S Fire Hall. Parking lotlocatedacrossfromthe Advice: Parking access round Year area, visibility use stealth. Bridge.High Near theAshcroft Restrictions: and Information Access Overall Terrain: Overall Difficulty: 3 meters Accuracy: Village ofAshcroft Ownership: 1993 Date Established: 300m/984ft Altitude: 121°16.745' W N 50°43.563' Location: Geocache Ashcroft, B.C. Nearest Community: ite www.goldtrail.com For moresite pages go to: email: [email protected] Tel: 1-877-453-9467 V0K 1H0 Cache Creek, BC., PO. Box933 Gold CountryCommunities Society problem withthissite please contact: For moreinformationor toreport a I dentification

Apply Sticker Here 1 1 Code: GC3NXD7 Kathy Paulos by Researched and Written 1919 edition of TheAshcroftJournal. fete, SirJames Douglas,s to . Althoughit was considered anengineering down toKelly Lakethrough th via HarrisonLake,toLillo Cariboo WagonRoad.The firstroadin theinterior went Ashcroftwiththe thebridgesconnected years this bridgeis part ofthenumberin early onehighway; ofthefirsttwobridgesarevisible.Today water thepiers be widerandcapableofholding heavier loads.During low bridge. In 1991 afifth bridge brought inand built upto accommodate thenewsteel downstream fromtons ofdirt thefirstthree.Severalwere until1932whenconstructed for 26 anewbridge was years streamand completed 1907. by This bridge lasted 1905 itwaslabeledunfitand ateitherend.By horses”signgreetedtravelers “walk your Thisbridgesame company. hadadistinct wobbleanda duplicate ofthe firstandbuiltinthe samespotandbythe into action.A secondbridgecompleted in1895, wasa thatwasusedpriorto morethe bridgewasonce put ferry Bridge Co.It washed awayinthehigh water of1894. A theSanFrancisco The firstbridgewasbuiltin1886, by fifthbridge. Ashcroft’s and fromincludes thespectacularThompsonRiver, thissite movedAvenue; itwasin1993.The toitspresentsite view locatedoriginally onrailway The littleredfirehallwas replaced thefirstfirehallwhichperishedin 1916 blaze. April 3rdthe building Thisstructure wascomplete. publicsubscriptionandon by wasraised use. Themoney ceiling and25foottowerforthedrying of thehosesafter which included a12by 20 footbuilding witha10foot local contractorpredictedthe costwould beabout $360.00 Will buildfirehall

Old Fire Hall Pioneers &EarlySettlers were the headlinesintheFebruary22, were the econd governor ofVancouver oet overPavilion Mountain, a newbridgewasbuiltup was constructed,thiswould e Junction ofClinton andon

1 Robert Stoddart, a

Photo: GCCS Island and first Governor of the crown colony of did not consider it good enough for British Columbia.

In 1863 an alternate route was built, beginning in Yale passing though Cache Creek and on to Clinton to hook up with the road. In 1886 this path would connect to the Ashcroft Bridge. The Cariboo roads saw a steady stream of Mule trains, ox teams and freight wagons, and for a brief period the occasional camel. Road houses sprung up in strategic spots to provide travelers and teams with grub and bed. In 1907 the first automobile navigated up the road, the beginning of the end to the horse and wagon.

Although there are only a few remnants of the old Cariboo Wagon Road left, the breath taking landscape that greeted travelers 150 years ago remains today, one of the most scenic routes in North America.

BIBLIOGRAPHY & SOURCES

1 February 22, April 3, 1919, Ashcroft Journal, Ashcroft Museum and Archives "Brief History of Ashcroft Bridges", July 2

1932, Ashcroft Journal, Ashcroft Museum and Archives "Building of the Old ", May 8, 1958, Ashcroft Journal, Ashcroft Museum and Archives.

Letterboxing Clues: Facing the Front of the Fire hall, walk to the back right corner. Walk a few steps.