The Lone Jack
King of the Mount Baker Mining District
In 1897, Jack Post discovered gold on the side of Bear Mountain in the area of Whatcom County east of Mt. Shuksan thus creating the start of the Mt. Baker Gold Rush. This rush was small in size compared to the Klondike Gold Rush, but had all the elements of the others with riches, hardships, fires, disappointments, avalanches, and a murder.
THE LONE JACK is the story of man’s struggle to settle a true wilderness. The first owners in Portland had a complete lack of knowledge of the winters and snowfall in the North Cascades and the development took years instead of the planned one season. The effort and time required was totally remarkable.
This book contains information from newspaper articles, assay reports, court records, claim files, sales records, maps, personal papers, and many other sources. This story contains many old historical photos and others of current times.
One chapter is devoted to the life of Jerry Bourn. Jerry Bourn was the last true mountain man who lived on Mt. Baker National Forest land. Jerry was a hunter, trapper, and prospector who knew the area better than any other person.
Inside a pocket of the back page are removable/detailed maps of the Lone Jack and the surrounding area.
Written by: Michael G. Impero
Winter damage do to heavy snowfall.
Hand panned gold.
Large pillar with quartz vein.
