Valleys. The trail from Takla Lake to Manson Creek was crossed by
Mr. Swannell, but no good land was found, excepting large meadows on
the summit between Takla Lake and Tom Creek and along the head of
Kwanika Creek, which, though too high for general agriculture, about
3,900 feet, might be useful for grazing or raising hay. On the old trail
from Takla Lake via Fall River to Old Hogem, on Omineca River, are
some small areas of good land and one large meadow on the Takla
slope. The lower part of Fall River traverses some good land, now
largely flooded by beaver-dams backing up small tributary streams.

Old Hogem, now only a name on the map, was a mining camp of
the sixties. Germansen, discoverer of the Germansen Creek placers, was
known as Old Hogem, because he charged $45 for a sack of flour ground
at Williams Lake from frozen wheat and for other goods in proportion.
When Germansen left a new storekeeper established himself at New
Hogem, and the camp shifted there, farther down-stream near Duck
Creek. From Old Hogem to about 10 miles below Germansen Landing
the valley of the Omineca is wide and flat, soil excellent, and numerous
meadow-like expanses occur, approximately 80,000 acres being available
here for agricultural settlement. ‘The river is navigable and in the early
seventies boats carried supplies on this part of the river to Germansen
Landing, at the mouth of Germansen River, which drains from
Germansen Lake, westward to about 5 miles from Manson Creek, thence
north to Omineca River. The site of the old mining town of Germansen
is about 3 miles up from the Omineca. A sawmill was operated at
the canyon about 3 miles below Germansen Lake. There were also saw-
mills near Manson Creek.

Placer-mining began on Vital Creek, a tributary of Silver Creek,
by miners who went overland from Cariboo and by the trail from
Hazelton. When R. G. McConnell, Canadian Geological Survey,
explored Omineca and Finlay River Districts in 1893, Mr. Vital and a
couple of men were still at work there. Little prospecting was done in
the beginning and three years elapsed before a Hazelton Indian found
gold on Tom Creek. About $100,000 was taken from it. During the
next few years Germansen, Manson, Slate, and Lost Creek diggings were
found and became scenes of busy mining camps. Holloway’s Bar on
Germansen Creek, the Golden Hill, and other claims are still pointed out
as large producers. On Manson, Discovery, and Mosquito Bars the
Kenny and Brown claims paid big dividends. Lost and Slate Creeks
had three rich claims and about 2,000 miners were scattered about the
creeks. Germansen and Manson Creek were the “towns,” with bar-
rooms, gambling-saloons, dance-houses, etc., stores and sawmills in the
vicinity, and one winter Manson Creek had a theatrical troupe, despite
the isolation. A large number wintered in the district, drifting, getting
out timbers, trapping, etc. Pack-trains brought in supplies in the fall,
and for a time pack-trains connected at Old Hogem with boats which
ran down Omineca River to Germansen Landing. The work was carried
on busily for three years, and one March an Indian appeared at a saloon

Twenty-two.