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THE OLD WISCONSIN GOLD MINE
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Looking across Kootenay Lake, the largest natural lake in British Columbia Since the beginning of recorded history, gold has been searched for, fought over, hoarded, used as money, and fashioned into precious jewellery. It has a history steeped in conquest and killing. People have been intoxicated, obsessed, haunted, humbled, and exalted over pieces of metal called gold.
In the nineteenth century, the prospect of finding gold fired the imaginations of tens of thousands of prospectors and started gold rushes in California, Canada’s Yukon Territory and British Columbia, South Africa and Australia.
The following pages cover but one exciting episode and chapter in the search for gold – one of the earliest discoveries in a new era of lode gold in the Kootenay Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Here is an exciting adventure trail that you can still follow today. "Oh, most excellent gold!" observed Columbus while on his first voyage to America. "Who has gold, has a treasure that even helps souls to paradise." Gold fever grips the Kootenay region of British Columbia and the gold rush is on - ‘Pay dirt’ is hit in July 1884 high up in the rugged Columbia Mountains and the Wisconsin & Lucky Strike claims are staked in a lost world amidst a sea of rugged mountain peaks covered in snow for much of the year.
THE GOLDEN YEARS: The winters were harsh. The old-timers measured the cold by liquids that froze at different temperatures - Kerosene froze at minus 35º to minus 55º according to grade; pain killer at minus 72º; St Jacob’s oil at minus 75º. Fortunately, Hudson’s Bay rum didn’t freeze until minus 80º! |
Gold
has motivated entire societies, torn economies to shreds, determined the fate of
kings and emperors, inspired the most beautiful works of art, provoked horrible
acts by one people against another, and driven men to endure intense hardship in
the hope of finding instant wealth.
The
miners worked, lived and travelled in harsh and dangerous conditions – many
perishing in the attempt.
More
than a century later, nearly all the gold and silver is still lying beneath the
ground!