Many citizens think that the only connection between Edmonton and gold is that the city is located on the site of large gold mines. In fact, it is true, and this is confirmed by quite a few facts, for example, the search for gold in the valley of the North Saskatchewan River. There was an event that built history and discovered important information for people. Further on edmonton-future.
History bound with gold
The gold in the river is inside the stones, the local residents confirm this. Others say that it looks scattered in the water because it was washed and moved by water, and it is in the sand and gravel.
In Edmonton, locals often find gold in the form of tiny particles that are less than 1.5 millimeters in diameter. People call it “gold flour”. Scientists have proven that there are flakes of platinum in placer mines along the North Saskatchewan River, it is much less than gold, but it is there.
The first find in the river
The first report that gold was found in the North Saskatchewan River was made in 1859 by James Hector. Then the Pallister’s expedition was conducted, during which they found gold mines near Fort Edmonton. The found gold treasure was quite large, with different sizes of gold pieces.
News of the discovery was spread quite quickly, and soon a large crowd of gold miners arrived at the river in search of wealth, and real excavations were carried out on its banks. People dug the shore with shovels, walked on the water and carefully sorted out each stone with their hands.
Elderly people who were present during these excavations told their children that they saw some residents hiding gold in wooden boxes and carrying it to their homes.
The prosperity of gold mining
In early 1895, there was a real prosperity of placer gold mining in Edmonton. Then American investors decided to invest in the construction of special shells that would be used for mining.
According to the report, which was published in the documents by George Dawson – 300 miners lived and worked in the valley of the North Saskatchewan River. People who were sent to search, were able to find a large amount of valuable metal, after which they were sent to the North.
For a long time, no one knew where the gold was in the river. There were many guesses: Rocky Mountains, Canadian Shield, what exactly was the place of passage was not found out. Some local people said that there was a rich family living near the river bank, which had a lot of gold, they kept it in chests under several locks. When the river rose, the house was completely washed away by water. Thus, the chests with gold fell into the river and opened under the great pressure of water. That is why people find gold on its banks.
The fact that the legend is false became known in 1987, when gold was found in large stones, which were taken from the depths of the river. It was discovered that it had been lying at the bottom of the Saskatchewan River for 500 million years. The conclusion was that there were ancient gold mines in the river. This meant that each stone contained gold mineral deposits.
Scientists confirmed the fact that gold accumulates where the water flow slows down, in the bends of rivers, close to the banks. When water flows slowly, platinum and gold are easily extracted from it.
People can join the search for treasures
In the 21st century, the Alberta Ministry of Placer Mining allowed citizens to participate in the search for gold and its washing. Regardless of age, every citizen has the opportunity to do something useful and interesting for themselves in their free time. If a person is going to use sluice boxes or similar equipment in the search for gold, then it is necessary to obtain a license.
