Try your skills at new adventure Gold mine

Stephen With Gold in Pan (Kootenay Advertiser Image)

The glitter of gold has driven men and women into the Kootenay back country since the 1860s, and it still has a great appeal today. This summer Stephen Lathem is giving people a chance to get their hands, on a few of those shiny flakes or nuggets.

Coinciding with Mining Week in B.C., he opened the gates of his Nip & Tuck gold mine to the public this week.

Located near the junction of the Wildhorse River and Boulder Creek, the mine offers not only the thrill of gold seeking, but most amazing views and scenery. Lathem invites anybody with an appetite for gold to take the 12 kilometer drive up the gravel road to visit him at the mine. Thanks to help from BC Tourism, the way will soon be marked by new 'Tourist Attraction" signs. Lathem provides the tools of the trade to his guests, from pans, to shovels picks and screens sluice boxes. He also helps them out with his experience in gold panning. Lathem has been panning in a serious way since 1994 when he first came to the Wildhorse. From the beginning he wanted a claim of his own and in the early 2000s he acquired one on Perry Creek. The claim on Boulder Creek came available a bit later and he took the opportunity to move. Still, Lathem admits he had no idea how big gold mining and panning was in the province, the country and the world until he stumbled across the World Gold Panning Championships in Dawson City in 2007. He entered for fun and came out placing as top Canadian. A year later, he repeated the feat in Navalgas, Spain.

"Its a healthy outdoor family activity," Lathem says about gold panning. Also he adds, it gives people a great insight into the industry that helped build and shape this region.

Nip & Tuck opens at 9am everyday and more information such as travel directions and rates can be found at www.goldminingadventures.com.

[This article originally appeared in the Kootenay Advertiser May 8, 2009. Used with permission.]

Gold In The Hills

The activity that first put the site of Fort steele on the map in the 1860's, gold panning is once again experiencing a boom in popularity. Fort Steele hosted its first annual Gold Panning Championships in August 2006 - a popular event with unprecedented crowd of greenhorns and sourdoughs alike. Preparations are underway for the 2009 Championships this August 15 and 16. Led by Nugget Norm, Visitors can seek the elusive mineral and experience the same rush as the prospectors of yesterday. Daily demonstrations occurs through the spring, summer and fall seasons. Nugget Norm can also be found at many community events with his mobile panning station for off-site events. People who want to look for their fortune right off the hills that once drew so many fortune seekers from across the continent can give panning a try further up on the Wildhorse River and Boulder Creek. After first opening to the public last summer, the Nip & Tuck placer gold mine, situated near the junction of the two streams, is once again welcoming amateur gold panners this summer. Made famous by the discovery of a 36 ounce nugget, this area continues to give up its treasure to those willing to look. Owner and operator Stephen Lathem, has a lot of experience in the business. He was the top Canadian male at the World Goldpanning Championships in Dawson City in 2007 and again in navelgas, spain in 2008. He has plans to attend the 2009 World Championships in italy this August.

[From "101 Things To Do, East Kootenay 2009". Published by the Kootenay Advertiser. Used with permission.]