Street is the title of the latest book by Rick Antonson, co-author of that famous book Slumach's Gold and author of the less known but fabulous book To Timbuktu for a Haircut.  Writes one reviewer: "Route 66 Still Kicks is an exhilarating, heartbreaking drive  down a forgotten road through unknown America. Author Rick Antonson and his travel nemesis, the inscrutable Peter, patiently journey 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles through eight states seeking (and finding) all the old parts that remain of Route 66." Warmly recommended. 
On Saturday, July 14, as from 11:00 in the morning Rick Antonson will be at Murdoch's Bookshoppe in Mission as Brian Murdoch puts it: "...to chat and sign copies of his book." Of course Murdoch has Route 66 Still Kicks in stock! 

Bill Barlee

From Brian Antonson:
Bill Barlee passed away last Thursday, June 14 at the age of 80.
Bill was the guy who brought "Canada West Magazine" to life in the late 60s, and many books, including Gold Creeks and Ghost Towns.  Along the way, he was elected to government and was for a time Minister of Tourism.  His television show, "Gold Trails and Ghost Towns", was a nation-wide hit over many years.
And it was HIS recounting of the Slumach story in "Canada West Magazine" that sparked OUR interest in doing a more thorough rendering of the legend, which resulted in our 1972 version of Slumach's Gold. Our 2007 offering was dedicated to him, and to that interest he sparked in the tale being told well!
Here's a Wiki on him. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Barlee
And an obituary from the Times Colonist. Click here. 
 

BC Winter Games 2014

Brian Antonson, of Slumachs' Gold fame, found his treasure right in Mission. He has been nominated president of the BC Winter Games that are slated to be held in Mission in 2014. They are now working on recruiting community leaders who are interested in forming a board of directors. Brian writes "I'm really pleased to be asked and thrilled to be involved in this exciting event." 
Click here to read a recent Mission Record item about the announcement!

Don Waite Talk

Gold hunters and historians (some forty in total) gathered to hear Don Waite speak about and show his discoveries and they were not disappointed. The photo shows Don and Tina (in red) as the chairs are filling in the room.

Donald Waite Talk

The Maple Ridge News dedicated their Looking Back column of Wednesday February 22, 2012 on Don Waite's talk, tomorrow, Thursday. For those not getting The News here is a cut-up version of the article. Unfortunately the story did not make it to their Web site. Click on the image to enlarge!

Donald Waite showing his nuggets!

At a meeting of the Maple Ridge Historical Society on Thursday, February 23, Donald Waite will talk about this new project: a book about British Columbia and Yukon gold hunters. He will show a selection of his nuggets, reproductions of great vintage photographs he collected for the book.

The meeting starts at 7:30 pm and is open to the general public at a $2 drop-in fee for non-members The meeting place is St. Andrew’s Heritage Hall, 22279, 116th Avenue in Maple Ridge—just off the Haney Bypass.

Members of the Lost Mine of Pitt Lake Society are particularly welcome.

Duncan McFadden

Don Waite found this story in the Lethbridge Herald of 26 February 1950. Click on the image to enlarge. Duncan E. McFadden was the gentleman to whom we owe (through Don) a transcript of the court records of the preliminary hearings of the Slumach case on 3 November 1890. The originals seem to be in Ottawa. Click here for more about that.

B. C. Prospectors -- a site worth visiting.

A reminder to keep visiting the Nicholson family's  B.C. Prospectors Web site regularly. The producers are R.W. (Rob) Nicholson (the veteran) and the next generation of Nicholsons--Cathy, Cory, Scott and Stacie!
The site is growing and growing  and all kinds of treasures are hidden on those pages. Nice to explore al those veins!

Something interesting near Addington Point

Greg writes: "Looking back at the theory of  Louie Bee  being killed by Addington point the diggings that I found three weeks ago are within one km of this area. Not at all saying this is Slumach's gold mine but I am saying that prospecting was done very close to this point and not on the Sheridan hill side like most look at. Can't say the exact location only that it is very close to the X on the old post." 
Click here to see some pictures.