Page 23 - ATA

A14 LOCAL
Tuesday 30 July 2019

Yes! Aruba had its own gold rush Episode XXVIII

Geological exploration was officially conducted in 1725. The search for
mineral ores was funded by The Amsterdam Chamber, Head Office of the
Dutch West India Company.

Pic.2. The way in which alluvial gold was found by young Willem Rasmijn
Pic.1. Gold blocks extracted from Aruba
The rumor spread very rapidly, tive gold. When systematical re-
These gentlemen sent a certain Mr. left Aruba again. of course, and every boy and search was introduced later on,
Paulus Printz to the island, who had One hundred years later in March girl who tended sheep, as was gold-ore was also found in the
to perform soil research under the 1824 a gold rock was discovered in the custom, started searching western part of Aruba, especial-
title of director mountain worker. Af- Rooi Fluit on the North coast, as one the arroyos (dry beds of rivu- ly at Tibushi.
ter searching in vain on Curaçao and told by a 12-year old boy, Willem Ras- lets). Soon an Indian girl found At first everyone was allowed to
on Bonaire, he headed to Aruba and mijn, who was looking after his father’s a piece of gold at Rooi Daimari. look for gold, providing the gold
searched on the Cristalberg, dug a sheep there. Willem saw something was handed over to the govern-
subterranean passage in Sero Colo- sparkling on a spot washed out by After five months more than 25 ment against a set price. In 1854
rado and sent barrels of stone con- the rain. His father not knowing what pounds of gold had been col- this system was abandoned
taining ore as samples to Amsterdam. it was showed it to a merchant in lected. and gold-mining was granted
Only a minimal amount of gold and Oranjestad. The latter realized that it to a concession-holder.
silver was found, so the decision was was gold and offered the man $ 17.00 Understandably, On July 1824
taken to discontinue the efforts by Rasmijn accepted and the merchant J. Thielen who was the islands Primitive gold- mining
Printz. After three years of trudging later sold it for $ 70.00. Commander at the time, imme- In looking for gold one went
through the rock-hard Aruban soil, he diately took measures by inform- about in a very primitive way.
ing the Governor P.R. Cantz`laar Everywhere clay was dug out
at Curacao, that gold has been from the arroyos and put to dry
found on Aruba. Two lumps of in the sun. Then the hardened
gold -ore was send as proof. parts were beaten into small
The legend of the Aruba gold pieces. If there was any gold,
turned out to be reality. For the the bigger pieces would natu-
bootless blows of Printz`s sledge rally come free and when this
hammer a century ago. happened, one knew that there
The regions where gold was were possibly smaller pieces as
found were declared “not well. To find these, the finely
free”. Soldiers came to guard beaten clay was ground on a
these terrains. Daimari, Lagabai large piece of sailcloth, after
( Rooi Fluit), Wacobana, Arikok which the wind blew off the
en Hadicurari were the most im- sand, leaving behind the small
portant places where gold was pieces of gold.
found. Most of it was alluvial,
that came to the surface as na- Continued on Page 15

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Pic.3. Geological map of the island to the high rise hotels.