Mineral Exploration is the official publication of the Association of Mineral Exploration British Columbia.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/225045
Trading post at Rock Creek: The town saw some periodic rushes of activity, notably in 1860s and 1880s. James Douglas also noted that significant amounts of gold recovered by the miners were being sent back across the U.S. border or secreted away to bring back to China, and not benefiting the merchants of Rock Creek or New Westminster. Douglas recognized the need to have a reliable access route to the B.C. interior, and the Dewdney Trail was hastily constructed from Hope to Rock Creek, completed in 1861. Meanwhile, the town of Rock Creek continued to prosper, adding a large billiards saloon, a government building and gambling houses. The town boasted a population of 350 – until winter arrived in November of 1860, sending many of the Americans south to Colville and Walla Walla for the season. Town activity came to a crawl as only a few miners, merchants and government officials remained until spring, when a number of claim owners returned to work on their claims. Many Rock Creek miners did very well, earning as much as $120 per day with a rocker. Others, including Adam Beame, were attracted to new gold discoveries on nine creeks draining into Okanagan Lake near Kelowna. But as 114 p112-117_CampsOfFame.indd 114 w i n t e r dramatically as it had begun, the Rock Creek gold rush ended in the fall of 1861, and by the following fall the settlement of Rock Creek was a collection of deserted buildings. In October 1866, a good part of the town of Rock Creek was destroyed by a fire, including the main store and a number of cabins. 2 013 Rock Creek was one of the richest gold creeks in B.C.: it was reported that well over $250,000 in placer gold was recovered in its heyday, when gold was $16 an ounce. The total number of ounces recovered will never be determined, as much of the gold was smuggled across the U.S. border or sent to China. Photograph : Greenwood Archives 13-11-27 10:20 AM