Spindle Quest: Chasing Lost Creek Gold. - Slumach

14
Volcanic’ Brown lost in Mountains
Prospecting in Pitt lake country and not seen since Middle of august
Grand Forks Gazette - November 6, 1931 -
"Volcanic" R.a. Brown, who has made his home 12 miles north
of Grand Forks for the past 40 years, and famous alike as a
prospector and herb-doctor, is again reported lost in the hills
near the coast.
Search Parties out - The following dispatch appeared in Tuesday's
Daily Province: R.a. "Volcanic" Brown, 86, prospector, is
believed lost in the mountains north of Pitt Lake, and a party
left Vancouver this morning to look for him. The party, headed
by Game Warden G.C. Stevenson and Provincial Constable e.
Murphy of Vancouver, is going here by boat.
The aged prospector was last seen in the Pitt country on
august 17, when a prospector named Swanson, who was on
his way out sold him beans and rice to add to his food supply.
It is believed that Brown's food would last him only until
about the middle of September unless he shot some game.
Brown intimated to Swanson that he would try and cross the
big glacier before snow set in. The search party is equipped
with snowshoes as they expect to find deep drifts. Brown, it
is believed, may be marooned in a shack about twenty miles
from the head of Pitt Lake.
Lost Six Years ago - Brown was lost in the Pitt Lake country
about six years ago, and a search party of police found him
slowly progressing over a glacier. one of his toes had been
I wanted to shout with excitement. I would at last be
given the chance to go on my first real treasure hunt. I had
to phone my friend Rick Johnson. When dinner was over
I raced into my parents’ bedroom and closed the door. It
was the only phone with some privacy. I couldn’t wait to
tell him the great news.
“Hello?” a raspy voice answered.
“Yes, is Rick there?” I asked.
“Ricky! Come get the phone!”
“Hello?”
“Hey Rick, it’s Daryl”
“Hey, how’s it going?
“I have some good news. In the spring, my dad’s going to
take me to Pitt Lake.”
“Pitt Lake? Where’s that?
“Gold is supposed to be hidden up behind Pitt Lake.”
“That’s cool! Can I come?”
“I don’t think my dad will have a problem with that.”
“Daryl, are you using the phone in my room again? I told
you to stop doing that. Are you sitting on the bed too?” I
could hear my mom from the hallway.
“Look, Rick, I have to go. I’ll see you in class tomorrow.”
“OK, bye.”
Life was good and adventure was on its way, but it was to
be a long wait until I could put foot in those mountains.
frost bitten and he had amputated it. He was warned then
of the great risks...
The party that went in to search for old Volcanic Brown
in 1928 was made of Herman Gardner, Constable Spud
Murphy, alvin Patterson, Caleb Gardner and Harry Corder to
begin there search they started there journey by heading
north from Pitt lake and then climbing up to the headwaters
of seven mile creek where the crossed the divided
to Homestead Glacier until the arrived in a place called
Porcupine valley from there the crossed the seven miles
that make up Stave Glacier when the arrived at the place
where the Stave Glacier ended and the Upper Stave River
formed the found the remains of what was Volcanic Browns
camp. In the remains of his camp the party made a remarkable
to discovery and was once again to be more prove of
lost mine. The found a glass jar containing eleven ounces
of gold which had been hammered out of a vein. Volcanic
Brown was never found his body believed to be frozen
deep in one of the crevasses which make up the giant Stave
Glacier.
Volcanic Brown does indeed have to be the Pitt Lake’s most
famous victim by far. He is very well known in the province
of British Columbia because of his famous prospect in the
Princeton area known as Copper Mountain.
WINTER crawled by slowly as I waited for the first
signs of spring. During that time I came across
another piece of Pitt Lake information, casting new light
on the legend of the lost mine. I found the text of newspaper
articles of the period in Donald E. Waite’s book
‘Kwant’stan’: Tales of the Golden Ears. It appeared that old
man Slumach was not hanged in 1891 for the murder of
an Indian maiden, but for shooting to death a half-breed
named Louis Bee on Alouette Slough. Also in Waite’s book
were notes of an interview with Mrs. Amanda Charnley, a
daughter of Peter Pierre, Slumach’s spiritual guide during
his last months. Mrs. Charnley told Waite that in his cell
at New Westminster, condemned to die, Slumach had told
her father the location of his gold.
I could not wait, and when March arrived I hounded my
dad until he gave in to take Rick and me on that trip to Pitt
Lake he had promised in the fall. On a cloudy weekend
in March 1985 we launched the boat at the Fort Langley
Marina and began our long journey down the Fraser River
and up Pitt River. It was a great feeling to be in the open
air, beginning a quest that would continue into my adult
life. About two hours later we reached the entrance to Pitt
Lake and I started snapping pictures of everything around
me. I could feel the history of this great and beautiful place
coming alive.
© Daryl Friesen 2009