We slept in this morning and did not get up until after 8:00am. Last night’s server had recommended Riverwest Bistro for breakfast, so we walked over and enjoyed our meal in front of the restaurant.
We had a couple of hours before this afternoon’s activity, so we decided to explore Dawson City’s compact downtown. From the colourful heritage buildings, wooden boardwalks, dirt roads and carefully preserved architecture, it is like stepping back to the Klondike Gold Rush era. On our way back to the hotel, we picked up sandwiches which we enjoyed in the courtyard.
Goldbottom Mine is a third generation mining operation that gives visitors the opportunity to see an actual working mine. Our guide Brenda picked us up at the storefront at 1:15pm for the thirty minute drive to the mine on Hunker Creek Road. Along the way, Brenda educated us on the many facets of gold mining.
When we arrived we first stopped at where the crew is currently working. Brenda told us that they had just moved the wash plant that morning. We did have a chance to have a quick conversation with David Miller, the second generation of the operations. He told us that he hoped to be sluicing by tomorrow once they got the plant levelled. Brenda was great at explaining all of the steps involved from stripping overburden to excavating pay dirt to running it through the wash plant.
Once we got back on the bus, it was time to head to camp to see where the gold is recovered Brenda showed us a smaller sluice box and a gold concentrator. She actually demonstrated the gold concentrator using approximately 1-1/2 oz of gold which was valued at $9000.
From there we headed into a shack that showed the history of the mine with photographs and artifacts At one point, Brenda showed us a 3oz nugget that Rona Miller had found back in the 1990’s. This nugget was on a chain and it was worth $50,000. When Karen asked if Rona had ever worn it Brenda said yes and then asked if Karen would like to try it on. Heck yeah, when will you ever have the opportunity to have $50,000 hanging around your neck? Quite a few of us took a turn trying it on.
The final part of the tour was gold panning. We each picked a pan filled with pay dirt and headed down to the creek. Brenda gave us a demonstration and then it was up to each of us to find gold ourselves. It is way harder than it looks on TV. It truly is an art. We all gave it our best shot but eventually Brenda had to help each of us along. In the end, all six of us found gold in our pans. I was lucky enough to get four flakes.
With our gold safely in vials, it was time to head back to Dawson City. On the drive back to town, Brenda told us her thoughts on the TV show “Gold Rush” and even pointed out Tony Beet’s operation.
We had supper at Sourdough Joe’s and then made our way up to the Midnight Dome Viewpoint. The views of Dawson City and the surrounding area from here are spectacular.. While Karen and I were sitting on a bench, we struck up a conversation with some other people there, starting with the usual pleasantries of where everyone was from. When Karen mentioned that she was from Eagle Place in Brantford one of the guys asked if she knew Rob Maloney. She laughed and said that he was her brother. It turned out that this man was Rob’s friend from high school. Everyone had a good laugh and truly the world is a small place.
Everyone we have talked to has said you must check out Diamond Tooth Gerties Gambling Hall. It is Dawson City’s iconic Gold Rush themed casino and entertainment venue. It features lively cancan shows, music and period costumes that recreate the excitement of the Klondike Gold Rush. We caught the 8:00pm show, which was very entertaining. Afterward, Karen sat down at a nickel slot machine and turned her $20 into $161. We thought about staying for the 10:00pm show too but decided we might come back again tomorrow night instead.
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