Further descriptions of the above-mentioned creeks and accounts of much of their
early mining will be found in Geol. Surv., Canada, Memoir 149, 1926, pp. 186-174.

PLACER PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION OF PLACER GOLD.

The total placer-gold production of the Stanley area is not definitely known. The
production for the first few years after the initial discoveries in 1861 was very large,
but no recorded production figures are available for the period before the establishment
of the Department of Mines in 1874. Since 1874, estimates of the annual gold produc-
tion have been made by the Gold Commissioner, but in many instances the production
of individual creeks has not always been recorded separately. Since 1925, recorded
gold-production figures are based on the Gold Commissioner’s estimate of production
combined with the annual production figures obtained from the operators.

The value of the gold production of the Lightning Creek section, including upper
Lightning Creek and its tributaries, was estimated by Johnston (1926, p. 172) to have
been between $5,000,000 and $6,000,000. This was based on the best available recorded
information, together with information obtained from “ old-timers” living at that
time. It is thought by some that the production was a good deal greater, and Bowron,
who from 1872 to 1906 was Mining Recorder and Gold Commissioner at Barkerville,
thought that the production amounted to about $12,000,000,* but this higher estimate
cannot be supported by figures of known production.

The recorded production of the Lightning Creek section since 1874 is valued at
$1,992,845 from 104,981 oz. of crude gold (see Table IV). This must be considered
as a minimum value, inasmuch as records for some creeks in various years are not
available.

Table III, based on gold-production figures published in the Minister of Mines
Annual Report for 1875, shows the production of certain Lightning Creek claims to
November, 1875, as $2,179,272. A calculation based on Table III and Table IV makes
it apparent that the production from these claims before 1874 was valued at $1,260,558.

Table III.—Production of Lightning Creek Placer Claims to November, 1875.+

Camipbpelimandmyy Miele stecn ee ee $200,000
Dutch ana slegel iow. Perseverance)... 130,000
| Bia Oe) are tes tae ri Paced eae Nee STE ES CN a NE 30,000
MO OMIT Ot weet ged ansn eRe cr aI Le erase Se ee 153,962
WD TSCOVEI OCs UC MOT ven ee eee ce oe ee 120,000
SHOWS SEEN Se ae i ae Ni ee Ca ve ae tae TAT bod
SSE LONG Soe ssl ns Na ena ae a ecg ae ea ate ace 99,908
1 EOI 1 eae ae aie PSE SEA IS NENG SS) As BON ah eI 136,625
|AVAETERN AYU ella amt es eh ee caine ean ies cela sebe elae eed pases eal 363,983
‘WYP OS 7 IRS eg te Sear A IRN A CA a aD 451,642
‘\UEESTANCS Oy UE eae i elo a eT eel Mi ih a ec ie NNN oe Mamet aedl sey 274,190
ROG ee aes eee Rae Ry ea Re See) SM nN enim eee oe 20,476
$2,179,202

Production of Lightning Creek claims in 1874 and 1875
ASO Ceo Olay =) pesmi oe 5h nase Nar ie a ee a nee 918,714
Production of Lightning Creek claims before 1874. $1,260,558

In addition to the production of Lightning Creek indicated above, Van Winkle
Creek produced a very large amount of gold for several years after discovery and

* Letter of J. Bowron dated September 13th, 1898, in the Provincial Archives, also Minister of Mines, B.C.,
Ann. Rept., 1899, p. 631.
{ Minister of Mines, B.C., Ann. Rept., 1875, p. 11.

33
3