Page 12 Cariboo Sentinel II ~ Barkerville Historic Town ~ British Columbia, Canada ~
FIRST EDITION ~ VOLUME ONE ~ NO. 1 ~ PUBLISHED IN THE GOLDFIELDS
f Your Historic Journey Along f “The Road To Riches” ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 3 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 3
YOUR HISTORIC JOURNEY ALONG THE GOLD RUSH TRAIL
As you begin your journey along the gold rush trail read these notes to acquaint you with the highlights of the journey. The road is rich in history and adventure … the turn of every corner will bring a new delight, the crest of every hill a storied vista … FORT LANGLEY AND THE LOWER FRASER RIVER Three decades before “the discovery” of gold in what is now British Columbia, twenty-five Hudson’s Bay Company men journeyed from their base on the Colombia River to establish a fort on the Fraser River. They arrived in 1827 to the cautious welcome of the Stó:lo people who had lived in the area for over 9000 years. Fort Langley quickly became a prosperous fur-trading fort made up of a heterogeneous group of company men and their Stó:lo wives. While the gold rush of 1858 brought a moment of prosperity to Fort Langley, it was also instrumental to the Fort’s decline. During the early months of 1858 Fort Langley was thriving as the main supply point for prospectors to the Fraser River. But within only a matter of months, paddle wheelers were bypassing the Fort and steaming upriver as far as Hope and Yale. The gold rush brought many Americans to the territory and James Douglas, the Governor of Vancouver Island and manager of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s Pacific operations, feared an American takeover. On November 19, 1858 the Brit- CONTINUED ON PG 4
www.heritage.gov.bc.ca Page 4 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 5 CONTINUED FROM PG 3 ish Government declared the territory a British Colony. The days of the Hudson Bay Company monopoly were thereafter over. By 1864 Fort Langley’s palisade was dismantled. Today, costumed interpreters will take you back in time to life at the Fort during the 1850s. Just across from the street from Fort Langley you will find the Langley Centennial Museum, which features Stó:lo and Coast Salish culture, the Hudson’s Bay Company, and Langley settlement history. If you are interested in agriculture you won’t want to miss the British Columbia Farm Machinery and Agricultural Museum. The loud whistle of a train will signal your entrance to this large warehouse-style museum that’s filled with steam tractors, stump pullers, and even a Tiger Moth airplane. When travelling east towards Hope, consider taking the scenic highway 7, stopping in Mission for a visit at the Xá:ytem Longhouse Interpretive Centre. Interpreters will take you through the history and culture of the Stó:lo, the people of the river. At Xá:ytem, archaeologists have uncovered evidence of a 9000-year old house. Just 30 minutes east of Mission, near the Harrison River, is the Kilby Store and Farm. This 1920s BC Heritage Attraction stands as the only reminder of the once thriving community of historic Harrison Mills. Costumed interpreters show you country life as it was during the 1920s and 1930s in the restored general store of Thomas and Eliza Kilby. CONTINUED ON PG 8
Ft Langley “We the next evening reached Fort Langley… where my curiosity was at last satisfied in seeing one of the oldest trading posts belonging to the Hudson Bay Company on the Pacific. During my stay there what is called the Brigade train, happened to arrive from New Caledonia, a country situated west at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, for whom quite an interesting Ball was given, as a welcome for their annual visit; the great number of furs which they bring going to prove their last year’s success in trad- ing with the savages in that desolate part of the country. To this ball I received an invitation which I, with much pleasure attended, and was not a little surprised at seeing the company composed of so heterogeneous a kind. There was the English, Scotch, French and Kanackas present, and their offspring, and all so thoroughly mixed with the native Indian bl ood…almost all of the Co.’s wives are the native Squaws, their children, which are called half breeds…being quite fair, docile, and intelligent. The Ball was conducted with the best possible decorum. The music was sweet, from the violin, and the dancing was performed in the most graceful manner, by the Indians and the half breeds, who took a very prominent part on that occasion. I retired to my tent about twelve o’clock leaving them still enjoying their mirth to the utmost extent.” C.G. Gar dner, “To the Fraser River Mines in 1858” Page 4 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 5 The Road To Riches The Great Cariboo Wagon Road ~ by Richard Thomas Wright
he prospecting party of miners were on the Doc Keithley, George north slope creeks, creating an enor- T Weaver, John Rose and mous demand for Benjamin MacDonald were food and supplies. hiking north again. The richest Food was scarce and gold strike was always over that prices high and some miners were starved next ridge... out. It was a time of so, not content with the rich strikes on the famine. Cariboo Mountain’s south slope around Ques- During this period nel Lake, they left their producing claim near pack trains came into the town and creek that bore Keithley’s name the north slope gold- to seek a richer Eldorado. fields from Lillooet Now they stood on a high plateau looking following a trail that across alpine meadows and saw creeks flow- incorporated some of ing north. They dropped off the ridge into the old Hudson’s Bay a narrow valley, through a pass and into Company brigade a canyon. Their Eldorado lay under a few trails. They branched inches of water, exposed gold - “sun-burn north east at Wil- gold” that had begun to oxidize. From one fornia and Oregon to less, hungry miners, trail was the town liams Lake and exploratory pan they cleared $75, over a the unknown British mostly Americans, of Lillooet at the headed toward week’s wages, from another $100. Territory and Fras- sitting around on the mouth of Cayoosh Beaver Valley. Here The party settled in on what they called er’s River. They dis- banks of the Fraser Creek. Beyond Lil- in early spring thou- Antler Creek but soon had to go out for sup- embarked crowded with nothing to do. looet, however, was sands of men and plies, The rush was on. Newspaper headlines steamships at Fort They might continue another 300 miles of horses, mules, oxen screamed the news. “LATER FROM CARIBOO! Victoria and discov- their talk of annex- tough trail, either via and cattle waited for New Diggings – Great Excitement. $75 TO ered they had to ation, or get rowdy the River Trail over the trail to dry out THE PAN.” Nor did the news of immense make their way over or continue their the benchlands of the before they pushed wealth stop there. Soon the world heard of miles of open water fights with the Fraser or to the east into the new town the great Lowhee strike and Williams Creek and up a turbulent natives. So in August over a mountain and of Quesnelle Forks. and Lightning Creek. river to reach the 1858 he accepted along the high pla- Then they pushed goldfields. their offer. Five hun- teau of the Cariboo. upriver to Keithley ewspaper headlines dred miners would Miners and Miners Creek and over the Unknown numbers hump into Antler and screamed the news. drowned in leaky, build a road from the and merchants con- “LATER FROM CARIBOO! lower Fraser up the tinued north. Williams Creek. It N overloaded boats. was a long muddy, Others turned back. Harrison River and On the Fraser New Diggings – Great Excitement. treacherous route, Some stayed in Vic- a chain of lakes to those arriving late $75 TO THE PAN.” hard on men and toria. Yet soon all Lillooet, well above and the restless per- the Fraser’s danger- death on livestock. Little did the party of prospectors realize the available bars ambulators seeking ous canyon. Douglas Packers lost hundred that their strike would open a vast new and benches on the the motherlode, had would supply trans- of horses and mules, region to resource extraction and settlement Fraser were staked pushed north up the portation and tools, and the supply lines and would initiate one of the great engineer- and claimed. The Fraser and Thomp- they would supply bogged down. ing feats of the 1800s, the Great Cariboo question many son Rivers. In 1859 the labor, post a Wagon Road. miners now faced a Shuswap native led Wages and returns was whether to go peace and comple- Peter Dunleavy and on investment were The Antler news galvanized thousands back or push forward tion bond of $25, and his party to gold on marginal considering into action. Miners and prospectors