Alaska: Article about The Lake of the Golden Bar

[Old Bookaroo]

Does anyone else remember an article in either True Treasure or Treasure World about the legendary "Lake of the Golden Bar" in Alaska? It probably ran in the 1970's. I'm interested in other newspaper or magazine articles about this yarn, if you know of any.

Thank you!

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

[South Sea mariner]

hola Old Bookaroo

I recall a story I think was from a newspaper 1890-1900 from memory. There was story 2-3 men a sand bar full of gold in a river draining from a lake where they discovered a large amount of placer gold. They had even built a small cabin and had a rocker to sift for gold with. All was going good until they got attacked by the local natives. 2 out of the 3 was murdered by the native the 3rd was washed down the river. He nearly died of fever and eventual due to ill health made his way back to San Francisco. I cannot exactly recall the survivor's name. But I think he was an Englishman or Canadian. I think he later served in WW1?

Mal

 

[Old Bookaroo]

SSM: Thank you! That is the yarn! I now believe the story ran in Long John's True Treasure - August 1969. Next comes a newspaper search.

The outlines of the tale are familiar. The fact it is up in Alaska makes it unusual. I was in Anchorage last week and made a few hours to look around. I found a very nice museum with an archives and friendly staffer. I picked up a couple of interesting stories. They didn't have anything on The Lake of the Golden Bar so I promised to look into it for them.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

[Old Bookaroo]

Further research has been very fruitful! I have found what I believe to be the origin story of The Lake of the Golden Bar. "The Rambler" - the man who claimed to have been one of the three finders, and the first one to set foot on the site, said it has also been called The Lost Rocker.

But I have found several references to another lost placer of that name with a very different story.

This isn't as confusing as the many Lost Cabin Mines - so far, Wyoming (I believe this one is the best known), Nevada, Montana, California, Texas, Alaska, Oregon, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania?) are all states where this tale has been placed.


Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

[South Sea mariner]

Hola

As strange as this seems on returning from my last voyage. Some friends of my wife's friend in Valparaiso we went to dinner with. In course of the evening there was chatter about family history. Me being Chilean with an Irish surname seems to be endless topic of conversation. Yet our friends acquaintance we met on the night is actually an retired mining engineer that came down to Chile in the 1970's from the United States. He had been living in Chile for years, married had family and put down roots so to speak. In course of various conversation, him being a mining engineer I touched on the yarn about the "golden bar story"

Halfway telling him I noticed him smirking ....He said he know all about it as it was his great grandfather. His great grandfathers story inspired him to became a mining engineer. It as you could imagine left me stunned with astonishment. What a coincidence? He claimed his grandmother was the daughter of survivor of the story? There was 3 men that went on an expedition. The American's great grandfather Charles Ulrich was actually a German but after returning from Yukon with 1000 ounces of gold to California. He then later settled and married in Montana around 1897. He had taken a land grant off the government at the time. He was born in 1867 and lived well into 1930's being a farmer. The two men he was with were reported to be Irish? They were all apparently ex railway workers from Canadian Pacific railroad seeking their fortune in the Yukon Gold rush. One was called was named Hartford and the other called Gault. Gault was allegedly French Canadian. I forget the first names he told me.

It appears his great grandfather went though a lot of hell. As he was working the river when they was attacked by the local tribe of Indians. He had escaped down the river and managed too hide in a cave of log debris in the river. Wet cold with exposure he managed to take some gold with him. He had a tortuous return journey with the cold and exposure which had made him very sick in which he lost several fingers and toes.. Eventually getting ship down to California. That is where it 1897 Began to circulate as a frontier treasure story just before the Alaskan gold rush took place. But in fact the event never took place in Alaska? But in the Yukon gold rush in north west Canada in the Klondike. They was one of the first to search around the tributaries of the Yukon. The gold was very sporadic. Some areas none at all in other areas where small lakes had formed the course gold had collected. They had found a very rich bar in the river. Gault by trade was a carpenter who made a Wooden rocker to retrieve the gold. They built a small cabin in fear of not being attacked by Indians but by bears. However as summer was coming to an end and food supplies was getting very low. They wanted to bring the gold south as they had the problem of transportation as the country was very rough. the only transport was the river. Yet the gold retrieval was going so good they stayed longer than they should of as the onset of winter was approaching. In the last few days before being attacked they had the feeling of being watched?

The great grandfather never returned to Yukon, But over time the story morphed by disappointed gold seekers and dreamers from the Klondike gold rush who later traveled to Nome Alaskan gold rush around 1900 and through them spreading the story which morphed into being a legendary discovery in Alaska springing several versions of the story.

I and my wife as you can imagine had interesting night conversing with him on his family history. His great grandfather was a poor farmer from Germany who came out to America to seek his fortune in the great American dream. At first went to New York then found employment with various rail roads until enticed to Canada. A classic yarn about about suffering hardships in seeking a better life.

