History of the Cattle Industry in British Columbia

Home , Barkerville, Cariboo, Cariboo Gold Rush, Cariboo Road, Kamloops

Item Type text; Article

Authors Steves, Judy; McLean, Alastair

Citation Steves, J., & McLean, A. (1989). History of the cattle industry in British Columbia. Rangelands, 11(2), 62-64.

Publisher Society for Range Management

Journal Rangelands

Download date 25/09/2021 17:28:34

Item License http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Version Final published version

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/640362 62 RANGELANDS11(2), April 1989

Literature Cited Brooks,C.E. 1986. The Henry'sFork. NickLyons Books/Winchester Platts, W.S., W.P. Megahan,and G.W. MInshalt.1983. Methods for Press, New York, NY. 210 pp. evaluating stream, riparian, and biotic conditions. USDA For. Kothmann, MM. 1974. A glossary ofterms used in range manage- Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep. tNT-i38. 70 pp. ment.American Society ofRange Management, Portland, Ore. 36 Sorg, CO., J.B. Loomis, D.M. Donnely, G.L. Peterson, and L.J. pp. Nelson.1985. Net economic valueof cold and warm water fishing PlatIs,W.S., C. Armour, 0.Booth, B. Mason,B. Judith, P.Cuplln, S. in Idaho. USDA For. Serv. Res. Bull. RM-11. 26 pp. Jensen, 0. Lienkalmper, W. Minshall, S. Monsen, R. Nelson, J. Sedeli,and J. Tuhy. 1987. Methodsfor evaluatingriparian habitats with applications to management.USDA For. Serv. Gen. Tech. Rep. INT-221. 177 pp.

History of the Cattle Industry in British Columbia Judy Stevesand Alastair McLean

Foreword Alastair McLean, retired rangescientist for the Agriculture Can- adaRange Research Section in Kamloops,is the KamloopsChapter hostfor the 1989SRM summer meetingand tour.Alastair has been recording the history of range managementand the cattle industry in British Columbia. Followingis acompilation fromhis publications on this subject.

Gold The British Columbia (B.C.) Cattle Industry basically startedwith the 1858"Cariboo Gold Rush"in centralB.C. Previous settlements in thearea had been discouragedby the Hudson's Bay Company, which held an exclusive licence over B.C. to trade with the native Indians. This trading licenseexpired the same year as the gold strike, openingthe province for settlement. Drovers herded cattle into the Region to provide meat for the multitudes of gold seekers. From 1859 to 1870, about 22,000 head of cattle were driven from Oregon Territory to Osoyoos in southernB.C. and450 milesnorth to Barkerville(50 miles east of Quesnel). Settlement The early settlement patterns in the interior of B.C. were determinedby the fur trading and gold rush trails. Most ranches were established by adventuresome Euro- pean immigrants.Settlement centres developed at water- ing sites and good pasturage along the Brigade Trail, Cariboo Road and other trails in the early 1860's. Exam- plesof these towns are Lilloet, Cache Creek, Clinton and 100 Mile House. Kamloops was not settled until the late 1860's since it was off the main routeto the Cariboogold fields. By the early to mid 1880's, most of the main couverand Victoria. Cattletrails generallyfollowed those ranches had become established in the six rangeland established bythe fur traders along watercourses through areasof B.C.:the Okanagan, Similkameen, Nicola, Thomp- the main valleys. Most cattle drives endedon the Fraser son, Lower Cariboo and Chilcotin regions. River at Yale or Hope where cattle were shipped to the coast by river boats. When the Canadian Pacific Railway Cattle Drives was completedin the late 1880's,the drive routesended at By the late 1860'sthe cattle marketprovided by thegold shipping points, such as Kamloops. rush had almost dried up. Ranch managers had to find Many of these trails still form part of B.C.'s main high- beef marketsoutside the B.C. interior—primarilyVan- way network. An example is the Coquihalla Freeway, a RANGELANDS11(2), April 1989 63 costly major enterprisebuilt in 1986 by the B.C. Govern- ment. The highwayhas its origins as a cattle trail used by Nicola Valley ranchers, the rich grassland areasouth of Kamloops, to drive their cattle to Hope. In 1876, the governmentspent $26,850 to improve the Coquihalla trail. However, the trail fell into disuse upon the comple- tion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885. Nicola Val- ley ranchers drove their cattle along the easier route up the valley to Kamloops and shipped by rail from there. However, the Coquihalla route was revived one century later, to providea quickroute from the interior of B.C. to Vancouver. Traveltime fromKamloops to Vancouver was halved from 6 hours to 3 hours.

