Filmed by Keystone in 1911 for the LNWR ( London & North Western Railway ) who had their own full time film unit.
The film was produced to feature both a typical Lancashire colliery served by the LNWR and also the women surface workers or Pit Brow Lasses who had been in the news after moves to legislate against their empoyment on the surface at collieries. More women surface workers were employed at Lancashire collieries than in any other coalfield.
The colliery featured was Alexandra Colliery of Wigan Coal & Iron Co Ltd. Shafts were sunk at the colliery from 1856 in an ancient mining district, records going back to the 14th century.
The shaft eventually reached 772 yards and the Arley seam. The famous Haigh Cannel seam was also accessed. The colliery closed in June 1955.
Join LBRY through this link and get some free LBC:
https://lbry.tv/$/invite/@GoldPickers
Joseph Patenaude - This extraordinary man is known as the hero of Nelson. He was on his way to the Yukon, but took a side trip to the Kootenays, where he stayed.
Join LBRY through this link and get some free LBC:
https://lbry.tv/$/invite/@GoldPickers
In so many ways, the story of Colorado is the story of mining. And Creede stands as one of the last mining towns of its kind. So many mines and their legacies were abandoned over the years – and nearly lost forever. But a handful of heroes have staked a claim on history by preserving these sites. From mining boom towns to ghost towns – it’s all here.
Join LBRY through this link and get some free LBC:
https://lbry.tv/$/invite/@GoldPickers
Kimberley - A town that is almost 100 years old and still going strong with the fabulous Sullivan Mine.
Join LBRY through this link and get some free LBC:
https://lbry.tv/$/invite/@GoldPickers
Telegraph Creek - Along the grand canyon of The Stikine, this little town will transport you back in time. Most of the original buildings still stand, but getting to Telegraph Creek is not for the feint of heart.
Join LBRY through this link and get some free LBC:
https://lbry.tv/$/invite/@GoldPickers
These scenes were filmed by miner Harry Leonard during the 1930s at or near Wiseman, Alaska, a small mining community along the Middle Fork of the Koyukuk River in the Brooks Range, about 270 miles north of Fairbanks. Scenes include men at the Wiseman roadhouse (Left to Right - unidentified, Phil Sundquist, Ace Wilcox, Poss Postlethwaite, Albert Ness, Martin Slisco and unidentified); Phil Sundquist with rifle; the Hope Family at camp, including Ludi Hope and her adopted son Henry, son of Japanese whaler and miner James Minano; men including Ace Wilcox and Vern Watts at sluice box; Biner Wind’s mining camp; Biner Wind on runners of dog sled; Harry Leonard with dog in front of tent; Phil Sundquist sharpening saw; spring breakup on Koyukuk River; miners shoveling ore into sluice box at Biner Wind's mining operation on the Hammond River; Roshier H. Creecy panning sample in a washtub over a campfire during the winter at Gold Creek; Roshier Creecy pulling sled over ice and then dogs pulling sled on snow; Harry Leonard waving to camera; Roshier Creecy waving to camera; dog yard; log church (possibly at Allakaket?); Harry Leonard prospecting with pack dog; and the mountains near Wiseman. Roshier Creecy, born just after the Civil War ended, was one of the few known African Americans who made their living by prospecting and mining in Alaska in the early 1900s. (B&W/Silent/8mm film).
Join LBRY through this link and get some free LBC:
https://lbry.tv/$/invite/@GoldPickers
Robert Thorton Lowry - This colorful newspaperman was often described as five feet tall and always drunk. Lowry was responsible, however, for establishing ten papers in B.C. as he traveled through the Silvery Slocan. ROBERT THORNTON LOWERY , newspaper publisher, editor, and printer; b. 12 April 1859 in Halton County, Upper Canada, son of William L. Lowery and Mary Ann Mills; d. unmarried 20 May 1921 in Grand Forks, B.C.
The lifespan of a weekly newspaper in a mining community was often short, so in the years that followed Lowery moved frequently. Often owning more than one paper at a time, he hired editors and managers for those that he did not personally supervise. He also printed newspapers owned by others. In Kaslo, Nakusp, New Denver, Sandon, Rossland, Slocan, Vancouver, Nelson, Poplar Creek, Fernie, Greenwood, and Princeton, his controversial newspapers championed various causes, such as improved working conditions and better wages for miners, with wry wit and acid humour. Like Calgary journalist Robert Chambers Edwards, he was often critical of commercial, political, or religious bureaucrats and their organizations. Of the Canadian Pacific Railway he once wrote that it was “a wonderfully safe road to travel on, and seldom kills a passenger, although occasionally some one dies of heart failure after looking at their freight charges.”
Join LBRY through this link and get some free LBC:
https://lbry.tv/$/invite/@GoldPickers
Collectibles `96 - A further look at items from Bill Barlee's collection. Some early Canadian artifacts are examined.
Join LBRY through this link and get some free LBC:
https://lbry.tv/$/invite/@GoldPickers
Quesnel Forks, After mining several tons of gold, Chinese miners returned to China with their riches. Several years later they returned only to find that their landmarks had been destroyed by fire. After 70 years of searching, the site has never been located again.
Join LBRY through this link and get some free LBC:
https://lbry.tv/$/invite/@GoldPickers