sitting toward the mother- he would feed them. the Horsefly River. the price of food on the lower Fraser waiting for low water, lode. Forward meant At the terminus they That same summer and supplies. Mer- waiting for the so-called Humbug to prove working their way could redeem their Benjamin MacDonald chants and freighters up, and south slope miners and merchants up the treacherous bond in goods at Vic- was prospecting on warned Victoria that along the Quesnel and Cariboo Rivers, saw Fraser Canyon, over toria prices. It was the Quesnel River. there were not new opportunities. Miners poured north. The a deal any modern enough mules in Brit- precipitous trails lit- The summer of problem, as always, was not just where to highway minister ish Columbia to bring erally hung on the 1860 saw more find gold but how to get there and then how would be proud of goods over the mis- canyon walls, or by exploration as the to establish a supply line. Their rush north- signing and it was erable trails. Only utilizing10-mile long bars and banks of the ward left behind a vacuum of food and sup- a resounding success, wagons could fill the portages. They Fraser were staked, plies. It was a rush into famine. for Douglas. Miners great hungry maw. needed a trail or a worked and mined miners and who laboured to And wagons needed road, they told Victo- out. More miners fortune hunt- build the trail and a road. ria. migrated north to the ers of various who felt cheated When Governor Douglas Quesnel and Cariboo In response Gov- stripes had rushed to the flour gold on the when the promised listened to the river strikes. When ernor Douglas let two lower Fraser fours years earlier, they were goods were dropped miners’ petitions and Antler was struck the contracts; one to part of a rush unlike anything the world at the trailhead were reflected on the trickle became a widen the Harrison had ever seen. In the summer of 1858, not so sure, however. trouble Americans river of miners. By Douglas Trail into a some 30,000 men and women poured had caused in Yale. The terminus of the spring of 1862 proper 18-foot wagon north from the worn out gold fields of Cali- CONTINUED ON PG 6 He did not want rest- the Harrison/Douglas an estimated 6000 Page 6 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 7
CONTINUED FROM PG 5 Quesnellemouth. anon raised to giddy Yale and Lillooet to a monument to the road on the portages From there to the elevations when the Williams Creek had Great Cariboo Wagon and another to build goldfields remained a river seemed but a a profound effect on Road, an 1860s engi- a road north from quagmire of downed silver ribbon.” the life of the Cariboo neering marvel. Lillooet to Soda timber, creek cross- The road was population and Richard Thomas Creek. He now had ing and dead pack often more bridge equally so on mining. Wright is the author of the assistance of his animals. than roadbed but the Not only did freight several books including imported detachment Fraser River mer- contractors with rates plummet but the venerable “Barker- ville - The Town That of 150 Royal Engi- chants and miners their Chinese, native passengers not able Gold Built” neers. Ostensibly ,meanwhile, had and out-of-work to walk in could take these men were to been petitioning for miners labor force, Barnard’s stagecoach survey land for sale a Fraser Canyon pushed the north. express and wagons and lay out townsites route, pointing to the They tore the road could now bring in and roads. They were expense and time from the cliff, hung machinery and tools. also Douglas’s ace wasted on the so- the decking along the The road’s com- in the pocket. He called Douglas route treacherous walls of pletion meant the wanted a military and the fact that it the Fraser to the pioneering days were force that would keep was often closed in Indian village at the essentially over. The the Americans, par- winter. The canyon mouth of the population changed, ticularly Californians, was traveled on old Thompson, then up folks tended to over in line and dissuade Indian trails hung on the Thompson River, winter more as pas- them from thoughts the canyon walls or branching north senger sleighs meant of annexation by by long portages along the Bonaparte some access to the occupation. The around sections such to connect with outside during the song, sung to Yankee as Hells Gate. More Wright’s Lillooet road long winter months. Doodle explained it common though were at Mile 47, renamed It enabled Cariboo all. the boatmen who Clinton. mining to move into Yankee Doodle shuttled freight uti- The Great Cariboo a new phase of wants a state lizing towlines and Wagon road now had mining, one that Oregon or Texas a system of boat Two Mile Zeros, Lil- brought a new pros- Sends some squat- ways around rapids. looet and Yale, and perity to the area two sets of mileage. when free miners ankee Doodle wants a state Roadhouse operators were fading. Oregon or Texas north of Clinton were Today little of Sends some squatters in it straight not about to change the original route their name. So from And quietly annexes. remains. In the Y Yale to Clinton the Fraser Canyon short roadhouses were ters in it straight Twelve days from sections can still be known by that mile- Yale to Lillooet was found and the second And quietly age but from Clinton the usual and only Alexandria Bridge is annexes. north they retained nine hours down- now a historic site. The Harrison/ the mileage from Lil- stream. But it was In the Cariboo the Lillooet route, how- looet. Thus 129 Mile a deadly occupation old roadbed can be ever, showed that House (Yale mileage) and many drowned. seen looping through while with improve- was just a few miles cattle meadows and ments it might be So in the spring south of 47 Mile original sections are fine for travelers it of 1862, even as the House (Clinton) on still traveled on some was not suitable as a Douglas route wid- the Lillooet Route. side roads. The main ening and improve- freight route. Freight The completed historic section from ment continued, as had to be loaded and route from Yale to Stanley to Barker- towns and road- unloaded a total of Quesnellemouth ville, bypassed in houses sprang up, eight times. It was reduced the freight 1885, has recently Douglas agreed to still a slow, expensive rate from 75 cents been proclaimed a the new road up the route with a freight a pound to 15 cents, historic site and pre- Fraser and set his rate of $560 per ton. despite the frequent served for history, Royal Engineers to Gustavus Blin tolls government and work surveying along Wright had been con- contractors levied. the canyon walls. If tracted to continue the Douglas route Transportation the road north from had been a challenge further improved Lillooet, east of the the canyon road was when in 1864 the River Trail through near impossible. Cariboo Road was the high plateau of completed to Cotton- The canyon road the Bonaparte, Lac la wood House and then they surveyed was Hache and Cariboo in 1865 to Barkerville considered one of the country. He would on Williams Creek. world’s great feats follow Royal Engi- The extension down- of road building. A neers surveys and be stream to Cameron- description said, “the under their supervi- town was completed road was supported sion. By July1863 the only when miners by pilings, there built road reached Soda raised private sub- upon immense Creek where freight, scriptions. It had masonry fills, some- and those passengers been 4 years in the times on gigantic crib that could afford it, building. were loaded onto work, sometimes cut The completion sternwheelers for the through a sheer rock of the Great Cariboo 50-mile trip to bluff, now almost at the water level and Wagon Road from Page 6 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 7
FREE ADS Yale “I followed the road too far and so came CARIBOOWIDE.COMCARIBOOWIDE.COM to the end of the finished part where there was no trail: I therefore clambered over the stones and went along the side of the hill, climb- CARIBOOWIDE ing and slipping. It was a very awkward place, for the hill was very steep and covered with loose stones DOT.COM and fragments of rock which on a touch of the foot went rolling and jumping down till they fell with a sullen splash in the Fraser below. With great care, I managed to get safely round the hill and finally struck the road again, but after another mile or so had to take the old trail up another steep hill the track going up in zigzags so that there seemed no end to it…I had to wait half an hour or so when within sight of the town, in order to allow some blasting to go off round Yale bluff, and go off it did like so many anon, reverberating with a treble echo across the bay. “
Harry Guillod’s Journal of a Trip to the Cariboo, 1862 As he approached Yale coming south.
