How a family of prospectors struck gold in central Newfoundland
A decades-old discovery made by the Keats family has led to a massive exploration project
It may look like Kevin Keats is out for a leisurely stroll in the woods. But with his rock hammer in hand, he's feeling the thrill of the chase.
Keats is a rock hound, a prospector. To him, every rock is like a lottery ticket. Most, you pick up, then throw away. But maybe the next one will be a winner.
"Banging that next rock, it could change your life," Keats explained. "I remember seeing my dad and my uncles coming back, so excited, and they'd have that rock, saying, 'This might be the one, this could be the one.' And it would be nice, but not the one, you know. So we'd wake up the next morning and go out again, and we'd say, 'Maybe this is the day, this is the one.'"
Kevin Keats is part of a long line of prospectors in his family, one that stretches all the way back to his great-great-grandfather, and now includes his own sons.
Thirty years ago, CBC's Land and Sea produced an episode about Kevin's father and uncles Allan, Calvin and Fred Keats. Three brothers, three prospectors, making their living in the back country of central Newfoundland.
But soon after the cameras stopped rolling, the brothers made the discovery of a lifetime.
Now that discovery has led to a economic and employment boom, right in the Keats family's backyard.
On this episode of Land and Sea, we'll pick up the story where we left off all those years ago. We're calling this one "Family Prospects," and it's pure gold.
Land and Sea airs Sundays on CBC Television in Newfoundland and Labrador at 11:30 a.m., 11 a.m. in most of Labrador.
You can watch current episodes — as well as episodes from the past 13 seasons — on Gem, CBC's free streaming service.
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