Reviled in the record: Thomas Logan, and origins of the Cromwell Quartz Mining Company, Bendigo, Otago

Abstract

The received narrative of the discovery of the rich quartz mine at Bendigo in Central Otago, has the success of Thomas Logan, Jack Garrett, Brian Hebden and George Goodger of the Cromwell Company predicated on a fraud committed by Logan. It is an intriguing tale of a significant theft by a dishonest man in the midst of a famous gold rush to an iconic town and is found in all popular histories of the goldfield. But is it correct? Using primary sources and contemporary narratives, the evidence of Logan‟s actions during the early days at Bendigo is evaluated and a new conclusion reach. This paper deals with one example of this type of interpretation and through gleaning new information from primary sources, rewrites a key part of the received narrative from the earliest days of Bendigo, Central Otago.