Horses Among the Nlaka’pamux ~ Historic Trail Outfitters
The Cree called it Misstutim or “big dog”. The Blackfoot called it “Ponokamita,” or “elk dog,” the elk without antlers. Regardless of what they called it, the Plains Indians knew that the strange animal was “swift as a deer”. Mastering it brought great changes to their people. The Spanish reintroduced the horse to the Americas during the early 1500s. Within a century and a half, the Western Plains people became mounted warriors and masters of the horse-backed buffalo chase. Their previous methods of fighting on foot and hunting using “surrounds” (encircling the animals and driving them over cliffs or into traps for the kill), were abandoned. The presence of horses on the Canadian prairies is well known. In present-day Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba the horse-based bison-hunting way of life developed during the early 1700s. Few, however, are aware that the First Nations of British Columbia also possessed horses prior to white settlement. It is estimated that the Nlaka’pamux people, whose territory includes present day Boston Bar, Lytton, and Spences Bridge, possessed horses as early as the mid 1700s, at least 50 years before Simon Fraser made his famous voyage down the river that bears his name. The Nlaka’pamux primarily used the horses to pack sun-dried salmon into the Kootanies to trade for Buffalo robes. Later they also ran supplies by pack trains into the gold fields. The Nlaka’pamux probably obtained Nez Perces or possibly Crow tribal horses out of the Columbia River uplands, which they could have accessed along their trading route via the Okanagan or the Skagit Rivers into the Similkameen, then north to the Nicola and Thompson River. Alkali Ranch on Lytton Reserve #22, Kleetekut, has been the home of the same family since the Nlaka’pamux first acquired horses in the area during the mid 1700s. Today, Historic Trail Outfitters oper- ates out of Alkali Ranch, offering horseback riding along many of the trails used for generations by the Visit our website & reserve via email Nlaka’pamux.
210 km north of Vancouver on TransCanada Hwy #1 Page 8 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ Page 9
HOPE Today, Yale is a thriving and welcoming community of 250 people. Historic Yale, As the search for gold moved up the found just off the highway, can’t be (and Fraser River, communities began to spring shouldn’t be) missed. It includes the 1863 up, many around existing Hudson Bay Com- Church of St. John the Divine, the oldest pany posts. Fort Hope was a prime example. church on the B.C. mainland and the Yale Today Hope continues to be a favourite rest- Museum, which houses First Nations’, rail- ing point for travellers along the gold rush way, and gold rush history. The National trail. Monument to the Chinese railway workers Stop in the Hope Museum, located at is located on the museum grounds. A little the Hope Information Centre (just off ways down the highway you’ll find the the TransCanada Highway at 919 Water Teague House, the oldest remaining resi- Avenue) for a look at the different periods of dence in the Fraser Canyon. Built in 1864, the towns’ past. Those who appreciate pio- it was first home to John Trutch, surveyor neer churches should visit Christ Church, for the Canadian Pacific Railway, and later the oldest in the lower mainland still on to William Teague, one of the Colonial Gov- its original site. Hope’s most popular tour- ernment’s Gold Commissioners. Just two ist attraction, the abandoned Othello-Quin- minutes south of Yale is the town’s enchant- tette railway tunnels, was forged from ing pioneer cemetery. 1911 to 1916. Engineer Andrew McCulloch ignored the advise of other engineers and ALONG THE FRASER CANYON built the tunnels through the Coquihalla Just one kilometre north of Spuzzum gorge where the river had cut a 300-foot is the Alexandra Bridge, originally the deep channel. first suspension bridge in the west. YALE Completed in September 1863 at the Like Hope and Fort Langley, Yale was cost of $45,000 the bridge stretched also a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post nearly 300 feet across the Fraser River. before the gold rush days. By 1858 thou- Today, the second Alexandra Bridge, sands of miners arrived at Yale by steamer. built in 1926, is part of Alexandra Some stayed to prospect on the shores of Bridge Provincial Park. the Fraser around Fort Yale while others Within present-day Emory Creek Pro- embarked on bold journeys on foot, and vincial Park, in the Fraser Canyon, was later by wagon, through the cliffs and precipices of the Fraser Canyon. In 1862, once a place called Emory City. It con- Yale became the southern terminus and the sisted of 13 streets second mile zero (see Richard Wright’s arti- and 32 blocks with cle) of the Cariboo Wagon Road. two hotels, a gen- CONTINUED ON PG 8 Page 8 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ Page 9
THE he strong young packer swallowed a BROPHY HOUSE generous shot of brandy. Although not particularly tall, he was heavy T set, with powerful arms and a broad chest. r. and Mrs. He wore his usual business attire – a white MMichael boiled shirt, a silk scarf, a long black frock Brophy and their two coat, woollen pants, and riding boots. But no sons came to Canada socks. Never socks. The packer poured from their hometown his next shot of brandy over his head. in California in 1896. “A little insida, a little outsida,” he Michael Brophy was said as he rubbed the alcohol into the manager of the his scalp. This was his ritual to Van Winkle mine on the west side of the prevent balding, and it seemed to Fraser River. They work. His luxurious head of shoul- lived in a small house der-length curly black hair was one and had to row a of his trademarks. boat over to pick up They called him Cataline -- their mail. Here their King of the Packers. He was daughter was born. tough. He was rugged. He had In 1911 and 1912 unbeatable stamina, immeasurable Michael, who was a strength, and a reputation for reli- carpenter by trade, ability. He exercised intelligent tact built the ‘Brophy with Natives, and in the style of a typi- House’ on the east cal law-abiding Canadian hero, Cataline side of the Fraser was friends with the colony’s most powerful River in the town of lawmaker, Judge Begbie. Lytton. Mrs. Brophy Described variously as a Mexican, a Span- Perhaps the best constable for supplied Cataline rented rooms out and stories about Cata- Hazelton, and the with a cabin on the provided meals. At a iard, and a Frenchman, Cataline was born in Catalonia on the French-Spanish border. His line are those of man who attended ranch where he spent later date cottages his superhuman con- to Cataline in his the rest of his days. were added and the real name was Jean Caux but his apparent stitution against the old age. “All busi- During those years ‘motel’ became known propensity to use “Catalonia” as an expletive Cariboo cold. Even ness and conversa- Sperry Cline spent as the “Brophy Motor- gave him his nickname. After a brief stint in subzero tempera- tion stopped. Was time with old man court and Garage”. in Mexico and California, he arrived in Brit- Cataline trying to find The Brophy’s large ish Columbia in 1858 and became the first tures he never cov- Cataline getting soft the truth in all the garden, provided fresh and most renowned packer on the gold rush ered his ears or in his old age? The vegetables and fruit. trails. He ran supplies from Yale to Barker- hands, he never wore purchase was made yarns about him. And Mrs. Brophy ville throughout the 1860s and 70s and from socks, he slept on a and all eyes followed “Some (stories) he made ice cream and Ashcroft as far north as Hazelton after the piece of canvas with him as he walked dismissed with a bread which she sold CPR built a rail line through the Fraser no cover, and some over to the door and shake of his head, to the people in Canyon in the 1880s. say he greeted each pulled the socks over and at others he Lytton. winter morning with his boots. Then would give a hearty Stories told of Cataline around many a a healthy roll in the everyone relaxed. laugh, which As there was no Cariboo campfire have led to some inconsis- snow. The old fellow wasn’t convinced