GOLD PAN PROVINCIAL PARK - March 6, 2018

The Fraser and Thompson canyons from Yale downstream to Spences Bridge upstream are littered with location names that end in Bar: Boston, China and Sailors Bar to name a few. But it wasn't until today when I was reviewing the history of the Fraser River Gold Rush of 1858 when 30,000 miners flooded into the canyons that I understood the significance of this moniker. The gold miners here search for placer gold hidden in the alluvial sand and gravels deposits through which the rivers have cut, and this material is then washed and sorted by weight by the action of the water. The heavy gold settles out on the gravel bars in the river, hence the need for the miners to name each for reference to the claims.

"In the riffles, behind the rocks. That's where you find the gold."

So says Doug who has mined these gravel bars for most of his seventy years.

"Once I found a nugget. A 7.49 ounce nugget about yea big," spreading his fingers an 11/2 apart. "That did it. I was hooked."

Doug looks the part of a miner with his rugged build and weather beaten face. He is wearing a hand-knit, oiled-wool sweater that resists damp and wind but breathes so he doesn't overheat and warm even when wet. Doug owns claims from the Cariboo all the way to the coast and says the question is always about where did the gold showing up in the bars come from.

"If I could find the source of the gold, I'd be a rich man. As it is, I can make a good deal of money just buying and selling claims."

The acquiring of claims is done through a website, but with the rise in gold prices they are few and far between. A claim must have a set number of hours invested in it to keep it active and if it becomes inactive then it must be sold. Some claims can be machine mined but in the canyon, most of the mining is old-fashioned panning and sluicing. Doug doesn't expect much from today's excursion because the gravels are still mostly frozen, but he just likes to get out and walk his claims.

"You are welcome on my claims anytime. Some miners don't like you on their claims, but I like when people come out and enjoy this place as much as I do."

The last we see of Doug is a tiny figure out on the bar, shovel over his shoulder and a bright green gold pan in his hand.

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