Lost Doukhobor Ledge

Gold Creek is a stream located in Stevens County, Washington, flowing into Sheep Creek, a tributary of the Columbia River. The surrounding area, known as Gold Creek Basin, lies beyond Hubbard Ridge, north of Flagstaff Mountain.

In the fall of 1929, a lightning strike ignited a wildfire in the basin. A firefighting crew of twenty-five men was dispatched from Rossland, British Columbia, many of whom were Doukhobors. While battling the blaze, the fire leapt over the fireguard they had constructed, quickly engulfing their camp. The men fled for their lives. After regrouping, they discovered that two members of their crew were missing.

The following morning, the two missing Doukhobors rejoined the group and recounted how they had managed to stay ahead of the fire. They had taken refuge at the base of a rock slide, where they stumbled upon a vein of galena. Taking samples of the ore with them, they later showed it to a worker named Ray Wiley, who recalled it was fine-grained argentite—extremely high-grade silver ore.

The samples were assayed at the CM&S Company assay office in Trail, British Columbia, and the results were astonishing: the ore contained over 1,000 ounces (28.4 kg) of silver per ton—a bonanza-grade discovery.

In 1930, the Doukhobors returned to the area with geologists to relocate the rock slide and the rich silver ledge, but they were unable to find it again. Since then, countless prospectors have combed the Gold Creek Basin in search of what became known as the lost Doukhobor Ledge. Despite many efforts, the legendary silver vein remains undiscovered.