BC GOLD ADVENTURESBC Placer Gold AdventuresSKIP TO CONTENTHOME CONTACT PROSPECTING KNOW-HOW MINING HISTORY PROSPECTING TRIPS BC GOLD ADVENTURE TOURS BC HISTORY LINKS VIDEOS GOLD PROSPECTORS OF BC PAYDIRT SWAG GEM TRAILS GHOST TOWNS LOST TREASURE LOST OR ABANDONED MINESBRALORNE AND PIONEER MINEThe Bralorne and Pioneer group of ore bodies has been one of Canada’s major gold sources, yielding over four million ounces of gold and one million ounces of silver from eight million tons of ore. The story of Bralorne goes back to a glint of gold in the gravel of CadwalladerCreek! The shiny, elusive substance was not missed by the sharp-eyed gold prospectors who flooded into the Cariboo river beds in 1859. But a dark forest of Douglas fir hid its secret, and the great Pioneer and Bralorne strike was not made until 1897.Bralorne Mill (1961)_01Bralor...tion facilities. Celebrities would appear from time to time, and Mr. Joe E. Brown, Hollywood comic and friend to Bralorne backer Austin Taylor, was always welcome. His visits prompted a holiday and the kids would get the day off from school, and Mr. Brown bought them all ice cream.From 1931 to 1971 the Bralorne and Pioneer mines yielded $145 million and employed 10,000 miners. Miners , muckers, trammers, timbermen, motormen, brakemen, hoistmen, skiptenders, and pipefitters all made their way through the maze of tunnels at Bralorne. As early as 1943 Bralorne could boast to have paid nearly one-sixth of all dividends earned by all of British Columbia’ s lode mining companies since 1897.By 1971, increasing production costs and declining gold prices sealed the shafts. Fences fell, windows broke, and buildings decayed. Since 1971, revival schemes have met with only limited success. But now, the tow n stirs again.Share this:TwitterFacebookLoading...Blog at WordPress.com.Follow