Gold on the Leech River!

Vancouver Island has only known one real gold rush.

Oh, there were moments of excitement over the years, but nothing like what occurred on the B.C. Mainland: the Fraser and Thompson Rivers, the Cariboo, the Omineca, Big Bend, Atlin and the like.

No, Vancouver Island has had to settle, for the most part, for copper and coal mining. The major exception was the Leech River stampede of 1864. It didn’t last long but it sure got people’s blood pumping for a time.

Next week, the Chronicles digs into 160-year-old reports from the Victoria British Colonist for a fascinating glimpse at what was, if only briefly, a true stampede.

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PHOTO: Leechtown never grew to prospectors’ hopes and expectations, as indicated by this humble hotel in the backwoods. —Author’s Collection