BOUCHETTE, Santos Louis

BOUCHETTE, Santos Louis ( - )

Before the Gold Rush in 1848, there were rumors that gold had been discovered on Catalina. A similar discovery on the mainland in the San Fernando area also pre-dated the gold rush.

As the gold fields in the north came under prized ownership, enterprising individuals began to search for gold elsewhere. Catalina was one location drawing fortune-hunting miners. Gold and silver were discovered on the Island. A mine was opened on Catalina in 1860 by Santos Louis Bouchette, and operated until 1874, yielding gold, silver and lead from the canyons of northern Catalina. It was called the Mineral Hills Mine, and although it promised a gold boom for Catalina, it did not prove financially successful. There was not enough ore to warrant a large-scale mining operation.