“One thing I found very interesting is that after the Zeballos gold rush there was not anything like it again, in Canada or the U.S.”
Mason Davies shared his knowledge and information regarding the mining community.
He is very knowledgeable in so many things from Native Art to Zeballos in the gold rush days and was happy to share this knowledge with us.
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When the old Privateer offices were abandoned, many people were taking crucibles, while Mason was collecting original paperwork dated back to 1938.
Mason’s Story
Gold Mines
"I ran across some receipts from 1941 for the Privateer Mine for material they bought from the Zeballos Lumber Company. They had their own small mill on the river. I collected a lot of this material from abandoned buildings when we used to go hiking in the area. Stuff was just lying up there strewn around the buildings that had been there for years. Everyone who went in years after the closure and wanted souvenirs took the plates, cups, and other containers, if they could find ones that were not broken. I was more interested in the stuff like receipts from Zeballos General Store showing what they bought and how much they paid for it, to give an idea of prices in those days. There is one from the Gault Brothers, which was a wholesaler in Vancouver, to Spud Valley Gold Mine and it gives you the prices of shirts and things that the mines had to have. I also have one from Ryan Wilson & Co. for the Man of War Mine, so a few of the different mines are covered. |
