Wednesday, March 3, 1999 Aurora, Jack of the > Cariboo CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 again in the Spring. During the summer of 1866, Aurora Jack probably accomplished his greatest feat. The Victoria newspa- pers wrote: “Mr. J. E. Ed- wards of the Aurora claim returned here last night from William’s Creek. We have received the following important intelligence from him about the discovery of two new gold bearing creeks. Mr. Edwards left Williams Creek on the 21st June, and came down to Soda. Creek. From. that "place he went to the Forks Quenel [sic]. by Beaver - Lake. He proceeded up the South Forks Lake 25 miles, where he discovered two creeks, which he named Co- quet [sic] and Cedar. Creeks... He then pro- ceeded to Keithley’s Creek, where he found a miner named Devoe and another, whom he induced to accom- pany. him back to. the creeks. They first - prospected for only a’short — ‘time on Coquet Creek, where they found gold which would pay ... They af terwards. went to. Cedar Creek. About one mile from. _its mouth they prospected ona bar by ground slouc-.- -. ing, [sic] from 9 a.m. to 12 ~o’clock. They then turned: ~ offthe water and panned off “seven'and a ‘quarter ounces . of round, coarse gold.” ‘Without delay,” Aurora ; Jack © ‘and his.’ assistants recorded Discovery claims © on the creeks : for them- ’ selves and several friends. - Going to Victoria at the. end of August 1866, the fer- tile land of Saanich Penin- sula apparently caught. his eye. About this time he pur- chased about 360 acres of land. from Christian Ochsner, [Sections 13 & 14, Range 1 West and Sections '13-15, Range 1 East, North . » Saanich]. _ AUTHENTIC Q ENGLISH yeti Cae at rn Dine In or take out. Walter Anderson, related that: Ochsner “was not long on the place, selling out to Jack Edwards, a Cornish seaman, who had made good in Cariboo. He was a right jolly little fellow, who had a fine voice, and has of- ten entertained us with fine old sea songs.” Apparently leaving the land in the hands of a man of the name Sparks during the mining season of 1867, Aurora Jack returned to the Cariboo to take care of his mining affairs. By the end of the season, he had returned to Saanich, where he took up the business of raising stock as he had done on the Mainland. ©. For the next three years he expended his energy in this vocation, but ‘gold fever’ was still in his blood. By March 1871, “poor Jack,” wrote Anderson, was “said to have been disappointed in love,” had leased the farm to William Clarke of Victo- ria, and returned to the Cariboo to seek another for- tune. There he acquired in- terests in several mining claims, © and™ greater part of the remain- der of his life, commuting to and fro from the Cariboo : and Vancouver Island. ° little of his character. geese and brant were plen- _tiful, and during migrations © sandhill cranes rested and fed on the. many grassy _ openings. Naturally where deer were so plentiful pan-.. thers also frequented, with -: an occasional. wolf. Dan - Moses was a farmer partic- ularly annoyed by panthers. - Living as he did close to the - i Be. ‘Holding f | mn Hi Mu ean Recdichaldinailatel ta RAUNT. British Owned mm & Operated > Hours Tt: 30-7: oo Thies, Wwed., Thurs., Sat. | 1:30-7: 30 Fri.,;: 4:00-7:00 Sun. 981 0-7th Street, in The Mariner Mall : 655-4577 Ce Teall 3! FISH &: CHiPs: +s Eee 9810-7th Street, Sidney | Ae sogltthe Mariner Ma all” i ‘spent the» “Walter. Anderson: again | lates this interesting ad- “venture: “In Winter, ducks, ~ Expires Sunday March 7, 1999. - a eee ee mm_m_ter_nR_WteIee_Fe_ bases of the two little moun- tains, he was certain to have occasional calls from these marauders. “He came to our house one day and reported the loss of a young pig, and as he had seen the panther just as it was disappearing in the woods with his prey, he asked help to hunt the ani- mal down. Next day, then, a posse formed of Jack Ed- wards, Jonathan Martin, my brother Alec and myself all trooped out to Moses’ to slay the beast. I was too young to be allowed a firearm, but went along as an extra. “Arriving at the spot, Moses led us on a path through the woods along which he had seen the pan- ther go. It was a Sunday af ternoon. in .mid-Summer. Very hot, without a breath of air stirring. After pro- ceeding cautiously for some . distance, with Moses ‘ea- gerly pressing ahead, Jack Edwards, by this time very hot and tired, watched his _ chance. when Moses. was loud yell, discharged both and » ther, So home for that day.” - On the following day, Moses and‘a small posse managed to shoot the ma- rauder. Aurora. Jack Edwards suffered from senility dur- Sorry, NO FeSETVATIONS OF prone orders accepted. barrels of his shotgun inthe — § air and started back the way — Fe bs we had come, at. a run. The’ _ “Twenty-five. years later, a he: sold his North Saanich... - property to M..A: Cowan in’ “1892/93. ‘During. the. time | he. spent at his. farm