(photo: Ah Bau, second from the right)
Ah Bau was one of the few Chinese gold miners who struck rich in the Cariboo. He held several claims in the North Cariboo and was able to protect them because of their remote locations. Using the crudest, most labour intensive methods Ah Bau was able to extract gold from apparently poor claims. He ran a mining operation that at one time was rumoured to employ 700 Chinese men. Government records are proof of his success, indicating that between 1864 and 1874 he extracted 1.07 million grams of gold. He was well respected in the region - a creek, a lake, falls, provincial campsite and bridge are named after him, as well as a street in Prince George. Despite his renown in the area, his real name is unknown.