LOOKING BACK, UP AND DOWN, MAKES ONE WONDER WHAT’S AHEAD

The recent price of gold brought to mind the Chinese workers who had been brought to work on the railroad. My father told me that most of them went back to China but those who didn’t found it difficult to get work. They resorted to panning gold. One area of their interest was what we called Todd’s intake (this is another story) which had a long sloping bank down a steep sandy trail to Penticton Creek bed. If memory serves me right it was some 200ft in elevation from creek to summit.

The tools needed were simple a wheel barrel, a shovel, a gold pan and a strong back. Finding the right elevation along this sandy path was a matter of trial and error. Fill the barrel, down to the creek, pan it out and look for that black sand with a few flakes or a pin head sized nugget to deposit in that piece of equipment I omitted, The Poke. At $30 an ounce my Farther told me they could in a day one 30th of an ounce or one dollar a day with a little luck was possible.

My contact with the Chinese as a young boy was not great but what there was left me with a good feeling about them that has stayed with me to this day .
Back to the $1300 an ounce gold.

The Macintyre Creek area was another interesting place to prospect and pan in those hard time 1930’s. Since its head waters came from the area of the famous Camp McKinney gold mine of years before it seemed it was a good place to spend some time. The participant in these excursion included Dad and the means of transport, because our field of interest was some 35 miles south and might include a flat tire or break down, myself, at 9 or 10 years - maybe my brother Red, four years older than I was, plus a son-in-law, Sterling Hauser. Oh yes I almost forgot our snake killer the fox terrier Kip. It’s almost impossible for me to stay on the subject so have patience.

The time of year had a bearing on directions given out by the boss. If it was hunting season don’t shoot a big horn sheep by mistake or whatever, don’t get lost and be back or in shouting distance by 4 pm. You, Gordon, look after your brother and let the dog do the rattlers, and remember, one boot on the snake’s head if it’s connected when Kip through with it, before you cut the rattles off. Don’t forget your rock hammers and sample bags and your magnifying glass, thermos and lunch. If were late for supper we’re all in trouble.

On to the hunt for a spot where we had found traces before, or a better location. Fill the pan maybe a third full and after removing any larger stones dip the pan into some slow moving water, gently move the pan in a circular motion and at enough of an downward angle on the far edge to allow dirt and other matter to be flushed away, Continue until only that mineralized sand and other bright objects are left and maybe some flakes of that deep off black gold will shine though.

Tiring of the gold search, look in the backpack for that thread spool with the fishing line and the cork with the fish hooks, find a green willow shoot and after assembly find some bait and a likely pool and rest a while. Some hope. Kip has found a rattler. Better him than me.

The more senior members of the group had headed off in various directions looking for showings of gold, silver, mica, crystal, or the one of value unknown to us at the time, molybdenum. In the vein this mineral looked much like silver. It had some important use in bomb making. Interesting, but to be useful at a later date.

By the way the other bit of paper was your hunting license and prospectors license. Seems to me that they also a small aluminum case that slid apart and you could put your licenses inside, to be carried on your belt. Come to think of it I think I still have one of those cases in my junk after 70 years.

Back to prospecting if you found a good outcropping and had looked around for further signs It was necessary to stake out your claim with no less than 4 inch diameter which had to stand 4ft above ground with a blazed and the face showing the compass direction of number 2 stake and the number of paces. This process continued for the next 2 stakes to complete the claim. The claim must then be registered with the nearest Government Office and metal plates put on the claim stakes. Seems to me that you had to do a certain amount of development work each year or you would lose your claim.

At one time Dad thought there was enough of a showing to call in a Geologist. This knowledgeable person explained that the show of the mineral was good but there was little hope of the vein continuing. He explained that during the eons when the earth surface was being pushed about by the Ice age the rock surface was folded over on itself. This resulted in the continuity of the vein being broken and buried or shattered. A good example of this type of earth formation can be seen when traveling west on Hyw 3a and on your left at the turn off to the Twin Lakes Golf Course. This type of formation is common from Princeton to the Kootenays.

The most memorable thing I have thought of in recent years about the creek was that in some spots it had flowed along merrily for years and left smooth polished rock making it easy to see the vein of quartz which carried the high grade mineral. The Moly that was pointed out to us by the geologist showed us the difficulties of finding any continuity of the vein because of what he called Slip or those ancient folds that I discussed before.

Speaking of remembering the Creek, just downstream there was a place that as a young boy I found most fascinating. Again this stream had cut down though solid rock some 20 ft. The initial opening was about 6 to 8ft across .This had left the creek channel flowing through a bottle shaped corridor. Very impressive but to finish off the melting ice had deposited a large pear shaped rock on the top of the bottle shaped creek channel. A fascinating bridge. I would like go back for a look someday, maybe this summer.

Strange things happen to me as I reach old age, - I sometimes think about things that have happened in my life many long years ago and I begin to question myself. Did I actually pilot a fully loaded Lancaster bomber with six men of my crew behind me through that hell called war? Sometimes I have to go and check the records.

I wonder if this happens to other elderly people?