Bralorne, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Bralorne is an historic underground gold mining
community in the Bridge River District
, some sixty dirt road miles west of the town of Lillooet
.
and Bridge River
areas looking for placer deposits, One named Cadwallader looked for the outcroppings on the creek that is now named for him
and turned out later to be the site of the richest hard-rock veins in the region. Early exploratory parties of Chinese and Italians in the upper Bridge River basin were driven out by Chief Hunter Jack
, who himself had a secret placer mine somewhere in the region, believed to be in upper Tyaughton Creek
. and whose big-game hunting territory this also was. During the 1870s Hunter Jack began to invite chosen prospectors into the valley, and ran a ferry across the Bridge River that virtually all entering the region had to cross. Among these were those who would eventually discover the hard rock lodes on Cadwallader Creek. Though styles the
Bridge River Gold Rush, in this early period there were so few who had made it into the district that there were only forty residents during the 1890 Census, prompting the naming of one of the claims "Forty Thieves".
In the 1890s intrepid prospectors searched for the underground source of that gold in the mountains. William Allen prospected the area in 1897, and his claim took the name from his hotel--the Pioneer-- in Lillooet. A small mill was imported from California, and later Welshman John Williams, who had worked the California goldfields, built an arrastra
or Mexican rock mill, which became a symbol of the Bridge River mines and remained in service into the heavy-production years of the mines.
Again in 1897, three men hiked in from Lillooet to Cadwallader Creek looking for gold. They made three claims--the Lorne, Marquis, and the Golden King. These would form the core of the complex of claims which became the Bralorne Mine. Arthur Noel bought the claims and worked them sporadically, holding on in bad times, waiting for the good.. He installed a 12 stamp mill. Unfortunately, the mine became tied up in litigation and stood idle for a dozen years..
By 1914 Pioneer Gold Mines was set up with more industrial equipment, boilers and modern rock mill. The site worked through the 1920s and the profitable King vein exploited. But it was the collapse of world markets and the solid price of gold in the Depression, when the mines really took off; when men and investment ramped up production. The district was one of the few bright lights in the BC economy during the Depression - in a seven-year period in the 1930s, the mines of the Bridge River produced $370,000,000 in gold. Taylor installed a 100 ton a day capacity mill but under the direction of M. O'Brian, output increased fivefold.
years. In 1931 Austin C. Taylor
and associates acquired Bralorne property and financed construction of a 100 ton mill. The Bralorne Mine operated from March 1932 until 1971. In that time 3 million ounces of gold were refined from its adits. From this wealth, came a complete town, with schools, churches, post office, houses, recreation halls and hunting lodges. The mines themselves needed support buildings of power houses, boiler
houses, blacksmith
shops, machine shops, concentrator
buildings and so on. Over one hundred miles of underground tunnels were dug in the forty or so years of operation. As Bralorne sits on a volcanic fault, the shafts were quite warm inside: 40 degrees C was not unknown. On the topic of environment, the plant used cyanide
to separate the gold from the quartz
(see Gold cyanidation
); when the site was abandoned the drums of chemical sat open and leaching into the rivers, though they have since been cleaned up.
The Bridge River provided a sanctuary from the economic woes of the world. As all around North America plants were idled and people starved, Bralorne provided a ray of hope. Hundreds of men were on the payroll for the mines. Huge bunkhouses were built to shelter the men. A huge community ensued--banks, churches, ball teams, and bakeries followed. In fact, the Bralorne mines propped up an otherwise failing region. Without the business from the mines, the Pacific Great Eastern railway, truckers, cariboo
ranchers, and town of Lillooet probably would have failed. Parts for all heavy equipment for the mines were brought into the district via the tortuous Mission Mountain Road and its continuation the Bridge River Road, after being barged down Seton Lake to Shalalth from the Lillooet end of the lake, when not shippable by railway.
and people are returning using some of the old buildings as recreation properties. An extensive museum of the area is in Bralorne. Some other buildings have fallen down, have been burned, or stripped of lumber and fittings.
