History of the Cattle Industry in British Columbia
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130 Rangelands4(3), June 1982 History of the Cattle Industry in British Columbia Alastair McLean The developmentof the cattleindustry in British Columbia has been unique, It was the earliest in Canada. The settlers brought with them their customs and background and adapted them to their way of life and to the community. It representeda distinctand important stage in the settlement of that province. The industry had its origins in the ranching frontier which emerged in the Pacific Northwest after the Oregon Territory boundary dispute was settled in 1846. The industry extendedout from the foundation of agriculture and animal husbandry whichhad been developedin the Oregon Territory by the Hudson's Bay Company posts and which matured later under the American settlers. The first beef cattle movementto British Columbia proba- bly occurred in 1846when Dr. John McLoughlin, Chief Fac- tor of the Hudson's Bay Company movedcattle and horses from Fort Vancouver at the mouth of the Columbia River by boat toVancouver Island and then toFort Kamloopsand Fort Alexandria. Small herds of beef and dairy cattle were kept at Fort Kamloops, Fort Alexandria, Fort Victoria, and Fort Langley. From the time that David Stuart and Alex Thompsonfrom Fort Astoria travelled up the Columbia and OkanaganRiver The author is at Agriculture canada, Range Research Station,Kamloops, B.C. V2B 8A9. Hudson's Bay Company Post at Kamloops—1865 KamloopsMuseum & Archives Photo Bill Boze ox team at Clinton Hotelon way to Barkerville—1871. valleys to Kamloops in 1811, the fur brigade trailshad been discovery of gold on the Fraser River and the expiration of paving the way for settlement by developing the main travel the HBCtrading licence in 1858. Within two months afterthe routes. The Scots traders and French-Canadianvoyageurs first miners crossedthe Internationalboundary from Califor- brought colour to the region and left considerable folklore. nia, General Joel Palmer crossed the Border at Osoyoos They, however, had little impact on the land.These colourful from Fort Okanogan in Washington Territoryand travelled adventurers were not inclined toward settlement, however, through the OkanaganValley and onto the ThompsonValley nor did the Hudson's Bay Company(HBC) policy encourage with a cattle drive and wagonspulled by oxen. The next year it, since the company had exclusive licenceto trade withthe he took a drive as far as Fort Alexandria onthe Fraser River. Indians and to occupythe lands adjacent to their posts for Over the next decade, about 22,000 headof cattlefollowed raising fodder for animals and garden producefor domestic from the Oregon Territory mostly to the Barkerville mines. use from 1838 to 1858. Settlement of the Territory in the 1840's had provided a The start of the settlement period was heralded by the surplus of beef for export by this time. Roundup just south of Kaniloops 1a2 Rangelands4(3), June 1982 Cattle Drives before they founded the vast Gang Ranch. Probably their drive was undertaken Thad in 1876. He Cattle drives have remained asig nificant part ofthe ranch- longest by Harper from to San a distance of about ing scene from the beginning. The earlier cattle drives from drove Kamloops Francisco, to the followed theold Trail 2,000 miles with about 1,200 head in 18 months, having Oregon goldfields Brigade along summered in northern Idaho on feed and water. the Columbia River to the mouth ofthe OkanoganRiver and good then north to westward near Ver- Johnny Wilson and Lewis Campbell drove many trails, Okanogan Lake, turning in non and Grande Prairie to the including numerous trips to the coast before they settled through (now Westwold) the Theirmost notable drivewasto Dease Thompson River and west to Fort Kamloops;then along the Thompson Valley. south side of to Savona's the river Lake near the northern boundary of the province. Kamloops Ferry,crossing One of the more drives was the ill-fated drive thereand continuing westward to Cache Creek; northward publicized that Norman Lee undertook from Alexis Creek in the along the BonaparteRiver to contact the BrigadeTrail from the north. Later, numerous other trails were defined to the Chilcotin to the Klondike goldfields in 1898. The beef was coast and the all-Canadian trail lost when the river rafts broke up close to Dawson City. Okanagon, notably the late the market the Cariboo afterthe was settled. By 1860's, provided by developed Oregon Territory boundary Gold Rush had slowed and the rancheshad to The droverswere mostly Americanswho, for the most part, up developing did not settle in the Nevertheless, influenced drive theircattle to the marketsoutside the Interior, mostly to country. they the coast. John in trailed 450 headfrom Koote- stock raising and handling techniques as well as ranching Shaw, 1875, Lake to the Bow in Alberta. In Jack practices. Men suchas Ben Snipes, Jack Splawn, John Jef- nay Valley, 1896, Splawn feries, and went on to leave their names