Soulis Joe's Lost Mine
By Gary Collins

Format: Paperback, 224 pages Pub Date: August 2009 ISBN 10: 1-897317-38-7 ISBN 13: 978-1-897317-38-7 Price: CDN$17.95 Qty:

Book Description Embedded in a rock in an obscure, pristine brook in the wilds of Newfoundland is a legendary quartz vein. The story of the vein and the wealth trapped in it is well-known, but its location has eluded six generations of Newfoundlanders. The source of the legend is Soulis (Suley) Joe, and the precious metal trapped in the vein is silver. Along the Trans-Canada Highway in Newfoundland, just west of the turnoff to Benton, is a brook called Soulis Brook, which flows out of Soulis Pond, the second major pond named after Soulis Joe, an intrepid explorer whose name is recorded for all time on old Newfoundland maps. In the summer of 2008, writer Gary Collins teamed up with Allan Keats, a great-grandson of Soulis Joe, and they set out to unearth the secret of Soulis Joe’s lost silver mine. After many weeks and months spent combing the island of Newfoundland, Gary Collins figured it out. Come along for the trip and discover the location of Soulis Joe’s Lost Mine. About the Author Gary Collins was born in a small, two-storey house by the side of the sea in the town of Hare Bay, Bonavista North. He finished school at Brown Memorial High in the same town and resides in Hare Bay still. He spent forty years in the logging and sawmilling business along with his father, Theophilus, and son Clint. Gary was once Newfoundland’s youngest fisheries guardian. He managed log drives for years down spring rivers, spent seven seasons driving tractor trailers over ice roads and the Beaufort Sea of Canada’s Western Arctic, and has been involved in the crab, lobster, and cod commercial fisheries. His writing career began when he was asked to write eulogies for deceased friends and family. He spent a full summer employed as a prospector before he wrote Soulis Joe’s Lost Mine. He liked the work so much, he went back to school to earn his prospecting certificate. His favourite pastimes are reading and playing guitar at his log cabin, and now, “banging rocks.” Gary Collins is married to the former Rose Gill, and together they have three children and three grandchildren.