Originally released on October 7, 2019.
For the last ten summers, 39-year-old Adam Palmer has dedicated weeks to exploring the mountains near Pitt Lake, B.C., in pursuit of the legendary lost mine known as Slumach’s gold.
He has trekked numerous miles along logging roads, traversed icy glaciers, and hacked through dense coastal forests, always returning without the sought-after treasure.
However, a change in fortune occurred recently.
On a bright morning in late July, Palmer guided me to a spot where he suspects one of Canada’s most renowned lost gold mines lies hidden.
We found ourselves in a secluded alpine meadow, encircled by rugged peaks, approximately 50 kilometers east of Vancouver. At the heart of the meadow lay the remains of an abandoned log cabin and next to it, a rusted shovel and chisel — remnants of a gold prospector from bygone eras.
“We believe this prospector was in pursuit of Slumach’s gold, possibly having already unearthed it,” Palmer explained enthusiastically.
Progress towards a legendary quest
Over the past century, numerous individuals — possibly thousands — have embarked on the quest for this fabled mine, rumored to be worth billions. Many seekers have perished in their pursuit, while others have vanished. To date, the mine’s exact location remains a mystery.
Palmer, buoyed by his discovery of the prospector’s cabin, believes he is nearing his goal. In addition to the cabin and mining implements, he uncovered an aged glass jar containing ore and what seemed to be gold.
We accessed the cabin site via helicopter (Palmer is employed by the company as an outdoor guide) to inspect these clues firsthand.
Palmer intended to revisit the surrounding mountains a few weeks later to continue his quest for the mine. He was convinced that Slumach’s gold was finally within his grasp.
One lingering question persisted in my mind — does this legendary mine truly exist?
Unraveling the enigma of Slumach
The tale of Slumach’s gold intertwines fact with folklore. It originates in the late 1800s when an Indigenous man, known as Slumach, was convicted of murder and executed in New Westminster, B.C.
Following his demise, rumors emerged that Slumach had stumbled upon a lucrative, hidden cache of gold in the mountains near Pitt Lake. Allegedly, Slumach would exhibit walnut-sized gold nuggets in New Westminster saloons.
Before his execution, it was rumored that Slumach uttered a curse on those daring to seek his gold mine: “Nika memloose, mine memloose,” loosely translated from Chinook jargon as “When I die, the mine dies.”
Evidence supporting this narrative, especially the curse, is scant, yet the allure of Slumach’s gold enticed more