By the 1880s, New Westminster was a well-established city. In 1866, it lost its status as the capital of British Columbia, but the Fraser River city did not become a backwater. In the 1860sa国际传媒檚, it had been a transportation hub and an outfitting center, funneling thousands of people and huge quantities of supplies north to the Caribou during the gold rush, and after it remained an important river port and commercial center.
The legend of Slumacsa国际传媒檚 lost mine began in the 1880s. B.C. historian, Bill Barlee, said John Slumac appeared in New Westminster in 1887,1888, 1889 and again in 1890 with about 200 ounces of gold nuggets each year. Slumac was thought to have obtained the gold from a mine north of Pitt Lake.
Slumach entered the written record in the early 1890s. He lived north of New Westminster near the south shore of Pitt Lake, on lands that are now part of the Katzie First Nation. He was an indigenous man. Slumachsa国际传媒檚 long life had been crime-free, until he killed a man named Louis Bee in 1890. He was tried and found guilty of murder. Calls for clemency based on circumstances and his age and health were rejected, and sadly Slumac was executed in New Westminster on January 16 of 1891.
The Daily Columbian newspaper reported that the trial revealed, sa国际传媒渢hat Louis Bee had been in the habit of taunting Slumac with being a sorcerer, a pagan, and a devil sa国际传媒�.sa国际传媒� Witnesses said a slight altercation occurred on September 8th of 1890, after which Slumac shot Bee, killing him instantly.
That much is not disputed, but some writers say that the lost mine story is only myth. It was not until years after Slumacsa国际传媒檚 death, detractors say, that the legend expanded to include the lost mine. Bill Barlee was a prolific researcher of western history. In one of his sa国际传媒淕old Trails and Ghost Townssa国际传媒� TV shows, he argued that the mine in the very rugged Pitt area was part of the lore long before that.
Barlee declared, sa国际传媒淲hat happens is immediately after the death of Slumac, this rumour, this story about the lost mine, doesnsa国际传媒檛 die. So, for several years a number of individuals go up into that Pitt Lake region, and they look for it.sa国际传媒� Barlee provided no sources, but he did detail the later search.
A man named Jackson from California arrived in New Westminster in 1901. He spent some time in the saloons, gathering information. He then disappeared into the Pitt Lake area, and did not return to New Westminster for three months. Barlee said he was a changed man; he was sa国际传媒渆maciated and sicksa国际传媒�. He had a heavy bag, and guarded it closely. Soon he rode south, never to return to the Pitt.
A proven B.C. prospector sa国际传媒� Volcanic Brown sa国际传媒� arrived in the area years later. In the 1890s, he had discovered an extremely rich copper deposit known as Copper Mountain. He did not hesitate to flaunt his wealth, and was entirely immodest, billing himself as sa国际传媒淭he best prospector in the world.sa国际传媒�
Brown, after 1910, learned of a letter written by Jackson, and searched for it for a decade. He finally obtained the letter in 1923. Barlee, much later, viewed the letter Brown had acquired and believed it genuine. Barlee said the language included hard-rock mining terms and Americanisms, and it bore the stamp of the government agent in Grand Forks. (Brown submitted it in May of 1924).
The letter is intriguing. A copy appears on the excellent website www.Slumach.ca. Jackson explained that he was too ill to return to the Pitt area, and had no family. He said he wished to share the information of his find with his friend (to whom he wrote). The letter begins, sa国际传媒淪an Francisco Feb. 10 1904.sa国际传媒� The letter is relatively long, but a brief quotation described Jacksonsa国际传媒檚 discovery vividly.
sa国际传媒淚 came to a place where the bedrock was bare and there you can hardly believe me, but the bedrock was yellow with gold,sa国际传媒� Jackson wrote. sa国际传媒淚n a few days I gathered thousands, and there were thousands more in sight. Some of the nuggets were as big as walnuts and sa国际传媒� there were millions stowed away in the little cracks.sa国际传媒� The letter included directions, but they were rather indistinct.
Volcanic Brown searched for this location for seven consecutive seasons from 1924 to 1930. He failed to emerge from the area in September of 1930 as planned. A search party located his abandoned camp and a small bottle of nuggets. Brown was never seen again.
The legend relates that Slumac, at his trial, said, sa国际传媒淣ika memloose, mine memloose,sa国际传媒� which means, sa国际传媒榃hen I die the mine dies.sa国际传媒� Writers and story tellers interpreted this as sa国际传媒淪lumacsa国际传媒檚 Curse.sa国际传媒� More likely, Slumac was simply saying, if you condemn me to die, I will take my secret with me. The sa国际传媒渃ursesa国际传媒� is only an effort jazz up the story. The story doesnsa国际传媒檛 need it.
Eleven men, by Barleesa国际传媒檚 count, have perished in the search for Slumacsa国际传媒檚 gold. That was tragic. Death was all too common in the goldfields everywhere: on the Fraser River, in the Caribou, in the Klondike and in locations across the continent. The Pitt region, though, stands out; it is reputed to have some of the most unforgiving and dangerous terrain in the world.
Bruce W. Uzelman, based in Kelowna, holds interests in economics and political science.
