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Subscribe on iTunes to the podcast (many bonus features) right here
It was in 1931 when, for a very brief time, Coronach was gold central for the country and possibly North America. It was in the spring of that year that a gold nugget was discovered along Poplar Creek, and before long, Poplar Creek was on the lips of every person from Victoria to St. John’s it seemed.
It did not take much time before hundreds of people were coming to the district to seek their fortune. Many began to stake their claims along Poplar Creek, some on the Canadian side of things, others on the American side. The hundreds who arrived came in many different manner, from train and car, to horseback and even on foot.
Coronach quickly became a buzzword as merchants began to sell out of anything that could be used to find gold. Prospectors brought much of their own gear, but Coronach still benefitted heavily. Unfortunately, many landowners and farmers were not pleased with the hundreds of people walking through their fields, trampling their crops, in their pursuit of the gold nuggets.
In order to keep order, a Registry Office was set up in Coronach on Centre Street. It cost $15 to register a claim, cheap enough that many Americans came to Canada to register.
Panning began quickly, and samples were brought into town to determine if there was any gold. Unfortunately, it seemed that there was not much, if any, gold to be found in the creek and before long, the buzzword of Coronach faded and many began to leave the area realizing that gold could not be found.
Once no gold was found, rumours began to fly about the gold nugget that was apparently found in the creek. Many believed that it actually came from a place some distance away from Coronach.
As soon as it had begun, the gold rush ended, and the area around Poplar Creek was littered with old cans, canvas bags and more, just left by the prospectors.
