The wild spot along Granite Creek was at one time the third largest city in the Province of British Columbia. Gold was discovered there in July of 1885 and by the end of the year the population exceeded two thousand, mostly miners looking for their "bonanza." By the end of October, $90,000 in gold had been mined and the population totaled almost a thousand. By January of the next year, there were 40 houses, six saloons, several hotels and seven mercantile stores. The next year, 1886, was the year of peak production officially reported to be $193,000. No one doubts it was much higher. As the gold began to disappear, people began to move away to try their luck elsewhere. Fifteen years after gold was first discovered, Granite Creek was a ghost town.