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History - Chapter 13
Ike Thompson made the first
location on Glacier Creek; the Hallie, on the ground just above the forks. Ike
used to like to tell the story on how he made the find, which resulted from
his adherence to the principal that he maintained while prospecting. This was
to “break everything” and to never pass likely looking rock without doing
so. He was on his way up the south fork, and in climbing a steep bank he saw
an outcrop of rock some distance away. It being somewhat difficult to reach
without going out of his way, he, kept on, and as he traveled he kept saying
to himself, “Well you didn’t break that one.” Although he had gone quite
a distance, he forced himself to return and break the rock, which was almost
solid galena. This claim, with several others, was acquired by the Albany
Mining Co. Ltd.
 Thompson had induced others to follow. Dodge and Gourley went farther up
the creek and located the Jumbo and other claims at the headwaters. The claims
were located on a wide belt of mineralized quartz-to some places over 100 feet
wide-which was extensively developed by the Pacific Coast Exploration Company
from 1910 to 1912, and five tunnels driven with about 1,000 feet of
underground work. The property is now owned by Ben Bolt Mining Co. Ltd.
Sam Gourley was a great joker and his partner, Jack Dodge, was similarly
inclined, and throughout their partnership they played many tricks upon one
another. One of these was to tell people in confidence impossible tales of the
others doings. Rather than deny them and make the partner a liar, those
stories were accepted as truth by Dodge and Gourley. Sam had rather the best
of it, and Dodge schemed to put one over on him. This he did by telling Rainey
and his wife, who was spending that summer here, that Gourley was an educated
man, a college graduate and a fully ordained clergyman who had a church of his
own and was quite a preacher, but he had decided to be a prospector instead
and did not want anyone to know of his former occupation. Gourley was quite a
friend of the Raineys, and used to visit them when in town from the hills. In
due course he learned what Dodge had said about him; but according to the game
they played with one another he could not deny it, and afterward was known as
“Rev” Sam Gourley.
About that time Andy Archie and Charlie Held were prospecting on the
mountain above the North Fork, each taking different ways. Charlie returned
late one evening to learn that Andy had not come back, and in the morning
there was still no sign of him. So Charlie started out in the direction that
Andy had gone and some miles away he blazed a tree and wrote on it: “Andy,
you are lost. Follow down the creek and you will be all right.” Andy turned
up that afternoon. He had seen the notice on his homeward way and said
afterwards that he knew he was lost all right, “but I didn’t need to be
told about it.”
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