Gold Harbour, British Columbia facts for kids

Gold Harbour was a very old gold and silver mine located in Haida Gwaii, a group of islands off the coast of British Columbia, Canada. It's special because it was the first "lode" mine (where minerals are found in veins within rock) ever worked in what is now British Columbia.

Gold Harbour: A Historic Gold Mine

Gold Harbour is known as the site of the first lode mine in British Columbia. A lode mine digs for minerals that are found in veins or cracks within solid rock. This is different from placer mining, which looks for loose gold in rivers or streams.

The Discovery of Gold

The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) learned about gold in Haida Gwaii around 1849 or 1850. Gold samples from Haida Gwaii were brought to the HBC trading post at Lax Kw'alaams. At that time, the HBC called this post Fort Simpson.

John Work, who was in charge of Fort Simpson, had asked people to bring him samples of valuable minerals. In response, Haida people brought gold samples to the fort. There are different stories about who exactly brought this gold to the HBC's attention:

• Some say it was Albert Edenshaw, a Haida chief. He learned about the gold from an old Haida woman.
• Others say it was an old Haida woman who traveled to Fort Simpson herself.
• Another story credits the chief of Chaatl and his wife. This chief was known as Captain Gold.

The gold samples came from a quartz vein at Una Point in Mitchell Inlet. This spot was then named Gold Harbour. Mitchell Inlet is on the west coast of Moresby Island in Haida Gwaii. The Haida village of Kaisun is about 12 nautical miles away. A Haida settlement called Sqai'-tao also grew up next to Gold Harbour. This likely happened because of the short gold rush that followed.

The Short Gold Rush

Between 1850 and 1852, many ships, both from the HBC and from America, visited Gold Harbour. The first trip was made by Captain Mitchell of the HBC. Some gold was found and removed. However, no large amounts of gold were discovered. This quickly ended the short gold rush on Haida Gwaii.

In 1853, Captain Prevost of the ship HMS Virago reported that the "Queen Charlotte gold fever is at an end." He said they had sailed around the islands twice and had not seen any other ships or white men. This showed that the excitement for gold had faded.

Later Mining Attempts

Even after the first gold rush ended, people continued to be interested in Gold Harbour for many years. Different attempts were made to mine the site.

By 1859, Major W. Downie had taken out between $5,000 and $75,000 worth of gold. In 1907, a company called Nuba Mining tried to work the mine. However, they were not successful and gave up their claims in 1912. J. McLellan, who owned the claims, continued to work on the site until 1933. Many Japanese workers were employed at this mine.

In 1933, Gold Harbour Mining Limited worked on the site again. They processed leftover materials and dug a new cut. They reportedly recovered $179,000 in gold. However, operations were stopped on December 13 of that same year.

National Historic Site Confusion

There is a National Historic Site of Canada called New Gold Harbour Area. However, the Parks Canada website says this site is located at the Haida village of Haina. New Gold Harbour is another name for Haina. This village was settled in the 1870s by Haida people who moved from the original Gold Harbour area. If the Parks Canada website is correct, this National Historic Site is not actually at the Gold Harbour mine site itself.