The City of Gold

With the art of gold mining largely disappearing from the modern landscape, this time honored tradition has faded into the background. As most of the world's gold is now mined by larger companies, the methods and techniques that individual miners used are being forgotten. However, there are still some locations that preserve the cultural heritage of the old gold mining techniques and present them to visitors. One of these locations is the City of Gold, a former gold rush area that has been transformed into a living museum of gold history. Located in Quebec Canada, the City of Gold has become a popular attraction for people who would like to learn about the history of gold mining. Because it is located in Quebec, the area also has the French name of Cite De L'Or and a person looking for information may need to research this term as well as the more familiar City of Gold. In the year of 1923, a gold deposit was first found in the region and many miners came to try their luck. A decade later, in 1935, companies began to open full mining operations and the shafts can still be toured by visitors. The most popular of these shafts is the Lamaque Gold Mine and it has been preserved to show the techniques used at the time. The village that surrounds the gold mining area is called Bourlamaque and has been named as an official historical site. The biggest claim to fame of the City of Gold is the role it plays in a yearly bicycle race. As part of the Tour de l'Abitibi, contestants in the cycling contest must go through a portion of the mine that is located 300 feet under the ground and then exit into the city of Val d'Or. This part of the race has brought more attention to the City of Gold and it is quickly becoming a big stop for people who want to learn about gold mining.