The colonial despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871
Adams, John R.
According to this despatch, Adams was the owner of one of the richest gold mines in the Cariboo in 1862. Douglas writes that Adams arrived in British Columbia from New Brunswick in 1861 and purchased a one-third share of a mine near Williams Creek; Douglas emphasizes the success of the mine, reporting that from the 1st day of June to the 1st day of October, the Company have taken up 10,000
ounces, equal to One Hundred and Sixty Thousand Dollars, approximately $3 million today.1 This is an impressive revenue for a man who, according to Douglas, had no previous mining experience.
By 1883 Adams had left the Cariboo, but he was the subject of an article in the British Colonist after he was robbed while on a prospecting tour in Arizona.2 One member of his party was shot during the robbery and did not survive.3