In 1696, the Tomsk voivode Rzhevsky, in a letter addressed to Tsars Ivan and Peter, “bows in petition” and reports the discovery of silver ore 6 km from the village of Tisul on the Koshtak River.
In 1697–1698, by decree of Peter I, exploration work was carried out at the deposit under the leadership of the Greek Levandian, but it produced no positive results.
In 1738–1740, the deposit was visited by Academician Gmelin, who noted that the samples he took from the workings conducted in 1697–1698 did not confirm the presence of silver. He also suggested that the work carried out had been falsified.
On August 11, 1828, a merchant named Popov submitted an application to the Dmitrov volost administration of Tomsk Governorate for the allocation of land for a placer mine on the Berikul River. This date is considered the official beginning of private gold mining and the discovery of the Berikul mine. Popov discovered a gold placer on the Mokry Berikul River, a right tributary of the Kiya River.
In 1899, quartz-sulfide gold-bearing veins were discovered on the Sukhoy Berikul River, a tributary of the Mokry Berikul River, marking the beginning of hard-rock gold mining.
In 1900, the gold miner I.B. Khotimsky began developing the gold-bearing veins—Mikhailovskaya and Magistralnaya—thereby initiating the organization of the mine.
In 1909, the mine passed to Tomsk merchants Rodyukov and Malyshev; in 1915, to the Achinsk merchant Mokrousov (it belonged to him until 1919).
Beginning in 1914, production levels declined; by 1917, mining had ceased due to revolutionary events, and remained halted until 1927.
In May 1920, it came under the administration of the trust “Marzoloto,” then in 1921 under the trust “Tomzoloto,” from 1925 under the German company “Stolzenberg,” and from 1926 under the Soviet joint-stock company “Sibzoloto.” In 1927, work resumed again in connection with the formation of “Soyuzzoloto.”
In 1932, the trust “Zapsibzoloto” was established.
Tokens of the Berikul gold mine, issued in 1925 by the mine’s lessee, the German company “Stolzenberg.”
At first, the workers tolerated these tokens, since they were accepted as payment for goods at the shop of the Tisul Consumers’ Society. But after the tokens were not redeemed within the agreed period, the Consumers’ Society refused to accept them, as a result of which workers could obtain goods only at the mine store, where the goods were poor and expensive. An article appeared in the Tomsk newspaper “Krasnoye Znamya” about the tokens. Soon the tokens were withdrawn from circulation at the insistence of the prosecutor.
However, the mine lessee did not calm down; he issued new tokens under a different name: “Order.” A strike broke out, an article appeared in “Pravda,” and the tokens were finally withdrawn by the judicial authorities.