Slumach's Gold

In Search of a Legend

by Rick Antonson; Brian Antonson & Mary Trainer

tagged: post-confederation (1867-), criminals & outlaws

Description

Slumach's Gold chronicles what is possibly Canada's greatest lost-mine story. It searches out the truth behind a Salish man's hanging for murder in 1891 and tracks the intriguing legend about him that grew after his death. It was a legend that turned into a drama of international fascination when Slumach—the hanged criminal—was mysteriously linked to gold nuggets "the size of walnuts." The stories claimed that Slumach had placed a curse on a hidden motherlode to protect it from interlopers and trespassers just before he plunged to his death "at the wrong end of a five-strand rope." Although many have attempted to find Slumach's gold over the past 100 years, following tantalizing clues that are part of the legend itself, none have succeeded—or have they?

Rick Antonson, Mary Trainer and Brian Antonson have diligently sifted through history and myth, separating fact from fiction, but leaving the legend intact—along with the promise of gold yet to be found by some future gold seeker.

About the Authors

Rick Antonson co-founded Nunaga Publishing with Brian Antonson and Mary Trainer. Together they published more than twenty-five books, including the first edition of In Search of a Legend: Slumach’s Gold. Rick has written five travel books, most recently Train Beyond the Mountains: Journeys on the Rocky Mountaineer. He was vice president and general manager of Douglas & McIntyre Publishing for five years. From 1993 to 2014 he served as president and CEO of Tourism Vancouver (now Destination Vancouver).

Brian Antonson co-founded Nunaga Publishing with Rick Antonson and Mary Trainer. Together they published more than twenty-five books, including the first edition of In Search of a Legend: Slumach’s Gold in 1972. Brian spent his career in radio broadcasting and broadcast education, before retiring as head of the Broadcast and Media Communications department at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. He has made over 100 presentations about Slumach’s Gold.

Mary Trainer co-founded Nunaga Publishing with Rick Antonson and Brian Antonson. Together they published more than twenty-five books, including the first edition of In Search of a Legend: Slumach’s Gold, in 1972. Mary has been writing about British Columbia for four decades and was communications coordinator with Metro Vancouver for twenty years. Her most recent book is Trout Creek: Celebrating History, Land, and Neighbourhood.

Age:: 12
Grade:: 7

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Librarian review

Slumach’s Gold: In Search of a Legend

by [ABPBC]

Slumach’s Gold examines, with excellent documentation and illustrations, the tale of Slumach and his Lost Creek gold mine where gold nuggets “the size of walnuts” are supposed to lie on the ground. This unsolved BC mystery has endured for over a century. Thirty people have died seeking the treasure. The mountainous territory around Pitt Lake, where the mine is supposedly located, is rugged and dangerous. In this expanded 35th-anniversary edition, all the constituent elements of the legend are critically analyzed. We know that Slumach was hanged for murder in 1891. Did Slumach really toss gold nuggets around in the bars of New Westminster? Did the other characters in the story actually exist? Why has no one located the Lost Creek mine? The legend is woven into the fabric of pioneer life in southern BC.

Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. BC Books for BC Schools. 2008-2009.