me there doctor in town then, tencies in the tale. In each telling, however, weakening. The was some foundation Mrs. Brophy also the heart of the story is always the same. No One cold day in socks were simply to for them.” helped to take care settlement was too remote, no mineral dis- January after a thaw prevent slipping.” of the ill and worked covery too difficult for him to access. Cata- followed by a cold Jean Caux died in part time at the post line, they say, was the best packer British snap had turned the Cataline continued 1922. He rests under office. When the post- Columbia…heck, North America ever knew. streets into sheets of packing for fifty-four an unmarked grave master retired in 1904 ice, an elderly Cata- years, longer than in Hazelton. Cataline and his crew reflected the sur- Mrs. Brophy took over line entered the Hud- any of his contem- prising racial diversity of those early gold Susan Mather the post office and son’s Bay Store in poraries, and long later moved it to the rush years. His “carigador”, the main mule Hazelton and asked after the gold rush ‘Brophy House’. She handler, was a Chinese man named Ah for a pair of socks. frenzy was a distant E O held the job for 42 Gun. His right hand man – his “secundo” – T H O memory. He sold TO B years when she was Dave Wiggins, a man of Native and Afri- “An awed silence R I his business to Mr. CA retired as the oldest can American descent. The language they spread over the George Beirness of postmistress in shared? A confusing jargon composed of store,” wrote Sperry Hazelton, who in turn Canada. English, Spanish, French, and a bit of Chinese Cline, the provincial After Mrs. Brophy and Shuswap. Together these men strapped passed on at the ripe everything from stoves to tools to cases of old age of 88 the whiskey on the backs of mule trains and Brophy House then traded and travelled their way along the gold was sold several times rush trails. and it’s name was It was Cataline’s claim that he never lost eventually changed to the Totem Motel in an article. Nothing stopped him. When dis- 1956. ease struck his mules, he hired men to carry the freight by foot. If something ever went The office still has missing, he would send a man back with a the original tongue replacement. The people of the interior came and groove and the to rely on him and he never let them down. wiring of the old tele- He was also known for travelling with style. graph on the ceiling. It is said that when trading with Natives, Cataline sat in a special birch bark chair and By: Sylvia Vandenbos majestically dawned a French hat and morn- ing frock coat with a wide wool sash around his waist. Page 10 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 11 eral store, and nine saloons (that’s a ing place.” Prior to the arrival of Euro- formerly a Canadian National Railway lot of saloons!) It was also home to the pean, Camchin was one of the most company house, is right next to Inland Sentinel newspaper that later densely populated areas in the Fraser the Information Centre in downtown moved to Kamloops. Initially a prospec- and Thompson River systems. In fact, it Lytton on Fraser Street. Across the tors’ camp in 1858, a town-site sprang was at Camchin that Simon Fraser was street is a red caboose, dubbed Caboose up when it became the western termi- warmly greeted by a group of about Park, which contains an interesting nus of the CPR in 1879. Today, not a 1200 Natives during his voyage down collection of the regions’ railroad his- trace of the city can be found. the Fraser River in 1808. tory. Mounted on a wall facing the Hell’s gate, the deepest and narrow- Governor Douglas renamed the place park is the Lytton Jelly Roll – an est point on the Fraser River, was Lytton in honour of the British Colo- impression of a rolled layer of silt described by Simon Fraser as a place nial Secretary, Sir Edward Bulwer- encased in coarser sands and gravels no human being should venture. Today Lytton, but to the miners, Lytton was that is considered one of the largest Hell’s Gate airtram takes visitors right commonly referred to as simply The formations of this type in the world. above this famous white-water gorge. Forks. During the 1860s Chinese On the same street is the Totem Motel Boston Bar was named after a group placer miners made up at least half of that was formerly the Brophy House of American miners who first found the town’s population. The gold was and the town post-office during the gold there in 1858. By 1860 most there but had to be painstakingly pried early 1900s. Today, the office still has miners had left the area but Boston Bar from the river’s grasp. To the rest of the original tongue and groove and the grew as a supply centre. Today, Boston the miners, The Forks was a supply wiring of the old telegraph on the ceil- Bar is considered the gateway to the point. ing. Nahatlatch Valley. Like many towns in British Colum- The Siska Art Gallery and Museum, located 11 kilometres south of Lytton, LYTTON bia, Lytton has known its share of eco- nomic booms and busts. The town’s showcases a unique collection of tra- Lytton is found at the meeting of “greatest years” came with the con- ditional soapstone carvings and other two great rivers -- the Thompson and struction of the Canadian Pacific Rail- traditional art. The Museum adjacent the Fraser. The Nlaka’pamux people way in the 1880s and the Canadian to the Gallery houses preserved local called this place Camchin (Kumsheen), National Railway in the 1910s. functional art forms including hand- which in Thompson means “the meet- woven baskets dating back to the The Lytton Museum and Archives, Page 10 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 11 late 1800s. The valley of the Stein, StI’yen or “hidden place” to the Nlaka’pamux people, is now the Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park, co- Lillooet managed by the Lytton First Nations “The road up thus far had been and the BC government. The Stein through deep valleys with snowcapped mountains towering above the trees in the is known world-wide as one of the distance; every mile or two we came to a swift last remaining untouched watersheds running stream of deliciously cold water from the in southwestern British Columbia. To mountains, dashing and spraying over the stones. the Nlaka’pamux, it is a place of cul- George said it put him in the mind of Highland scen- tural and spiritual import. Etched onto ery, but altogether on a larger and grandeur scale. rock faces, crags, cliffs, and caves are [Next day] we had a good breakfast. We gave the old red ochre pictographs that record, horse a feed of hay and went down to the ferry which here crosses the says the late Nlaka’pamux woman, Fraser. We saw some Chinamen washing for gold; for there is some gold to be Annie York, “the history of the people’s found along the whole course of the river, but not in paying quantities; the good life on this earth.” Fraser diggings having been worked out.” ASHCROFT Clinton Ashcroft Manor, which was actually first called Ashcroft House, was estab- “Here we met with a middle-aged lady whom we had seen at Esquimalt; she lished in 1862 -- two decades before had come out with her husband, who looked sixty, to open a house of refresh- the town of Ashcroft developed. It ment at Cariboo; they were going up with a pack train, but she had started was built by Henry and Clement Corn- on before by herself to reach the next house, rather a courageous “old gal” wall, aristocrats from Ashcroft House, wasn’t she? When we caught her up she was trudging along leading her mule, Gloucestershire, England. Ashcroft shewing a very fine pair of legs, red petticoat &c though minus crinoline, which Manor became an important roadhouse I need scarcely say, doesn’t answer for riding; a hat and feather completed her costume. She was complaining that her mule was very lazy. She walked a little along the Cariboo Wagon Road with a way with us and then made off. distinct British flavour. The Cornwalls hosted horse races at a track they built We camped by a small stream, and as we had picked a lot of blueberries along next to the roadhouse and elm trees the road, we mixed them with flour and water and frying in our bacon fat made very jolly fritters.” were planted at the manor.
