Leechtown Memorial Cairn

Lt. Governor Randolph Bruce unveiled a Memorial Cairn to honor Leechtown in 1928.  The Leechtown Memorial cairn in Leechtown, B.C. was destroyed by vandals. Remnants of the Leechtown Memorial cairn are on display outside at the Sooke Region Museum and Visitor Center. Lt. Peter John Leech of the Royal Engineers, who was the second in command of the Vancouver Island Exploratory Expedition, and his crew discovered placer gold in July 1864 about 12 miles from Sooke in an unnamed tributary, subsequently named the Leech River. The discovery of gold was the beginning of the gold rush in this region.