Lindis Gold Rush
Despite a few early reports of gold in the area, little notice was taken until 1861, when the Lindis Riber became the scene of the first small scale ‘gold rush’ in Otago.
Word got out when roadmaker , Samuel McIntyre, a veteran of the California recognised the similarity beteen the regions. News of the diggings soon appeared and by April an estimated 300 miners were present, although a report in July noted that the Lindis was deserted. The Lindis rush failed because of a combination of factors including isolation, extreme climate and expensive provisions. Ultimately, the remoteness of the area and the comparative richness of the new strike at Gabriel’s Gully was the deciding motive for the miners to pack up their shovels and move on.
During the depression years of the 1930s, there was a renewed interest in the gold of the Lindis. Attracted by a subsidy paid by the government, up to 30 unemployed workers lived in a tent camp on the terrace above Camp Creek. In return for 30 shillings a week the miners were allowed to keep a proportion of any gold found. This subsidised scheme ended in 1935.
The Last Alluvial Miner
The last miner to work in the area was “Wattie” Thompson, who lived in a self built concrete hut near the Faithful Bridge. After returning from World War Two, Wattie toiled in nearby Camp Creek in his search for gold. Visitors often walked up the creek to see him at work and to try their hands at panning. In 1971 a sudden flood swept down the creek, depositing “great quantities of stone and gravel”, burying the creek bed Wattie had cleared. Too dispirited to start again, he move on.
The Lindis Pass Hotel
The Lindis Pass Hotel began as a store set up during the first gold rush of 1861. By 1873 a permanent building had been built on the site. The hotel provided almost continuous service of some king for over seventy years including lodgings, general store, post office and school. The building was gradually added onto over the years and became a residence before being abandoned in 1951.