Today, Ashcroft Manor, located on HARRY GUILLOD’S JOURNAL OF A TRIP TO CARIBOO, 1862 Highway 1 about 10 kilometres from ON HIS WAY NORTH EAST FROM LILLOOET ACROSS PAVILLION MOUNTAIN TOWARDS PRESENT-DAY CLINTON Cache Creek, is a beautifully restored historic attraction, one of only a few remaining roadhouses from the gold rush days. The Ashcroft Visitor Information Centre is not a government centre, but an initiative of the Ashcroft Chamber of Commerce. It can be found in the Harvey Bailey Mall at 311 Railway Avenue. The Ashcroft Museum and Archives portrays the history of the Southern Cariboo and Ashcroft as well as the history of the Nlaka’pamux, Sce’exmx and Okanagan peoples who first lived in the area. Replicas of some early stores have been created so that visitors can get a sense of what it was like to stroll down Ashcroft’s main street at the turn-of-the-century. The his- tory of the farming and ranching communities of Hat Creek • Wagon Rides Valley has also been recreated. The former B.X. Express • Farm Animals Building (circa 1911) is now the Cannery Row Gallery. St. • Miners' Camp Alban’s Anglican Church was built in 1891 and the Zion United Church in 1892. • Gift Shop and Food Services • Guided Tour of Hat Creek House CACHE CREEK Just half a kilometre north of Cache Creek is the • Native Interpretation Centre St’uxwtews headquarters for “the people of the valley”, • Fascinating Collection of whose many villages once occupied the banks of the Agricultural Equipment Bonaparte River. The St’uxwtews are part of the Shuswap (Secwepemc) Nation. In 1861 retired Hudson’s Bay Com- pany, Chief Trader Donald McLean pre-empted most of the land around present-day Cache Creek and Hat Creek. On the open plane near the junction of the Lillooet and Fort Kamloops trails, he built a roadhouse and store that catered to miners and pack-train operators. Today, Hat Creek Ranch located a few kilometres north of Cache Creek, is a dynamic heritage attraction. At Hat Creek you can experi- ence what it was like to travel the gold rush trail. At Hat Creek’s Native Interpretation Centre you can also learn Open Daily: 10 am to 6 pm about the early use of the Bonaparte Valley by people of the mid-May to end of September Shuswap Nation. The Ranch is also home to a BX Barn and an original BC Express stagecoach. Ph: 1-800 782-0922 -Box 878, Cache Creek, BC Canada - V0K 1H0 CONTINUED ON PG 12 Page 12 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 13
LILLOOET 100 MILE HOUSE Lillooet was the northern terminus During the first decades of the nine- of the important Harrison/Douglas trail teenth century men from the Hudson that took miners over land, river, and Bay and Northwest Company fur bri- lakes from the Lower to the Upper gades stopped here for rest and respite. Fraser River. In 1862, with the com- The building of the Cariboo wagon pletion of G.B. Wright’s wagon road road ushered in dramatic change and th to Clinton, Lillooet became mile zero the town earned its name as the 100 of the Cariboo wagon road. By mile north from Lillooet. According to 1863, however, Lillooet had to compete one traveller at that time, the 100 mile with Yale for this honour, for Yale roadhouse that stood beside Bridge had become mile zero of the wagon Creek was “a rough, dirty house kept road that weaved through the Fraser by a young bachelor named Lindsay.” Canyon. You truly can’t miss the 100 Mile The Lillooet Museum and Informa- House Visitor Information Centre. It’s early 1860s. By that time, Williams tion Centre, located on Main Street, is a log-cabin style building located just Lake was a stopping point for prospec- housed in a former Anglican Church, off the highway. “The world’s largest tors going to the gold fields – a place St. Mary the Virgin. The original St. cross-country skis”, towering 40 feet where most men recalled getting a Mary’s, which was torn down in 1961, into the sky, grace the visitor centre’s good meal. The wagon road of 1863 by- stood on the same spot and arrived, front lawn. The annual 100 Mile House passed Williams Lake and was routed piece by piece, on the backs of miners. Fall Fair features the south Cariboo’s east to 150 Mile House. Nonetheless, The Mile 0 Cairn was erected in 1939, agricultural background and heritage Williams Lake prospered as a lumber marking Mile 0 of the first Cariboo 108 Mile Heritage Site, located, you milling town and as a cattle-shipping Wagon Road. St. Andrew’s United guessed it, 8 miles north of 100 mile centre. Today, Williams Lake is consid- Church celebrated its centennial in house, was a roadhouse during the ered the heart of the Cariboo-Chilcotin 1996 and an old Ponderosa Pine tree gold rush days. James Roper from Dor- ranching district. in town is reputed to have been Judge setshire, England opened its doors in You will find the William’s LakeVis - Begbie’s “Hangman’s Tree.” On both 1863 but was unable to turn a profit. itor Information Centre just off the sides of the Fraser River one can find Roper sold the land and roadhouse to highway on your way (north) into “Chinese Rocks” that were left by Chi- a fellow Brit named Charles M. Beak town. The Museum of the Cariboo nese placer miners before the turn of in 1868. Beak was an enterprising Chilcotin in downtown Williams Lake the century. While washing the sand fellow who herded cattle and sheep is dedicated to rodeo and ranching his- and gravel for gold, these men neatly into the Cariboo, opened a butcher tory and showcases a “B.C. Cowboy piled the washed rocks in long rows, shop in Barkerville, and established Hall of Fame.” The world –famous in some places more than 12 feet high. several dairies, in The Old Bridge (that is ‘old’ in relation addition to run- to the newer Bridge of 23 Camels) ning the road- was built in 1913 and is a suspension house, store, and bridge made of wood and steel cables. telegraphy key. Legend has it that “dead men” are During the 1870s buried in the rock banks beneath the William and Emily bridge. Walker owned the CLINTON ranch and road- house but it was Clinton became mile 47 of G.B. sold again in 1889 Wright’s wagon road north from Lil- to Stephen Tin- looet. During that year, a man named gley, owner of the Robert Watson, who was one of BC Express Com- Wright’s road builders, quit his post pany. Tingley built and, with his brother and a friend, pre- a very large empted several parcels of land, which horse-barn that is eventually became the site of the town. now considered By 1863, the wagon road that came the largest log north from Yale connected to mile 47 barn in Canada. of the Lillooet wagon road and Clinton It and 7 other became known as “the junction”. As original buildings an author in the Clinton Lariat put are at the Heri- it, “from Clinton all traffic flowed (or tage Site. should I say trudged) north on the Cariboo Plateau to the gold fields.” WILLIAMS LAKE The Clinton Museum is located right Williams Lake on the Cariboo Highway (97) in a red- was named after brick building that dates back to1892. Chief William of It was originally a one-room school, the Sukwekwin and then from 1925 to 1955 it became Nation (of the a courthouse, in which several judges, larger Shuswap including Judge Begbie, held court. Nation) who The quaint Old Clinton Cemetery, just shifted his base north of town, is one hundred and here from Chim- thirty-nine years old. ney Cree in the Page 12 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 13 Williams Lake Stampede held every Goldrush! Stampede! events (pony express race, wild cow milking, moun- year on Canada Day weekend origi- tain race) and cowboy breakfasts and dinners (beef nated in 1920 as a gathering of local The BBQ). A