When a story such as one about the lost gold bars of Camp McKinney lives on and gets retold, so do the errors. Many writers have enjoyed retelling how James Monaghan cleverly forgot to sign his cheque written for import taxes on the machinery imported from the defunct Rainbow Mine. The reader is left to believe the honorable businessman did what he could to make the mine increase output. There is no written evidence of that happening.

He didn’t need to do so. Monaghan planned ahead. Moving the machinery on rugged trails in winter snow required forethought. With thorough business planning, he asked customs officer Theodore Kruger to telegraph the Deputy Minister of Customs in Ottawa and ask if payments could be made. His request was granted. Monaghan’s strong Christian beliefs would not have allowed him to practice deception. My years of research only found one time when Monaghan was sued by another party over the price of shares when the company formed. And he wisely stated that it was the company who was being sued, not him personally. Monaghan had a lengthy career in business and left this world with few regrets.

But good stories, even when baseless, are hard to overcome. The internet is proof enough.

Information courtesy of Society of Vernon booklet, 1937, Arthur Cosens story