Welcome to The Baile an Or Project – Scotland's Gold Rush

In 1869 the Strath of Kildonan, near Helmsdale in Sutherland, was the scene of a little known gold rush. Baile an Or was the name given to a small community of temporary huts and tents erected by the prospectors. It was against this background that the Baile an Or Project was conceived in the spring of 2003 – the purpose to research and record the event of that year of which little is known outside the area – a remote and delightful part of the Highlands of Scotland.

We have been fortunate in a number of regards, not least that the owner of the property Mr Edward Reeves and his wife Victoria have from the start been enthusiastic about the project, and supported all our endeavours over the past three years. Secondly our application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant to finance our activities was successful and this enabled us to go forward and progress the project in much more depth than might otherwise have been the case.

Available to us were copies of some of the photographs of the settlement at Baile an Or which had been taken by a photographer from Wick during a visit to the site in 1869. Close examination of these led to our being able to pinpoint the location of the main street through the huts, and indeed many of the huts themselves.

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The members are grateful not only to the sponsors that supported the venture, shown to the left of this panel, but also to the people of Helmsdale and the surrounding area, and many others, who helped to bring the project to a successful conclusion.
Chairman: Patrick Reeson Project Co-ordinator: Ron Callender (to Dec 2007), Phil Cox (from Dec 2007) Hillary Davies, Alan Bladen, Sue Higginbotham Consultant Archaeologist: Stuart Farrell Treasurer: Dave Edwards