Cariboo Gold Quartz & Island Mountain Mines The Cariboo Gold Quartz Mine (CGQ) and Island Mountain Mine were the first two lode (hard rock) mines operating in Wells. Both mines had ore-bearing quartz veins containing gold and both had veins that ran almost side by side along each other. The average gold content of the […]

There are two primary methods of mining for gold: placer mining or lode mining (also known as “hard rock mining”). Gold exists in lodes or veins that are filled with mineral under the earth’s surface. These lodes can be eroded like other minerals, which can break the lode apart, carrying pieces of gold through waterways […]

Gold mining is the science, technology, and business of discovering gold, removing it and selling it on the market. Gold can be found in many places. It can even be found in very small quantities in sea water. More often, though, it is found in greater quantities in veins associated with igneous rocks like quartzite, […]

In 1930, people flocked once again to the Cariboo in a second gold rush. At a time when many across the country were standing in food lines, men were happy to take on the difficult work of hard rock mining. Most of the miners spent their working hours underground, but the pay was good, and […]

Newly graduated from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Ed Richardson was a young civil engineer, hired along with Ted Baynes, by the Wells Townsite Company to lay out the town of Wells. This was Richardson’s first engineering job. Fred Wells was well known to hate engineers; the story goes that Richardson was on the […]

As one of the three founding director’s of the Cariboo Gold Quartz Mining Company, Dr. William Burnett had an unrelenting faith in the dreams of his long-time friend Fred Wells. Dr. Burnett was a physician from Vancouver. He also shared the title of ‘The Three Musketeers’ with Fred Wells and O.H. Solibakke. Dr. Burnett formed […]

Described as courageous and determined, Oscar Henry (O.H.) Solibakke (pictured on the far right) spent years placer mining in Alaska before he became involved in the development of the Cariboo Gold Quartz Mining Company. A Seattle promoter and financial agent, O.H. Solibakke raised money and disposed of the stocks for the Cariboo Gold Quartz Mining […]

Won Mon ‘Bill’ Hong was born on August 28,1901 in Stanley, B.C. He went to school in Barkerville and Victoria. He held a variety of jobs around the Cariboo, in Prince George, Barkerville, Stanley, and Wells. Bill Hong was described as a man of boundless energy with a tremendous love for the Cariboo. Hong was […]

Chow Dong Hoy was born July 2, 1883, and landed in Vancouver in the fall of 1902. He went to Barkerville to mine in 1909. A disciplined man, Hoy had a clear dislike for smoking, gambling, and drinking. He repaired watches and cut hair to make money to send back home. Hoy was the only […]

The women of Wells had full and busy lives. They cared for their families and homes and, in some cases, operated or helped to run local businesses. They were also involved with local service clubs and school and town events, volunteering their time where necessary. Activities such as snowshoeing, skiing, softball, and curling were popular, […]