Photo by Sig Ga/k, Vancouver, lands. The inability of the poor condition grasslands to support cattle prompted cattlemen to use forest rangelands. Severe winters in 1879 and 1897 resulted in the starvation of thousandsof cattle and promptedranchers to produce hay for winter feed. At present most of the interior lowlands have been cultivated primarily for irri- gated alfalfa production. Administration of Crown (Public) grazing lands was relatively haphazard until the early 1900's. Concern for B.C.'s rangelands resulted in the establishment of the "GrazingAct" of 1919 designed byT.P. Mackenzie(later named Commissionerof Grazing).This Act was replaced Landmarksof days gone by. by the Range Act and Forest Act of 1978. The Crown (Photo by Sig Ga/k Vancouver, B.C.) rangelands are presently administered by the B.C. Minis- B.C.'s history also includes somecolorful cattle drives. try of Forests. Provincial forests, including grassland One of the most ambitiousdrives was completedin 1880 ranges, are managed to promote the integration of by Joe Greaves (oneof the foundersof the Douglas Lake resourceuses on rangelands. These include timber pro- Cattle Company).When the Cariboo gold rush markets duction, forage production (for both livestock and wild- collapsed, he and 20riders drove 4,000 head ofcattle from life), recreation, water, fisheries and wildlife resources. Kamloops to Cheyenne, Wyoming, where they were The Kamloops Region is one of the more challenging shipped on the Union Pacific Railway to Chicago. The regions because of the variety and concentration of Harper brothers (founders of the Gang Ranch, one of resource useson the Crown lands. B.C.'s most extensive ranches) are noted for the longest Grazingon Crown landsis administeredby rangestaff drive from Kamloops to San Francisco in 1876. They of the Ministry of Forests through 5-Year permitsor 10- drove 1,200 head 2,000 miles in 18 monthsincluding win- Year licences which specify when and where livestock tering in northern Idaho. will graze. Of all the Forest regions in B.C., the Kamloops Region runs one of the largest numbers of livestockon Range Management Crown Rangelands: 77,343 head ofcattle, 332 horses and Grazingin the early daysof the cattle industrywas year 1,160 sheep. This is administered by Range staff under roundand confinedmainly tothe grasslands. Theseareas 389 permits and 127 licenses. The Kamloopsand Merritt weresoon fully utilizedand overgrazed, resultingin weed districts, within the Region, contain most of these live- infestations of cheatgrass and knapweed by the early stock: Kamloops districtgrazes 27,981 head of cattle and 1900's. These weeds are still a problem on B.C.'s grass- 12 horses and Merritt District grazes 26,401 head of cattle 64 RANGELANDS11(2), April 1989

B.C.'a range rotation induces grazing hayfields in winter, lower grasslandsin springand fall andupper forested ranges in summer. (Photo bySig Galk, Vancouver, B.C.) Range Research The need for research on range problems in British Columbia was recognizedin 1931 when L.B. Thompson and Dr. S.E. Clarke of the Range Experimental Stationat Logging Is B.C.'a #1 industry. Forestedcrown rangelandsprovide up to 80% of crown range grazing. The integration of forestry and Manyberries, Alberta,conducted a survey of range condi- ranching Is anongoing challenge. tions. This led tothe establishment ofa research stationat (Photo by Sig Galk, Vancouver,B.C.) Kamloops in 1935 under E.W. Tisdale. The station was and 162 horseson Crown rangelands. (1988 B.C. Govern- closed during World War II and it reopened in 1947, at ment data. whichtime AlastairMcLean joinedthe staff and remained Range management in B.C. is primarily based on a thereuntil retiring38 years later. The presentstation has a vertical rotation pattern during the growing season. The staff of six scientistsand coversthe disciplines of range animalsare wintered on the valley bottom rangeareas at management,forage crops, cattlemanagement and nutri- about 600 metres (2,000 ft) elevation and spend the tion, soils, plant biochemistry and plant physiology as summer on ranges at roughly 1,500 metres (5,000 ft.). they apply to the rangeland resource. Cattle are winteredon the alfalfafields or lower normally Conclusion grassland rangesand fed domestichays. They are turned out onto grassland ranges In March and calving takes The ranchingindustry largely determined the character placejust beforeor afterturnout. In lateMay or earlyJune of the Interior of British Columbia.It providedsubstance following branding,the cattle are moved to highereleva- and colorto the region and shaped its beginningfrom an tions primarily on forested ranges. Cattle move progres- extensive, casual, pioneeringway of life to a modernized sively through the various grazing grounds ensuring a business enterprise. good supply of grass. In Septemberand Octobercalves are weaned and beef is shippedto cattle marketsor ranch sales are held. By the end of Novembermost of the herd has been moved to the ranchfor late fall grazingor winter hay feeding.