Editorial: sitting on a gold mine: Quesnel’s mining past may well be its future – by Melanie Law (Quesnel Cariboo Observer – May 12, 2018)

Quesnel Cariboo Observer

The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources has declared May to be mining month, and as a city with its roots firmly planted in the industry, we’ve got a lot to celebrate.

The Cariboo Gold Rush attracted Canadians from across the country in the mid-1800s, as well as Americans, Brits and Chinese people hoping to find their fortune.

Quesnel is one of the many communities that became important in those days – hence the iconic gold pan, hundreds of times larger than an actual pan, located at the city’s northern entrance.

While the city of Quesnel has rebranded in the past few years, calling the “Gold Pan City” tag line dated, and moving to one reflecting our wider environment, that behemoth gold pan is a reminder of how Quesnel evolved from the home of the Southern Carrier people to a mining sector hub in the 1800s.

And the mining industry is alive and well in the Cariboo, despite the gold rush being over. Barkerville Gold Mines – with a corporate office in Toronto, but a local workforce – is exploring the Wells and Barkerville area once again for mineral deposits, and its website says the research indicates the area will yield gold-containing ore over the long-term.

For the rest of this editorial: https://www.quesnelobserver.com/opinion/editorial-sitting-on-a-gold-mine/