In 1871, the centre of the Omineca mining district shifted from Germansen Creek to the Manson Creek district. Manson Creek lies roughly eight miles to the southeast of Germansen. Manson Creek is a relatively small stream, comprising about one-third the volume of water of Germanson Creek, and about fifteen miles long.

Manson Creek flows into Manson Lake through a range of steep hills with numerous small gullies, from which a number of small tributaries feed the creek. Black Jack Gulch, Lost Creek, Myers Creek, Slate Creek, Nugget Gulch and Kildare Creek are all of this nature. These small streams provided a ready supply of water for sluicing.

Much like the Cariboo, bedrock was well below the surface. The gold on Manson Creek was discovered by Robert Howell, a former Royal Engineer, on July 5, 1871. Digging a ditch and building a sluice from a tree, he washed out about 2 ounces of coarse gold in two hours. He formed a company and started cutting lumber for his sluices.

The discovery on Manson Creek attracted about 200 other miners who found gold on the various tributaries of Manson Creek. However, the returns were generally poor. On Black Jack Gulch, “Black Jack” Smith, the discoverer, after an initial large return, made only two dollars per day working fifty feet of his claim. Shafts sunk to bedrock in various locations netted discouraging returns.

Two miners on Meyers Creek, sunk shafts to depths of thity-five and seventy-five feet, through blue clay, without any returns, or even reaching bedrock.

A few claims, however, paid very well. The Discovery Company on Lost Creek, took out an ounce per day, to the hand for most of the season by ground sluicing. The Irving Company, with five men, took out 192 ounces in five days.

Gravel on the benches of Manson Creek paid as much as an ounce per day to the hand. During 1872, the greatest number of miners in the Omineca Region was six hundred, four hundred and fifty of which were in the Manson Creek area.

Placer gold production from the Manson Creek region is mainly for the periods between 1874 and 1910, and between 1931 and 1945. The total amount recovered is reported to be 358,032 grams.