74

flows with a fairly steep gradient over bedrock. An artificial cutting, 6
to 13 feet deep, has been made in the bedrock for about 1,325 feet. Above
the bend the valley widens for about one-fourth mile and a series of low
rock benches only a few feet above the level of the creek occur on the left
side. The rock in places on the valley flat shows glacial striz and grooves
formed by a glacier moving down the valley. Higher up, the valley is
comparatively narrow and steep-sided. The bedrock is exposed in places
in the valley bottom and on the sides, but for the most part it is concealed
by drift deposits. The part of the valley below the junction is comparatively
narrow and cut in drift deposits near the junction, but near the Bear claim
below (Figure 10) it widens out and rock outcrops occur in the valley
bottom. Below the Bear claim the stream flows with a steep gradient in a
narrow rock gorge. Well-defined benches cut in the drift deposits occur in
places on both sides of this stretch of the valley, as well as in Cunningham
Pass valley above the junction, at various elevations up to 200 feet above
the valley bottom. They were probably formed by ice-border drainage,
but may be associated to some extent with damming of the valley in the
lower part by drift deposits which have been cut away by the present
stream.

Placer mining on Cunningham creek was carried on in the early days
mainly in the shallow ground in the comparatively narrow part of the
creek. This is at and above the bend at the head of the broad and flat-
bottomed part, in which part the ground is deep. It is stated! that shallow
diggings at 8 to 10 feet were struck in 1864 on Cunningham creek and
that one company was taking out 100 ounces a day, with four men; also
that at the beginning of 1865 three hundred men were at work, though
before the end of the season the creek was practically abandoned. Bancroft
states” “On Cunningham creek, a stream about 30 miles in length, a
number of claims were taken up in the middle of February, 1861; and in
the following year the deep diggings were prospected to some extent, but
abandoned as unprofitable. In 1864 further developments were made
which surprised the old miners who were acquainted with the ground.
Four of the white men made a discovery near the mouth that the old
bed of the creek was not beneath the present stream, but in a deep channel
parallel to it, a hundred yards aside. The deeper they went into this
channel the richer they found it, and in one day $460 each was obtained.
The result was, that about two hundred miners located fresh claims on
the creek, many of them yielding well. The excitement continued
throughout 1865, and then followed another decline, the result of failure
in tracing, or working, the deep lead.’ These statements refer to the
lower part of Cunningham creek, which is not described in the present
report. Practically the only published information regarding the early
work on the narrow, upper part of Cunningham creek is given on Bowman’s
map of the creek.3 According to this map the Discovery claim was located
in 1861 by William Cunningham (after whom the creck was named), and
was above the bend near where the glaciated bedrock outcrops in the
bottom of the valley. It is reported‘ that a crevice (probably on or near

1Howey, F. W., and Scholefield, E.0.8.: British Columbia’”’
*Bancroft, H. H.: History of British Columbia’, pp. 490-491

3Geol. Sury., Canada, 1896. :
‘Dawson, G. M.: Geol. Surv., Canada, Rept. of Prog. 1876-77, p. 136.

; vol. II, pp. 118-19.