native pow-wow, top dog competition (see cowboys and continues to be an annual working cow dogs in action) and lots of live enter- event, drawing over 13 000 spectators WILLIAMS LAKE tainment including a grandstand show and a talent search contest. Much, much more! each year. The Williams Lake B.C. Rail STAMPEDE Station House, the oldest building in So please, free up some time and come join us at the st town, is now the Station House Gallery. Williams Lake Stampede; held annually on the July 1 long What might one have to do with the other? Well the weekend! Leave your worries behind, kick back, relax and North of Williams Lake about 33 kilo- gold rush brought a stampede of miners to this part let us show you a great Western good time! metres is Soda Creek, where travellers of the country. Soon after arriving, some of the gold used to board paddle wheelers that seekers had the presence of mind to realize that not headed north up the Fraser River. Here all of the gold was to be found in the creeks, rivers and you will find theXats’ull Heritage Vil- hills. Someone had to feed, clothe and supply all these lage where you can experience first- men. Small villages and towns sprang up along the hand the traditional lifestyle of the route north, Williams Lake a bit off the beaten track, Xats’ull (Secwepemc) people. was one such place. Ranches were developed and the cowboys came HORSEFLY, LIKELY, QUESNELLE FORKS north from Washington, Oregon, California. Europe- In the spring of 1858, Peter and his ans came too; the romance of the cowboy life, cattle small group of American miners fol- country and the Cariboo, drew a lot of different lowed a Shuswap man named Long characters. Once here, some settled and stayed; they Bacheese (Baptiste) to the Horsefly made our towns what they are today. River. Baptiste’s cousin Tomah had After work, came play- what would be more natu- promised that the group would be led ral than to hold a little rodeo? The cowboys came to to gold. Tomah kept is promise. News show off their skills, to party, dance, play cards and of Dunlevey’s strike spread quickly and socialize; the town folk came to watch and to join the Cariboo gold rush began. in the sociality of the occasion. In 1919 the first little “rodeo” was held, evolving into the huge Williams Miners flocked to theHorsefly area Lake Stampede of today. We’ve kept our “small town and a small village grew to meet their roots”, lots of events are within walking distance of needs. Today, the Jack Lynn Museum, the downtown core, and the people are friendly. housed in cabin built in 1902, takes a Still we come to watch the cowboy skills, to dance look at the town’s history and features and be entertained, to socialize. There is something a large collection of photographs and for everyone; four performances of CPRA rodeo com- local artifacts. CONTINUED ON PG 14 petition, a parade, barn dances, old time cowboy
July 1st Long Weekend 2001 Page 14 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 15 YOUR HISTORIC JOURNEY CONTINUED FROM PG. 14
Just north of Horsefly, where the west William’s Lake arm of Quesnel Lake empties into the “William’s Lake (also called Columetza) is about forty miles south of Fort Alexander. It is surrounded Quesnel River, is the small town of by some comparatively fertile land, and farming to some Likely. One of the few remaining gold extent is carried on. We were truly glad to rest awhile at rush settlements in the Cariboo, the an inn here. Immediately on our arrival we ordered a “square town was named after John A. Likely meal,” and an ample supply of fresh beef, beans, cabbage, pies, of the Buillion Pit Mine, who was affec- milk, tea and coffee was set before us, to which we did justice in a manner which we should have been almost ashamed for our tionately called “Plato” for his ten- English friends to witness. It is truly astonishing what an appetite dency to philosophise. Be sure to visit is developed by the arduous travelling in this country. Solid meals of the Cedar Point Park Mining Museum animal food, which at home would suffice for the day, are here required located in an old-growth cedar forest several times within a similar period, and at a on Quesnel Lake. fearful expense; but nothing can be accomplished otherwise. Thus, our meal above mentioned cost Over the hill from Likely, at the junc- three half-dollars, or six shillings, each.” tion of the Quesnel and Cariboo Rivers, is the ghost town of Quesnelle Forks. Horsefly/ Likely Established in 1859 as a supply point, “Here we were only ten miles from the Forks Quesnelle Forks became the first per- of Quesnelle, but these ten miles were amongst manent settlement in the Cariboo. By the worst; for, in traversing part of the distance, the mid 1860s most of the miners we were again plunged at times in the middle in moved to Barkerville and Quesnelle swamps and between protrate dead trees lying across the route. After thus proceeding we met Forks became almost entirely popu- a strange and very unexpected spectacle – a lated by Chinese migrants, many of pack-train of camels...here they reminded one whom lived there until the 1950s. of “fish out of water.” Since then nature has reclaimed much W. CHAMPNESS, TO CARIBOO AND BACK IN 1862 of the town but 20 log buildings, most over 100 years old, can still be found in various states of repair. Among those buildings are the remains of Canada’s oldest Chinese tong house. A small cemetery is currently being restored by the Likely Cemetery Society. You can reach Quesnelle Forks by a gravel road from Likely. QUESNEL Quesnel is the traditional home to people of the great Dakelh Nation, the “people who travel on water.” The Dakelh also go by the name Carrier, “the ones who pack.” The town was first called Quesnellemouth, to be dis- tinguished from Quesnelle Forks, and was located at the confluence of the Quesnel and Fraser Rivers. Quesnelle- mouth was a resting place for miners and one of the entrances to the gold unlimited nature fields (the other route went through Quesnelle Forks.) When the wagon unlimited opportunities road to Soda Creek was completed in 1863, many travelled north into the Cariboo via sternwheelers, disem- barking at Quesnellemouth. The stern- wheeler traffic, combined with the com- pletion of the Cariboo Wagon Road in 1865, established Quesnel as a major The Silvertip Lodge is an all inclusive river port and supply point. Quesnel- fly-in fishing lodge. The ultimate in Quesnel Forks Museum & lemouth continued to survive long after comfort for the sportsman and family Historical Society Inc. Barkerville’s heyday, as it was located on the East Arm of Quesnel Lake Includes computer access • History of Quesnel Forks • on the direct route to later gold rushes in the foothils of the Cariboo Mountains. including the Klondike of 1898. After • Wheelchair access • No road access the turn-of-the-century the town’s name • Learn to Dowse • • air strip Quality fishing (Remote Viewing) was shorted to Quesnel and sawmills • outpost for Rainbows, from your wheelchair! and later pulp and paper mils domi- • camp International Health Centre nated the town’s economy. Lake Trout, • sauna Dolly Varden of the Americas The Quesnel Museum and Archives • hiking http://www.wlake.com/hicks/hicks.html is located, along with the Tourism Information Centre, at LeBourdais P.O. Box 4758, Williams Lake, BC V2G 2V8 - Canada CONTINUED ON PG. 14 Ph: (250)392-2285 Fax: (250)398-6185 Page 14 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 15
