Ho! for the Leech River
(Part 2)
Last week I set the stage for the Leech River gold rush which, ever so briefly, beginning in July 1864, kindled hopes of a new El Dorado right here on Vancouver Island.
Alas, a new Cariboo bonanza it wasn’t but, while it lasted, it certainly was exciting!
As noted last week, there were 1000’s of would-be miners in British Columbia in mid-1864; men and women who’d arrived too late to stake rich claims on the Fraser River or in Cariboo creeks. They had to choose between working for those lucky few who had struck pay dirt, working the land as settlers—literally from scratch—or going home in abject defeat with no real prospects of a second chance of ever finding a pot of gold.
A potential gold rush was every bit as important to Victoria merchants. What, just eight years before, had been a small Hudson’s Bay Co. trading post, complete with log stockade and cannon-mounted towers and just a smattering of company employees and independent residents, had been transformed, overnight, into a tent city of 30,000.
Fort Victoria was just a quiet backwater when as many as 30,000 gold seekers descended on Vancouver Island, en route to the Fraser River diggings. —Author’s Collection
That’s when word had spread of rich placer gold in the Fraser and Thompson rivers. The result was a human stampede, with Fort Victoria as a stopping point for gold seekers headed for the B.C. Interior. For those who chose to make their fortunes by commerce rather than by mining, the opportunities for businesses to serve both residents and the 1000’s of transients passing through, were almost limitless.
In short, Victoria boomed, at least temporarily. But, by 1864, the bubble had burst. Many hastily erected ‘downtown’ buildings stood vacant, weeds grew in the main streets and Victoria appeared destined to return to its roots as just a way station between San Francisco and the Fraser River-Cariboo diggings.
This explains the frenzied response to the Vancouver Island Exploring Expedition’s reports of gold in the Sooke and Leech Rivers—not in the far distant B.C. Interior but, comparatively speaking, almost in Victoria’s backyard. It was the answer to everyone’s prayers!
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These are the Colonist headlines for Aug. 4, 1864. A week before, the first of a series of sensational headlines had read,
RICH DISCOVERIES!
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EXTENSIVE GOLD FIELDS
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“The quiet which has reigned in this community during the last three months was completely dispelled yesterday, and the whole city thrown into a state of excitement by the announcement of extensive surface diggings of surprising richness, having been discovered by the Exploration party on the Sooke and Leech Rivers...”
Here follows, in the almost breathless prose of Victoria’s pioneer newspaper, a description of the ‘Sooke River’ gold rush as it began to unfold in what had been, for several years, a community mired in an economic depression:
GOLD SPECIMEN. - Some gentleman of the Exploration Committee yesterday exhibited to inquirers the specimens of scale gold pulled out by Mr Foley on Leech River. Some of the pieces were as large as the head of a gun cap, and were certainly calculated to inspire additional confidence in the richness of our hopeful Island.
FOR SOOKE. - The Schooner Goldstream leaves Esquimalt to-morrow at 9 a.m. and the Enterprise this afternoon at 5 p.m. from the H.B. Co.’s Wharf for Sooke Harbour.
ROCKERS. - These useful mining appliances are somewhat scarce we understand just now, though some few have been on stock since the memorable excitement of ‘58.
GOLD COMMISSIONER. - His Excellency has been pleased to appoint Mr. Richard Golledge to be Acting Gold Commissioner for Sooke Mining District.
(From the Colonist, July 30, 1864)
...During the whole of yesterday small companies of gold seekers with their packs were seen moving off to the new El Dorado, some in canoes or boats, and others on foot with pack horses to carry their tools, provisions and blankets.
From conversations which we have had with Corporal Buttle [a member of the Royal Engineers and of the VIEE] and others who are conversant with the country we are inclined to believe that those who have selected land travel in preference to the water route, have acted the more wisely.
A large portion of the Sooke trail can be taken, and by striking through at the right place, the Sooke River can be reached, and the most difficult portion of the track which the coast route entails, avoided. The accounts all agree upon the fact that the first four or five miles of the ascent of Sooke River from the harbour are excessively heavy and tedious travelling, and next to impractical to those who are not experts at the work.
Mr. Foley himself started last night for Sooke Harbour, where he will probably remain for a day or two to afford every information in his power to those who may be on the way, and it would be well for those who are proceeding this evening to the locality by the Enterprise to seize the opportunity of accompanying him up to Leech River.
