We’re pleased to sponsor the Kamloops Exploration Group hockey game between the Blackjacks and the Lemons!
The teams are named after the infamous prospectors from the legend of the Lost Lemon Mine. The legend holds that two prospectors, Frank Lemon and a man known as Blackjack, discovered a gold vein in the vicinity of Crowsnest Pass in the year 1870. The discovery was made in late fall, and the two argued that night whether to remain there through the winter or to return in the spring. In a fit of rage, Lemon grabbed an axe, and split the head of his partner in two while he slept. The death of Blackjack was blamed on the native Blackfoot folks, and a fellow by the name of McDougall was dispatched to bury the unfortunate prospector. He was later commissioned to lead a group of prospectors to the location of their camp; however, on his way to meet them, he stopped in at a bar in Montana and drank himself to death. Later a fellow by the name of Lafayette French wrote to a friend claiming to have found the mine. Unfortunately for him, he burned to death in the cabin he was staying in. Prospectors have been searching for the mine ever since. Some people believe that Lemon and Blackjack were nothing more than hijackers who had robbed a group of miners in BC. Others believe the mine exists and is cursed by the ghost of Blackjack.
The Blackjacks and Lemons compete for the Kilderkin Cup on Monday, April 9, 2018 at the Valleyview Arena in Kamloops.
KEG Hockey Sponsor