O N LI NE CL EE P AS FR H SI OT FI O ED A S D M S IDE.CO OOW RIB The Likely Story A Horsefly Pioneer C A n the spring of 1859 a group of prospectors, orn in California at the end of the last find treasures & sell good stuff Iled by Peter Dunleavy, came north and crossed Bcentury, William (Bill) Boswell spent the Quesnel Lake, camping at a spot long known to fur 1890’s prospecting for gold and hunting in Alaska. free photo classifieds online traders and the natives who preceded them – Cedar Following an accidental gun-shot wound to one cariboowide.com Point. In June of the same year another group, elbow which left him with a permanently stiff led by Benjamin McDonald, were travelling east, arm, he moved to San Francisco and worked followed the Quesnel River and camped at a spot on the horse-drawn street cars until the 1906 near the confluence of two rivers. The two groups earthquake. After a short period as a drayman were about 10 miles apart. in Seattle, he arrived in Canada with Billy Wad- Dunleavy and McDonald were soon joined by dell. By 1908 they were both employed by the others as word of their discoveries reached the out- Ward mine of Horsefly B.C. side world. A gold camp sprang up at the forks After the mine closed, he variously prospected of the Cariboo and Quesnel Rivers and came to be the upper Horsefly River area for gold in the known as Quesnel Forks, the first gold rush com- summer, and trapped in the Crooked Lake area munity of the Cariboo. in the winters. A life-long bachelor (women were Every notable character in Cariboo history once in short supply in the early years!), he helped walked the haphazard streets of ‘the Forks’: Judge convert the Delair house into the Bull Moose Begbie, ‘Cariboo’ Cameron, ‘Doc’ Keithley, ‘Dutch” Club. (another story) During 1926 through 1928 Bill Dietz (who later discovered Williams Creek) and he acted as secretary for the Horsefly Social Billy Barker himself (who mined his Aurora Claim Club, forerunner of a Community Club, which at Cedar Point). For a few years Quesnel Forks was was privately owned and run by a group of the gateway and supply centre for the Cariboo Gold shareholders. Rush. Bill was very sociable, always attending the However, with richer discoveries being made far- dances, especially at New Year. He usually ther ‘upcountry’, the white miners began abandon- brewed the coffee to accompany supper in a ing what they felt were lesser claims and followed large wash boiler, whilst visiting the ladies. north. Chinese miners, unable by law to stake their In later years Bill shared his home, situated own claims, began moving in to take up the aban- on the present Valburg property, with another doned diggings. Soon, Quesnel Forks became the local bachelor Ted King. Ted did all the cooking largest Chinese community in North America, next and grew a big garden while Bill put up the to San Francisco. hay and looked after the horses. He also trapped A member of the Dunleavy party, Jim Sellers, east of Moffat Creek and mouth of the Horsefly stayed on at Cedar Creek (near Cedar Point) decid- River, using a. small cabin he had built in the ing to build a hotel there. Both the venture and WoodJam Valley. the town of Cedar Creek were, however, shortlived. In March 1951 a fire completely destroyed In 1869 a forest fire killed twenty Chinese miners their home. It started when Bill was at a dance. north of the Quesnel River, burned part of Quesnel As news reached the hall, all the men dashed Forks, and wiped Cedar Creek completely out. The off to save what they could but Bill, in the miners saved only their lives by choosing a place kitchen with the ladies, didn’t bear the call! partially protected by a long pile of mine tailings Everything movable was saved including the and the lakeshore. Then, by breaking a water filled window frames and the wood stove with a fire flume, they soaked the ground and managed to keep still in it. The only loss was of the home-canned the flames at bay. vegetables stored in the root cellar. Long after the ashes cooled, in the 1890’s, mining Ted collapsed from exhaustion just as Bill interest in the area was renewed. The giant Bullion came dashing up prepared to save his friend. Mine opened and the Golden River Canal Co. Fortunately both men recovered and were able dammed the outlet of Quesnel Lake to gain access to to rebuild. the rich gravel from the river bed. Two new mining Bill lived on until 1962, and is buried in camps sprung up, known as ‘Bullion’ and ‘Quesnel Mountain View Cemetery. Dam’ respectively. After taking millions out of the ground the Bullion Mine eventually shut down and A lake east of Likely bears his name, and of was left abandoned. The mine pit is to this day an course our own Boswell Street which runs from impressive spectacle and testament to man’s thirst the Cornerhouse through town to the junction for gold. The dam on the Quesnel River proved of Mitchell Bay Road/Hooker Road. unsuccessful when it was discovered that Chinese Visit modern day Horsefly; see how it has miners had the same idea thirty years before. evolved from a gold rush settlement, estab- The dam was eventually dynamited in the 1920’s lished in 1859 to a diverse community 141 (remains are still visible today) and the small town years later. Of particular interest is our festival of Quesnel Dam changed its name to Likely. being held from July 14 - 24th. There will be What now remains of Quesnel Forks is the last art shows, open studios, a quilt show, a dog true and oldest ghost town in the province. Even show and agility demonstration, street perfor- though erosion from the Quesnel River threatens to mances and more. Call 620-3307 for details. wipe it out, Westworld Magazine recently ranked There are many recreational possibilities in it as one of the 10 best places in the province to the Horsefly area and accommodation avail- picnic. able ranging from deluxe log cabins at the resorts, motel rooms, Bed and Breakfasts, and Cedar Point is now a community run Class ‘C’ lot of camping. Provinical Park. Visitors can camp amoung an impressive outdoor mining exhibit as well as the The Horsefly River watershed is a highly giant cedar trees that the miners managed to save rated fish habitat and is very well suited for so long ago. canoes and kayaks. Submitted by the Likely & District Chamber of Submitted by the Horsefly District Board of Commerce Trade and Chris Gruhs Page 16 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 17 YOUR HISTORIC JOURNEY CONTINUED FROM PG. 14 meet has been set aside for public gold rush trail. Today, Cottonwood House panning. Why not try your luck? is fully restored and offers heritage tours, stagecoach rides, and meals. It Park near the entrance to town. High- WELLS is located just 25 kilometres east of quality displays of the Cariboo gold Located 82 kilometres east of Ques- Quesnel. rush and the history of the town are nel and just 8 kilometres west of accompanied by a significant collection Barkerville, Wells first emerged during BARKERVILLE of Chinese artifacts, as well as First the depression years, when many com- Welcome to Barkerville! You’ve made Nations’ and pioneer artifacts. Also munities in the area were near col- it! You’ve now joined the ranks of thou- at LeBourdais park is the town’s Pio- lapse. Underground hard-rock mining sands of miners, gamblers, and adven- neer Cemetery. At Front and Carson was the town’s foundation as it boomed turers of all kinds who have success- Streets is the town’s Heritage Corner throughout the 1930s and 40s. Its fully completed the gold rush trail. But where you will find the remains ofthe glory days, however, were short-lived unlike the miners, whose work would Steamer Enterprise, the first Fraser and if weren’t for a few hundred die- just be beginning, you can now relax riverboat to travel to Quesnel. From hard