Mr. Foley's Camp as announced in the notice which appears elsewhere will be recognized by a white flag with a Maltese cross. We know of several experienced prospector who started off on the reception of the first intelligence received from the exploring party, that good paying bars exist from five to 12 miles up the river, and we may now be looking for accounts from these men of the success with which they have met with...
Living accommodation was rough and ready; at least there was plentiful game for the taking. —B.C. Archives
Colonist, Aug. 4, 1864:
The Two Nuggets. - Some excitement was caused in town on Saturday night, arising out of intelligence brought to town by Mr. Michael Muir, of Sooke, that a man that in his employ had exhibited two nuggets of the value of $6 and $8, said to have been taken out at the new diggings.
Muir is a man of undoubted integrity, and we believe that every word uttered by him may be received with the most implicit confidence, but Mr. Muir informed us that he had no means of stating with any degree of confidence where the nuggets were obtained.
The most that he would assert was that the Frenchman who was in his employ left on Monday last without a cent in his pocket, to prospect the new diggings, and returned on Saturday for provisions, declaring that the nuggets in question were taken out eight or 10 miles up the river, but that he had had “hyn mam-mook” [hard work] to get them.
The man after replenishing his commissariat left again for the same locality. Old miners would naturally wish “Monsieur Tonsoon" to explain what had become of the dust which he must have washed out before finding two such respectable nuggets.
Colonist, Aug. 2, 1864:
There might reasonably have been some dubitancy–-some hestitating to accepting unreservedly the glowing statements of the members of the exploring party; for those statements were, at the first, startling, and to a certain extent, superficial. But now, when we have the full reports of the exploring party, as well as the verbal testimony of practical miners before us, to mistrust any longer would be irrational in the extreme.
From the information which has been so far available, we arrive at two gratifying conclusions - Gold is found to exist in gratifying quantities, and the field of operations is sufficiently extensive to employ a population of probably several thousand people.
In the various prospecting results, we find that although the gold is evidently diffused, affording almost every miner an opportunity of making something, yet there would seem to be rich spots occasionally sufficient to satisfy the desires of the most ambitious.
When as high as a dollar to the pan has been obtained by the very imperfect method of prospecting, which, in the absence of proper tools, the explorers were obliged to adopt, we see no reason why Sooke and Leech should not be able to take their place in a little time beside the more pretentious creeks of British Columbia.
There is one thing, at all events in their favour—a circumstance that ought to attract population from every quarter along the coast—they are the cheapest diggings of any gold mining country extant. Within 20 miles of Victoria, and with an abundance of game, the miners’ weekly expenditure need not be much over the daily outlay of his fellow—labourer at Cariboo.
When the intelligence from these mines get circulated in Washington Territory, Oregon, and California, we shall doubtless have a larger population than we will well know how to employ. However, we believe in the advantage of a large rush to the mines, so long as they are within easy reach of unlimited supplies; and should Sooke and Leech rivers be overrun by our mining influx, the surrounding country will have a chance of being thoroughly prospected.
The recent discoveries on Leech River leads strongly to the hope that the country between it and San Juan River as well as the Cowichan will prove remunerative to the gold miner.
At all events, it would seem that in many places payable diggings can be found from 20 to 30 feet from the bank, and it is reasonably presumed that many of the benches will pay, if worked at the proper season of the year when sufficient water can be obtained.
From the reports of the explorers it is evident that the gold which is found in Sooke River has been carried down from the mountains or hills in the vicinity of [the] Leech. Above the junction of the Leech River with the Sooke and towards the headwaters of the latter stream the prospects were very poor, while below the forks they were rich and resemble those in every respect which were obtained on [the] Leech.
The only material difference between the two was the fact that the prospects on the latter were considerably larger than those on the Sooke. Our information, however, so far, although satisfactory enough as regards to [the] paying nature of the rivers, is still lacking in a very important particular—the lasting character of the diggings.
The statements made by some of the miners who returned yesterday for provisions, that they had sunk through four feet of wash dirt without coming to the rock, is a proof that some of the places at least are of a comparatively speaking permanent character.
But the bulk of the bars will be no doubt somewhat similar to those that were so quickly worked out on the lower Fraser. The flats and benches as well as the quartz ledges spoken of are, however, different, and may afford employment for a long time to come.
