Williams Creek (British Columbia)
Williams Creek is an important historical gold mining creek in the Cariboo goldfields of the Central Interior of British Columbia, entering the Willow River between Barkerville and the town of Wells, which is at the headwaters of the Willow River.
Williams Creek is named for Wilhelm Dietz, a Prussian sailor who was one of a party that set out from Lightning Creek and was the first to discover gold on this creek, which was quickly staked by his companions and soon after by others. Williams Creek because the most important and richest digging in the Cariboo goldfields, giving birth to the towns of Richfield, Barkerville and Cameronton, which collectively were also known as Williams Creek. Barkerville and Camerontown were named for two of Dietz's companions, Billy Barker and John Cameron, Barker being the most famous and at times the richest of the Cariboo gold miners. Dietz's claim was not a money-maker and he died in poverty. Brief History of Williams Creek and the Cariboo Gold Belt The Cariboo gold belt has a storied history as a gold field dating back to the late 1850s. It is estimated that placer gold in excess of 2 million ounces was captured in the area during the 19th Century. Chief Trader Donald McLean, of the Hudson's Bay Company, is said to have traded gold dust from the First Nations people as early as 1852: "The reputed wealth of the Couteau mines (local name for the Thompson-Fraser area) is causing much excitement amongst the population of the United States of Washington and Oregon, and I have no doubt that a great number of people from those territories will be attracted thither (here) in he spring." (Douglas Letters; B.C. Archives)
In the early 1860s when placer gold production peaked, the search began for lode gold deposits. The Black Jack (Lot 1.B), Home Stake (Lot 4.B), Cornish (Lot 1.F) and the Wintrip (Lot 32.F) were among the first claims to be staked in the area.
During the period 1877-1892, prospecting and testing was done on the major veins: Bonanza (B.C.) Vein, Steadman Vein, Pinkerton Vein, Black Jack Vein (Westport), Proserpine Vein, Perkins Vein and Mount Burns Vein. In 1877-1892, Black Jack and Burns Co. sank a shaft (180 feet) on the Black Jack claim from which three levels were established with a few hundred feet of drifts and crosscuts. Assays greater than $70 per ton were reported.
The larger Cariboo area was home to a number of producing gold mines during the 20th Century. These included the Cariboo Gold Quartz, Island Mountain/Aurum and Mosquito Creek Gold mines. The Cariboo Gold Quartz mine operated from 1933 to 1959 reportedly producing in excess of 600,000 ounces of gold. Island Mountain and Mosquito Creek, which operated between 1934–1967 and 1980-1983 respectively, are reported to have produced 603,800 ounces of gold grading 0.67 ounces of gold per ton of ore. A reporting assessing the gold field potential, Geology of the Cariboo Gold Quartz Mine, Wells, B. C, was published by A. C. Skerl in the November 1948 Society of Economic Geologists.
Today’s Gold Explorations Continue Barkerville, site of WCX’s Barkerville Project, is a historical gold zone. Government records indicate that millions of ounces of alluvial gold were removed from the Barkerville area during the 19th Century. Williams Creek Explorations Limited [www.williamscreekexplorations.com formerly Williams Creek Gold Quartz Mining Co. Limited, has existed either as a private company or a public company listed on the Montreal Stock Exchange, the Vancouver Stock Exchange or the Canadian Venture Exchange since June 19, 1946, save for a period of dormancy between 1981 and 1987. WCX’s principal purpose upon incorporation was the exploration of highly prospective claims in the Barkerville region, including the Black Jack claim (Lot 1.B). WCX’s Barkerville Project consists of 28 crown granted claims 100% owned by WCX that straddle two historical alluvial gold streams that were part of the Barkerville gold camp: Williams Creek and Stouts Gulch. WCX's holdings include the heights surrounding the creeks as well as much of the creek area itself. View operations at http://www.williamscreek.ca Initial trenching of the area in the 1940s showed promising results while a limited drilling program conducted over the course of the past decade offered further grounds for encouragement. Presently, Barkerville Gold (BGM CN) is planning gold production on a project in the immediate vicinity of WCX’s Barkerville claims.
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Coordinates: 53°05′00″N 121°34′00″W / 53.0833333°N 121.5666667°W
