History
During The Rush
Only a few hundred stayed through the first long, frigid winter, but in the spring of 1899, thousands arrived via the White Pass railway and over the ice. When the lakes opened, steamers finished the trip. At first, nobody was sure whether Atlin was in British Columbia or the Yukon Territory. When surveyors proved Atlin was in British Columbia, B.C. provincial law took over. B.C. rules only allowed claims of one hundred feet wide. This triggered mass confusion. Miners had to restake their claims under the smaller B.C. limits, which caused mayhem.
To confuse matters more, the British Columbia government passed the Alien Exclusion Act in 1899, stating that only British subjects could hold mining claims. Because most miners were Americans, issues arose. Recognizing that this would ruin the local economy and anger the United States, the federal Canadian government stepped in and vetoed the law in 1900, reopening the fields to foreigners.
Two towns formed. Discovery, or Pine City, became a mining camp on Pine Creek next to the first claims. Atlin became the hub for hotels, banks, a hospital, churches, and a brewery. Several thousand people populated the area. Official reports put 1899 production around 40,000 ounces. The gold was coarse – nuggets and flakes. Pine and Spruce led first. Five creeks paid: Pine, Spruce, Boulder, Willow, and McKee. Once the shallow gold disappeared, the prospectors did too.