The rusting and derelict ball and concentrator mill, has been cleaned up under the Mine Reclamation Act.
Since 2002 rising gold prices have led to new exploration in the area and plans for re-opening the Bralorne Mine, and nearby Pioneer Mine.
Gold mining
Gold mining is the removal of gold from the ground. There are several techniques and processes by which gold may be extracted from the earth.-History:...
community in the Bridge River District
Bridge River Country
The Bridge River Country is a historic geographic region and mining district in the Interior of British Columbia, Canada, lying between the Fraser Canyon and the valley of the Lillooet River, south of the Chilcotin Plateau and north of the Lillooet Ranges...
, some sixty dirt road miles west of the town of Lillooet
Lillooet, British Columbia
Lillooet is a community on the Fraser River in western Canada, about up the British Columbia Railway line from Vancouver. Situated at an intersection of deep gorges in the lee of the Coast Mountains, it has a dry climate- of precipitation is recorded annually at the town's weather station,...
.
Background
Gold has been the central element in the area's history going back to the 1858-1860 Fraser River Gold Rush. Miners rushed to the CayooshCayoosh Creek
Cayoosh Creek is a northeast-flowing tributary of the Seton River in the Canadian province of British Columbia.-Course:Cayoosh Creek flows generally northeast from sources in the eponymous Cayoosh Range north of Cayoosh Pass to join the Seton River at of Lillooet...
and Bridge River
Bridge River
The Bridge River is, or was, a major tributary of British Columbia's Fraser River, entering that stream about six miles upstream from the town of Lillooet.-Name:Its name in the Lillooet language is Xwisten , sometimes spelled Nxwisten or Nxo-isten)...
areas looking for placer deposits, One named Cadwallader looked for the outcroppings on the creek that is now named for him
Cadwallader Creek
Cadwallader Creek is an important tributary of the Hurley River in the Bridge River Country of the British Columbia Interior, Canada, most notable for its role as the home of the Bralorne and Pioneer Mines and associated gold claims and workings...
and turned out later to be the site of the richest hard-rock veins in the region. Early exploratory parties of Chinese and Italians in the upper Bridge River basin were driven out by Chief Hunter Jack
Chief Hunter Jack
Chief Hunter Jack was a 19th C. chief of the Lakes Lillooet . His name in St'at'imcets, the Lillooet language, is cited in one source as Tash Poli....
, who himself had a secret placer mine somewhere in the region, believed to be in upper Tyaughton Creek
Tyaughton Creek
Tyaughton Creek, formerly gazetted as the Tyaughton River, also historically known as Tyoax Creek, is a 50 kilometre tributary of British Columbia's Bridge River, flowing generally southeast to enter the main flow of that river about mid-way along the length of Carpenter Lake, a reservoir formed by...
. and whose big-game hunting territory this also was. During the 1870s Hunter Jack began to invite chosen prospectors into the valley, and ran a ferry across the Bridge River that virtually all entering the region had to cross. Among these were those who would eventually discover the hard rock lodes on Cadwallader Creek. Though styles the
Bridge River Gold Rush, in this early period there were so few who had made it into the district that there were only forty residents during the 1890 Census, prompting the naming of one of the claims "Forty Thieves".
In the 1890s intrepid prospectors searched for the underground source of that gold in the mountains. William Allen prospected the area in 1897, and his claim took the name from his hotel--the Pioneer-- in Lillooet. A small mill was imported from California, and later Welshman John Williams, who had worked the California goldfields, built an arrastra
Arrastra
An Arrastra is a primitive mill for grinding and pulverizing gold or silver ore. The simplest form of the arrastra is two or more flat-bottomed drag stones placed in a circular pit paved with flat stones, and connected to a center post by a long arm...
or Mexican rock mill, which became a symbol of the Bridge River mines and remained in service into the heavy-production years of the mines.
