Abbott, Ivel
d. 1876-09-21
Ivel “Long” Abbott, who stood six foot six inches tall, struck gold in the summer of 1861 on Lowhee Creek, nicknamed Humbug Creek before the gold finds.1 While his partner William Jourdan went to fetch supplies, Abbott carelessly struck through what was thought to be the blue-clay bedrock to expose rich gold deposits underneath.2
In this despatch, Douglas remarks on the richness of the find, which he claims could produce up to $100,000 for each member of the company; however, Akrigg and Akrigg write that the Otter docked in Victoria with $250,000 from Abbott and Company.3
Abbott became a local personality when he took his share and spent it on gambling and drinking sprees in Victoria, on one of which he smashed a mirror with gold pieces.4 After spending all his funds, he tried his luck in Cassiar gold country.5
His luck failed him, and he died in 1876 in Glenora, where his death certificate reads as “Joel Abbott.”6
  • 1. Richard Wright, Barkerville, Williams Creek, Cariboo: A Gold Rush Experience, rev. ed. (Williams Lake: Winter Quarters Press, 1998), 122-23.
  • 2. Don Waite, The Cariboo Gold Rush Story (Surrey: Hancock House, 1988), 34.
  • 3. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Chronicle, 1847-1871 (Victoria: Discovery Press, 1977), 212.
  • 4. Ibid., 257-58.
  • 5. Richard Wright, Barkerville, Williams Creek, Cariboo, 122-23.
  • 6. Geneaology: Abbott, Joel, Royal BC Museum.
Mentions of this person in the documents
People in this document

Douglas, Sir James

Jourdan, William

Vessels in this document

Otter, 1852-1861

Places in this document

Lowhee Creek

Victoria

The Colonial Despatches Team. Abbott, Ivel. The Colonial Despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871, Edition 2.0, ed. The Colonial Despatches Team. Victoria, B.C.: University of Victoria. https://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/abbott.html.

Last modified: 2020-03-30 13:22:16 -0700 (Mon, 30 Mar 2020) (SVN revision: 4193)