Mal

 

[Old Bookaroo]

As I continue to research these two tales I am struck by how very similar they are both to each other, and to the famous Lost Adams Diggings. Except if they ever make a movie about these Alaska yarns the Indian maiden probably won't be jumping into a pool of water without her clothes on.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

[South Sea mariner]

Hola Bookaroo

Here is another version below. SOURCE: Australia newspaper. national library of Australia: Riverina Recorder Balranald Moulamein Wednesday 22 July 1896 page 1







So it appears 2 of them at least survived?

Mal

 

[South Sea mariner]

Hola Bookaroo

Here is map of another miner that followed in 1885 who generally became the credited discoverer of gold in the Yukon. this hand drawn map was sent to his sister.



Mal

 

[Old Bookaroo]

Ahoy, Mal!

May I ask the source of that map?

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

[sdcfia]

Hola Bookaroo

Here is map of another miner that followed in 1885 who generally became the credited discoverer of gold in the Yukon. this hand drawn map was sent to his sister.

View attachment 1599526

Mal

Unlike most treasure maps, which appear woefully contrived or even cartoonish, this one seems to ring authentic to me - maybe because it's drawn the way I would draw such a map. Thanks for posting.

 

[Old Bookaroo]

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

~ Robert Service

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

[South Sea mariner]

Hola Bookaroo

My apologizes for not replying earlier to your question. I had and Environmental protection audit to my vessel as she is licensed to carry dangerous goods. Without the audit I would be subject to higher port fees in some ports.

Now in regards to your question of the source. It was Smithson museum. It was part of a fantastic collection of documents on the Alaskan gold rush.

You will notice in the map a cabin? You might be closer to the truth that his story might of been the source of a few lost cabin treasure legends.

Hola sdcfia

This map is indeed the real deal treasure map. While today not worth much except as a historical curiosity.But if some one claims there is no such thing as a treasure map you can beg to differ? .

I totally understand the point you made in question of many alleged maps. This one was just plain and simple not trying to present itself as old. it came with letter written to his sister.

The value of this treasure map is immense,back in 1896 men would of killed for it. In fact it was from the actions of the writer of this map George Carmack that sparked off a stampede of 100000 prospectors to Alaska.



the prospector George Carmack had married local native American women. They allegedly discovered gold with his wife and brother in law pictured while trapping along a creek called Rabbit Creek later to be renamed Bonanza Creek in 1885.







Gault, Ulrich and Ole was there a year before in 1884 but was chased out by the Han natives. most like the native feared the three men competing against food sources in the area.

Yet although there is controversy of who actually discovered the gold first. George Carmack was the first to register a legal claim.

Mal

 

[sdcfia]

... Hola sdcfia

This map is indeed the real deal treasure map. While today not worth much except as a historical curiosity.But if some one claims there is no such thing as a treasure map you can beg to differ? .

I totally understand the point you made in question of many alleged maps. This one was just plain and simple not trying to present itself as old. it came with letter written to his sister.

The value of this treasure map is immense,back in 1896 men would of killed for it. In fact it was from the actions of the writer of this map George Carmack that sparked off a stampede of 100000 prospectors to Alaska. ...

Mal

Olá! mariner. This thread makes one yearn for the days of wooden ships and iron men, no?

And, Bookie, who better to set the mood than Robert Service?

 

[Old Bookaroo]

South Sea Mariner: Thank you! Most interesting!

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

[Old Bookaroo]

sdcfia: The Robert Service lines were inspired by the "Lake LeBarge" on the map. Here in Northern California we're also in Jack London country -Tales of the Fish Patrol.


Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

 

[sdcfia]

sdcfia: The Robert Service lines were inspired by the "Lake LeBarge" on the map. Here in Northern California we're also in Jack London country -Tales of the Fish Patrol.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo

London is another favorite. In fact, a couple weeks ago I put his The Cruise of the Snark onto my "read it again someday" stack. I like his South Seas stuff. I'm glad you posted those Service lines, because now that I think about it, I think I'll dig out his The Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses and read it again too.

 

[South Sea mariner]

Buenos días caballeros.

Bookaroo:

The Following 1907 Balmain Observer and Western Suburbs Advertiser. National library Australia. The newspaper tells of the 1832 Russian discovery of gold in Alaska



Sdcia:

Yes they must of been hard tough men back in those days. Ironic because by the time most of men that had reached the gold field, the mining leases had already been taken up. Many ended up just working for wages no better off.









l like to visit Alaska one day when I retire to see all the historic sites. Utterly fascinating.

Mal

 

[Old Bookaroo]

sdcfia: I recently read Jack London's stories about San Pablo Bay, Benicia, etc., since we moved up here. My favorite, however, remains the lesser-known Mutiny on the Elsinore. What a story! It's an interesting read alongside Sterling Hayden's Voyage.

Good luck to all,

The Old Bookaroo