Again in 1897, three men hiked in from Lillooet to Cadwallader Creek looking for gold. They made three claims--the Lorne, Marquis, and the Golden King. These would form the core of the complex of claims which became the Bralorne Mine. Arthur Noel bought the claims and worked them sporadically, holding on in bad times, waiting for the good.. He installed a 12 stamp mill. Unfortunately, the mine became tied up in litigation and stood idle for a dozen years..
By 1914 Pioneer Gold Mines was set up with more industrial equipment, boilers and modern rock mill. The site worked through the 1920s and the profitable King vein exploited. But it was the collapse of world markets and the solid price of gold in the Depression, when the mines really took off; when men and investment ramped up production. The district was one of the few bright lights in the BC economy during the Depression - in a seven-year period in the 1930s, the mines of the Bridge River produced $370,000,000 in gold. Taylor installed a 100 ton a day capacity mill but under the direction of M. O'Brian, output increased fivefold.
The golden years
As said, Bralorne came into its own in the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
years. In 1931 Austin C. Taylor
Austin Cotterell Taylor
Major Austin Cotterell Taylor was a Canadian mining executive and developer, financier, and philanthropist who played a major role in establishing Thoroughbred horse racing in British Columbia....
and associates acquired Bralorne property and financed construction of a 100 ton mill. The Bralorne Mine operated from March 1932 until 1971. In that time 3 million ounces of gold were refined from its adits. From this wealth, came a complete town, with schools, churches, post office, houses, recreation halls and hunting lodges. The mines themselves needed support buildings of power houses, boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...
houses, blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shops, machine shops, concentrator
Concentrator
In telecommunication, the term concentrator has the following meanings:# In data transmission, a functional unit that permits a common path to handle more data sources than there are channels currently available within the path...
buildings and so on. Over one hundred miles of underground tunnels were dug in the forty or so years of operation. As Bralorne sits on a volcanic fault, the shafts were quite warm inside: 40 degrees C was not unknown. On the topic of environment, the plant used cyanide
Cyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
to separate the gold from the quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
(see Gold cyanidation
Gold cyanidation
Gold cyanidation is a metallurgical technique for extracting gold from low-grade ore by converting the gold to a water soluble coordination complex. It is the most commonly used process for gold extraction...
); when the site was abandoned the drums of chemical sat open and leaching into the rivers, though they have since been cleaned up.
The Bridge River provided a sanctuary from the economic woes of the world. As all around North America plants were idled and people starved, Bralorne provided a ray of hope. Hundreds of men were on the payroll for the mines. Huge bunkhouses were built to shelter the men. A huge community ensued--banks, churches, ball teams, and bakeries followed. In fact, the Bralorne mines propped up an otherwise failing region. Without the business from the mines, the Pacific Great Eastern railway, truckers, cariboo
Cariboo
The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia along a plateau stretching from the Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the woodland caribou that were once abundant in the region...
ranchers, and town of Lillooet probably would have failed. Parts for all heavy equipment for the mines were brought into the district via the tortuous Mission Mountain Road and its continuation the Bridge River Road, after being barged down Seton Lake to Shalalth from the Lillooet end of the lake, when not shippable by railway.
Other nearby mines
As the Bridge River is a geologic complex with gold mining at Cayuse Creek, other mines sprouted at Brexton and Minto City These mines were not as large as Bralorne, employing men in the order of dozens, and not hundreds, but still contributed to the area.Bralorne today
For many years Bralorne sat abandoned and forgotten. Its empty buildings bare and open to all who want to strip or damage them. Lately, interest has been renewed in the area,and people are returning using some of the old buildings as recreation properties. An extensive museum of the area is in Bralorne. Some other buildings have fallen down, have been burned, or stripped of lumber and fittings.
The rusting and derelict ball and concentrator mill, has been cleaned up under the Mine Reclamation Act.
Since 2002 rising gold prices have led to new exploration in the area and plans for re-opening the Bralorne Mine, and nearby Pioneer Mine.
External links
- Their Past Lives Here, Virtualmuseum.ca photo exhibit
- Bralorne Gold Mines Ltd.