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June 2, 2008
For almost 135 years, placer gold miners have been coming to the creeks and rivers of the Cassiar Mountains to seek their fortunes. Many hardships were faced by the old miners, isolated, lonely, and far from their homes and families. But it's not all fun and games for the new miners either - there's equipment to repair and paint, roads to build, dirt to move, camp to maintain, fuel to pay for, and still the isolation factor to deal with. Time is the main thing that's changed - rather than a two week, several-hundred mile journey from the Alaskan coast, it's a two hour drive from the nearest town, but there are still many challenges, all with the same goal - to reap the rewards held by the land with hard work by filling the pan with gold.
June 9, 2008
Every mining project needs a workhorse. The FWD 6-wheeled drive dump truck fills that role here at Holloway Bar. This rough-riding beast makes you think the wheels are bolted directly to the frame when you roll over a bump in the road, but its ground clearance and traction with a load on board are appreciated when you're forging across the rushing spring waters of McDame Creek. The "FUD" as it's affectionately known has spent its entire working life in the North and spent many cold Yukon winters clearing snow from the Watson Lake airport before coming to Holloway Bar to help with the search for Cassiar gold. Now it's only fired up during the summer months and given the winters off as a reward for many years of service.
June 16, 2008
Dragon Mountain is the pretty much the same as it was when Henry McDame was in this valley almost 140 years ago searching for his golden riches. This webcam, sporting a new weatherproof enclosure, is now going into its third year of operation at this spot, documenting both the mining operations and the ever-changing weather conditions on Dragon Mountain. If this camera had been snapping pictures when the first miners came, it would have shown us tough men with picks and shovels moving tons of gravel and rock in their struggle to find gold far from their families, also working in the shadow of Dragon Mountain. The mining is done with big machines now, but the task is the same - to extract the gold from the gravels of McDame Creek.
June 23, 2008
Most people want to wake up every morning and see the sun shining brightly over the mountain peaks, spreading its warmth throughout the valley and all its inhabitants. That's nice weather for vacationers or even to enjoy on a day off, but sometimes the best time for mining is one of those cool, rainy, dreary days. The cool temperatures help keep all of the equipment running cooler, the air density makes more efficient power, the rain keeps the dust down, and while it takes a good frost to rid the area of bugs and other pests, the insects seem to slow down a little bit when bombarded with water falling from the skies. But, look out when it warms up and dries out - the bugs will be hungry and out in full force, driving you back inside for protection.
June 30, 2008
The Wheaton Creek gold property on the Turnagain River (known as "Boulder City" to locals) has been producing gold off and on for decades under a variety of owners. A fairly large scale production for the area, its 1990 operation required 15 to 20 people to function properly, including a couple of full-time mechanics to keep the equipment running smoothly. Much coarse gold was removed from the area over the years, but its isolation meant it was an expensive project to operate as supplies and crews were usually flown in by floatplane from Dease Lake, some 30 minutes away. While coarse gold was first discovered near the headwaters of the Turnagain River in 1874, the Wheaton Creek find wasn't made until 1932. The area also produces large jade boulders of exceptionally high quality.