in from Washington, carried out his last drive from British Major Thorp, and Uriah Nelson pioneer lore of the northwestern states. Others on in Columbia to Washington. Joe Greaves stayed sent the first Canadian Pacific rail of cattle to the British Columbia to build some of the first and biggest shipment ranches. coast in 1894, from Spences Bridge. the latest cattle held until were In 1859, Joe Greaves drove sheep from Oregon to Olym- Among drives, recently, from where were to Fort Yale those from the Chilcotin country to the railway at Williams pia, Washington, they shipped Lake. The drives started as far west as Anahim Lake and on the Fraser River and then trailed 250 miles along the covered about 250 miles. Brigade Trail to the Cariboo. Greaves followed this with many cattle drives. His most ambitious drive was in 1880, Settlement when, with about 20 riders, he drove 4,000 head from Kam- Settlement first occurred in linear formalong the Brigade loops south on the Okanagan Trail to Oregon then turned and other trails, as well as the Cariboo Road, in the early east to Cheyenne,Wyoming, to the Union Pacific Railway, 1860's. For example, Alkali Lake Ranch, 1861; 150-Mile thence to the Chicago Market. Two years later, he brought Ranch, 1861; 100-Mile Ranch, 1863; Gang Ranch, 1863-80; together the might Douglas Lake Cattle Company in the and the Okanagan Mission near Kelowna, 1859. Centres Nicola Valley. developed at watering sites and good pasturagealong the The Harper brothers probably could have claimed the way, for example, Lillooet, Cache Creek, Clinton, 100-Mile greatest total distance of trail drives in British Columbia House, 150-MileHouse, and Soda Creek. Shortly thereafter Branding at LeWISCampbell's ranch east ofKamloops Rangelands 4(3), June 1982 Museum8 Paperchase at Grande Prairie—1900 iamioops Archives Photo the side valleys were settled. Kamloops was not settled until ment areas, and the nature of the ranches.The stage termi- the late 1860's because it was off the main Cariboo Road nus moved from Yale to Ashcroft, for example, and railway traffic, and the drovers,for the most part,were not interested divisional points helped communities, such as Kamloops, in settling. It was almost a decade later before the Nicola gain new life. In the late 1880's and 90's, large ranching Valley was settled. By theearly to middle 1880's, most of the companies were in ascendancy and strongly influenced main ranches had become established in the Okanagan, local politics. Soon after World War I, all land suited tocattle Similkameen, Nicola, Thompson, and lower Cariboo ranching had been acquired, but consolidation of ranches regions. continued for some years.The Pacific GreatEastern Railway Many, if not the majority, of the ranches were first estab- was built fromSquamish at thecoast to Lillooetand Quesnel lished by well-educated, middle class British immigrants. and was operating by 1917. This railway caused ashift in the They brought their own form of culture withthem. They rode Cariboo settlement centre from 150-MileHouse to Williams to the hounds, played cricket and polo, enjoyed afternoon Lake. Railway and road construction to the Cariboo elimi- teas and soirees. The men were willing also to assumecom- nated most of the road houses and removed the local munity, administrative,and legislative responsibilities.They markets for hay and garden produce; this changed the char- played, therefore, an influential role in the developingof the acter of the region greatly. interior of the province and brought stabilityand continuity Cattle Breeds to this sparsely populated country. of the cattle The Chilcotin started to in Many early brought to British Columbia were region developwhen, 1873, the of mixed breeds from the northern United States. land the Chilcotin River from its However, government opened along the Hudson's Bay Company utilized the dual purpose Dur- junction with the Fraser River almost to the point where it ham meets (Shorthorn) breed and probably some Devons at their Alexis Creek. Examples were the Withrow Ranch in forts in the and Dr. 1865 and Oregon Territory McLoughlin brought theCotton and Deer Park ranchesnear Riske Creek some of these to British Columbia. James Steele At that time their nearest was brought (1866-71). supply point Yale, some purebred Shorthorns from eastern Canada in 1877. over 300 miles Here settled the away. again, people along Aberdeen Angus gained popularity around the turn of the river first, but by 1900had movedback onto the meadowsof The first carload of the century. purebred Herefords was plateau. The Chilcotin was afforded a measureof recog- brought into the Nicola in 1888 from Alberta and nition when Fred Valley Becher built the first hotel and store at Quebec, by the Douglas Lake Ranch. Riske Creek. At one time it was the best stocked store north of Vancouver. Meals in the hotel were 25 cents and whiskey was one dollar a bottle—25 cents less if Range Administration you brought your The colonial administration gradually recognized the own bottle.