The Turnagain nugget

Dublin Core

Title

The Turnagain nugget

Subject

Gold rush
British Columbia
20th century

Description

This is a gold nugget that was found by Alice Shea, after she saw a gold glint wedged in a boulder as she walked to her husband’s claim. It weights 52oz or 1642grams This happened in 1937 northern British Columbia, before being sold to the BC government by her husband for $1500. It was locked in away in a vault until 1994, when it was ‘rediscovered’ by workers performing an inventory. It also appears that the area which it was found was subsequently renamed Alice Shea creek, and a nearby river renamed Turnagain river.
This relates to how place names change over time, more specifically how European names superseded indigenous names. Furthermore, it relates to the issue of land rights, with naming being a sign of claimed land.

Creator

Alice Shea, Alice Creek

Publisher

Royal British Columbia Museum (Royal BC Museum)
http://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/100/object/the-turnagain-nugget/

https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/visit/exhibitions/goldrush

Date

found 1937

Contributor

Melvin Kwan

Rights

Royal British Columbia Museum

Language

N/A

Type

Material Object - gold nuggett

Identifier

20th century British Columbia

Files

Turnagain nugget.png

Collection

Citation

Alice Shea, Alice Creek, “The Turnagain nugget,” The American Pacific Rim: Colonisation, Conflict and Connections, 1800-Present, accessed April 28, 2024, https://theamericanpacificrim.omeka.net/items/show/138.