Gold was discovered in Tranquille River in 1858 and was worked for many years by Chinese, but very little information is available as to the yield. In the period from 1895-96 some attempt was made to work bench claims by hydraulicking. In 1902, a dredge was moved from the North Thompson River to Tranquille River and attempts were made in the next 2 years to work a flat on the lower reaches of the river; this was not a success from an economic standpoint. Placer mining by individuals was confined to the lower reaches of the river, below the canyon. Bedrock geology appears to be volcanic rocks of the Eocene Kamloops Group.

Intermittent production from 1876 to 1945 totalled 74,391 grams gold.