Grouse Creek

The Legandary Grouse Creek was discovered in the fall of 1860 George Weaver and Doc Keithley after locating the vast plateau lands beyond the high mountains surrounding Cariboo Lake. In the spring of 1861 gold was discovered on the high runs of Antler Creek near Racetrack flats and soon after gold was found on what would be known as Grouse Creek. Mining began immediately with some success, working the high channel gravels on bedrock above the creek, but serious work began in 1864 with the American Miner Robert Heron who constructed a massive mine complex down stream of the discovery claim.  His "Heron" company would pull out 10,750 ounces of gold in their first season, $19,500,000 intodays funds. 

Approx 400ft of the "Heron lead" would be mined, producing 50,000 ounces or $118,884,718 today. After Robert Heron abandoned the Heron claim new owners discovered more of the "Heron lead" by chacing the gold underground on bedrock. One 8 ft section of the bedrock uncovered by the Jimmy Allen tunnel produced approx $50 million in gold. The small settlement of Grouce City or Grouce Town would spring into being around this time, servicing the work force of miners, however it was short lived, destroyed by fire in 1866. The gold of the Heron and other workings on Grounce creek would attract the attention of theives and conmen, most notibly the conflict between "the Canadian and Heron companies. The Canadian Company in 1866 illegally staked claims directly across the Heron Company site, and their men ordered the Heron workforce to vacate. When the gold commissioner was alerted to this he sent a force of 25 constibles and miners to remove the claim jumpers. They were met by a force of over 400 miners and a violent armed stand off ensued resulting in Governor Frederick Seymour convening a special commission on the matter at Richfield. Many believe the governor misread the case, as he eventually sided with the Canadian Company over Heron. Mining would continue at the Heron into the early 1900s but finally stopped after a flood in 1901. Modern mining continues at "Shy Robin" and at the F Grants of the Heron Company Discovery claim.