Sutherland Rush
Late in 1868, another gold rush was sparked, this time in Sutherland, by the discovery of the metal in burns by Robert Nelson Gilchrist.
Born in Gartymore near Helmsdale, Gilchrist had emigrated to Australia in 1849 and had worked in the gold industry there and in
New Zealand.
Back home, he found gold in several places, particularly the Suisgill and Burns. In December, the Northern Ensign newspaper claimed a sensation had been created by the gold finds in Kildonan Strath and the Christmas Eve edition The Inverness Courier said Gilchrist found about an ounce of
By early January, a shanty town sprung up, with as many as 600 people hunting for gold.
By the end of that year finds were falling off and the rush ended completely in January 1870 when the shanty town burned down.