In my previous blog I sent out an appeal for someone to join me to help conclude the search. Youth and brawn are needed to help conclude this exciting but slow motion adventure. I met a couple of individuals who seem to be just the right balance of smarts, age, and willingness. However winter descended too quickly and harshly for any development to take place this year. That’s not really a problem for me as I’ve been living in next-year country for nine years now anyways. So what’s one more… It just means Christmas won’t hold any big celebration this year, other than enjoying life in the age of Covid-19.

2021 marks the 125th year since Mathew Roderick stole the Camp McKinney gold bars. And died in a bungled attempt to retrieve them. Over the last several years I learned much from the Royal BC Archives in Victoria, some from the BCPP files and some from the inquest transcrpits. Helpful staff in Spokane and Seattle Public Libraries added lesser but interesting details. One is a picture of the Roderick house built in Seattle in 1894 as photographed in 1937. And a library staffer in Spokane discovered James Monaghan enjoyed his wealth obtained from BC gold by buying two touring autos. Looks like time to go digging for more pictures and keep writing.