Chinamen washing for Gold near Northbend

Chinamen washing for Gold near Northbend

British Columbia
Chinese Immigrants
Gold rush
Transportation

The dry plate image, which is creased and is fading, still tells us enough about the Chinese immigrants who were transported on the trains, working to find gold through traditional means of washing for gold. Due to the efforts of the Canadian Pacific Railway, a newly founded settlement became accessible due to the developed transport links in the later 19th century within the Canadian wilderness. This development of transportation helped move along the gold rush opening new areas where the immigrants could go to seek gold. However more than likely the area they are mining had already been mined by other colonial miners and left to these Chinese immigrant miners as leftovers. Furthermore, the fact that the miners are still using washing method, despite the period introducing updated forms of mining techniques, showed how relatively backward the poor miners, were compared to some of their colonial counterparts.

Matthews, James Skitt, Major, North Bend, British Columbia.

City of Vancouver archives

http://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/chinamen-washing-for-gold-near-north-bend

1891

Muhammad Ali

City of Vancouver archives
Public domain
AM54-S4-: Out P803

N/A

Visual - photograph

19th century British Columbia