On this question of mining stability will the rapid progress of Victoria mainly depend; and we must only await patiently the result of the next few weeks before pronouncing decisively on so important a subject.
Colonist, Aug. 3, 1864:
Gold at Cowichan.—It has been for a long time known that the Indians at Cowichan were aware of the existence of gold somewhere in the neighbourhood, but the precise locality has been always preserved a secret Intelligence reached this city yesterday that prospects had been struck on bars of the Cowichan River by a prospecting party which paid $5 and $6 a day.
The report is considered reliable, and should the same party prosecute their searches to the headwaters of the stream, they may probably strike something better still.
Return of the Enterprise.—The steamer Enterprise arrived yesterday morning from Sooke, at an earlier hour that was expected. She only brought back a few of the passengers who took passage on Saturday; a large number having started for the gold attractions up the river. From all we can gather if those who intend emigrating thither can only curb their anxiety to reach the El Dorado until then she will have a large human freight on her next trip to the inlet.
Good News from Sooke.
Previous Reports Confirmed!
(Datelined August 1st):
We are gratified to be able to place before our readers the following authentic particulars from a party of gentleman who have just returned from a prospecting tour on Sooke River. The names of the party are a sufficient guarantee for the reliability of the intelligence:
Capt. Tom Wright’s paddlewheel steamer Enterprise shuttled miners and supplies between Victoria and Sooke. —Lewis & Dryden’s Marine History of the Pacific Northwest.
Messrs. Thos. Moffatt, Chas. McK. Smith, John Spencer and ---- Turner, returned this morning by the Enterprise from Sooke. They bring the following highly gratifying news from the new goldfields in that District.
The party left Victoria on Wednesday morning last after intelligence had been received of the first prospect struck on the Sooke River. They proceeded by the trail to Sooke and then followed the river up northward. For a new country, without any trail, the travelling was considered much easier than on the Fraser in the excitement of ‘58.
At about 8 miles from the mouth of the river they prospected a bar and got from one to three cents to the pan. The bar is about 1,000 feet long, and from 200 to 300 feet wide. For about three miles further there are a succession of canons [sic]. Above this they again prospected a bar extending perhaps half a mile up, and from about a dozen pans they obtained an average of from 3 to 8 cents.
Some of the prospects were weighed and gave over 6 cents to the pan. One weighed eight. Two Indians who accompanied the party amused themselves by washing out with the top of a coffee pot and got five or six colours each time.
They proceeded 3 miles further up, the appearance of the country for mining purposes improving every mile; a large quantity of quartz boulders were seen in the bed of the river, and slate rock, indicating a slate formation higher up. Prospects were taken out here and there, as they went along, giving various results, but they never missed finding gold. They went up to the forks of what they suppose is now called Leech River, but not having heard of the prospects found on the river, and their provisions running out, they concluded to return to Victoria for supplies.
They calculate the distance they travelled to be from 12 to 14 miles. No one was seen, nor were there any signs of persons prospecting ahead of them. Upon their return, they met about 100 men on their way up. From what our informants saw, they believe that about 8 miles from the mouth, about $3 a day could be made with a rocker, and $4 or $8 a day by sluicing.
Higher up, on the bar, which they themselves took up, they expect to make $5 or $6 with a rocker, and fully $15 with sluices.
The country is rough and heavily timbered with hemlock, cedar and pine [a common misnomer of the day for fir—Ed.]. All along the river as far as they went they observed two benches similar to those on Fraser River which they did not prospect, but judging from appearances our informants are of [the] opinion that if gold is found in them they can be worked to advantage by hydraulic process. In some places they are as high as 150 feet above the bed of the river, and during the rainy season water could be brought from the creeks in the neighbourhood.
Our informants add that from personal observations they are satisfied the report sent in by the Exploring party are not exaggerated, and on Sooke River alone they consider that remunerative employment may probably be found for over 2,000 people. The depth of pay-dirt was not ascertained, but on the first bar they sunk a hole of 4 feet without reaching the bedrock, finding gold all the way down.
They intend themselves returning on Wednesday to work the claim they have staked.
So began, 159 years ago this July, what’s now known as the Leech River gold rush. It may have begun somewhat tenuously based upon the VIEE’s reported discovery but quickly blossomed into a full-scale stampede.
As you shall see in next week ‘s Chronicles.
(To be continued)
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