residents Wells certainly would and enjoy this fully restored historic Heritage Corner one can see the Old have become ghost town. Today Wells town. Fraser River Bridge (now a foot- is a charming tight-knit community PRINCE GEORGE bridge), built in 1928 to link Quesnel with a unique western feel. In fact, to the Fraser River’s West Bank. the town’s main street almost feels like The Lheit-Lit’en people of the Dakelh: Nearby is the restored Hudson’s Bay a movie-set for an old western. Art gal- (Carrier) Nation are “the people from Store, which sold supplies to the leries, an art school, and other tourism- where the rivers meet.” For as many as miners and homesteaders in the area. related services, particularly for the 8,000 summers they made their head- If you like dressing up in nineteenth- visitors to Barkerville, are the current quarters at the confluence of the Fraser century wear, then you won’t want bedrock for the town. and the Nechako rivers, at the north- east rim of what is now the city of to miss Quesnel’s Billy Barker Days, The Wells Museum and Visitor Infor- Prince George. (See Cheryl Coull, A held annually in July. Finally, the place is located off Pooley mation Centre Traveller’s Guide to Aboriginal B.C.) where the Quesnel and Fraser Rivers Street at the West entrance to Wells. In 1806 Simon Fraser camped there Cottonwood and a year later the Hudson Bay Com- Music As Another Way of Viewing History House Historic pany built Fort George. In 1910, the By Richard Thomas Wright Park Grand Trunk Pacific Railway passed by Music gleaned and reclaimed from history offers us another way of Cottonwood Fort George, encouraging the spread understanding a people or a time, a way of seeing another layer of a society, House provided of agricultural settlement in the area. a way of hearing voices from our past. food and shelter to Fort George became the city of Prince Through music we can eavesdrop in a goldrush saloon and hear the travellers in this George in 1915. Unprecedented growth hurdies dancing then hear James Anderson and his songs about the Dancing region for over 50 occurred during the 1960s when three Girls of Cariboo. We can listen around an Overlanders campfire and hear the years. Built in pulp mills opened. tunes and lyrics that moved them, and we can sit in the Theatre Royal and laugh or reminisce with an audience generations past. A cursory glance at 1864, Cottonwood Today, Fort George Park is located the rough life of Cariboo goldfields might make us overlook the day-to-day House is now one on the site of original fort and a First emotions of miners and dancing girls. But in music we are reminded that of the few remain- Nations’ burial ground. Fort George men and women in this hard harsh land still fell in love, missed their family, ing roadhouses Regional Museum in Fort George Park bore children, had political dreams and hopes beyond the wealth that might along the gold lay in the creeks’ cold boasts a newly renovated ‘History Hall’. gravel. In this hall a visitor repare for a rollicking good time! Through songs and may take a virtual poetry we can hear Reclaimed Music & Stories of British tour, through a mul- prejudices, fears and Columbia’s 1860s gold rush timedia film display, political voices. We P of the region’s early hear the hopes, THE BOOK Complete lyrics, history. The dreams and the Richard Thomas Wright song sheet sources, museum’s North- laughter of the day & Cathryn Wellner when we listen to historic photos wood Explorations and documents. James Anderson, CASTLES in the AIR Gallery is hands-on Rebecca Gibbs or ISBN 0-9696887-5- Music & Stories of X, $12.95. exhibit designed for black miner J. Law- British Columbia’s 1860s gold rush learning about natu- rence. In a poem we A companion to can hear the sorrow ral history and the Rough but honest miner of a town ravaged & THE CD region’s environ- by fire or a miner Rough but honest miner ment. The Prince reduced to one torn
78224-11362 Wake Up Jacob Band: George and District
shirt. ner Richard Wright, vocals, autoharp Cathryn Wellner, vocals Railway and For- Music has always Willie P. Bennett, harmonica Ken Hamm, guitar, vocals estry Museum fea- given us another Caridwen Irvine, fiddle voice, allowing us to Donna Konsorado, banjo tures the history John Law, mandolin, vocals express emotions not ner Rough but honest mi Michele Law, bass, vocals of the industries normally part of Jerry Paquette, vocals still important to everyday conversa- Wright & Well the economy of tion. History through Companion CD includes Rough but Honest Miner, Prince George. The music takes us Dancing Girls of Cariboo, Hard Times & many Huble Homestead beyond the cold facts more songs & narrations. 22 tracks & over 60 min. on a census record or ISBN 0-9696887-4-1, $24.95 Historic Site is a vital statistics docu- BUY BOTH for $32.95 and SAVE $4.95! wagon road stop- ment to an emotional over, farm, and Check your favorite book & CD store or order from layer of understand- family home that ing. Listen and you Winter Quarters Press, Box 15 Miocene, Williams Lake, BC, V2G 2P3 (250) 296-4432; fax 296-4429. To order call 1-800- dates back to1912. will hear the voices 583-2880 or e-mail [email protected] of a time past. http://goldrushbc.com Page 16 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 17 SAFE DRINKING WATER ANYWHERE The British Berkefeld Water Filter gravity fed, no pressure or electricity needed. Use high-tech, silver FROM impregnated ceramic/carbon filters. $199.95 The Gold Rush Trail Nominal filtration efficiency of 0.2 microns effectively blocks waterborne pathogens and clarifies the water. Removes up to 99.99% of e.coli, giardia “I tell you it is a hard road to travel. You have cryptosporidium and many others. Up to to carry your own blankets and food for over three 30/gal./day clean safe water. hundred miles and take to the soft side of the road for your lodgings and at daylight get up and shake the TOLL FREE 1-877-925-2929 Proven effective mfg. dust off your blankets and cook your own food for the day Williams Lake, BC for over 100 years! and take the road again. When you get in the mines you have to pay up to a dollar a pound for everything you eat as it has to be carried with mules and horses on their backs with a pack saddle.” RADCLIFFE QUINE, APRIL 22, 1861
“No doubt there are thousands of our city youths who would as readily leave the comforts of a quiet home and face the hardships of a mountain journey bad food and short commons, hail and rain and storm, mosquitoes and sand flies with a good heart and as patience an endurance, shewing the sterling qualities of the Saxon race; but there are also thousands who would not be able to do so; and it will be well for every one who is tempted by the glittering prizes which are held out by Cariboo and its rival Goldfields, to consider deeply whether they have got the right stuff in them and will be able to bivouac in wet blankets and cook a pancake in a hailstorm, without regretting the snug featherbed and comfortable chophouse of the West end and the City.” HARRY GUILLOD, PREFACE TO JOURNAL OF A TRIP TO CARIBOO, 1862
Barkerville
“We now set out once more, and for our last stage upcountry, being bound for Antler Creek, about twenty-five miles from Keithleys. The weather was most inclement: fain, sleet, and snow. In two days we reached our destination – the diggings; and a cheerless spot it was: everywhere mud and water, and the atmosphere bitterly cold, although in the summer season; for we were now amongst the inland mountains.
W. CHAMPNESS, TO CARIBOO AND BACK IN 1862
House Hotel & Coffee Saloon
sewing room
and costume rental
books, cards & newspapers Page 18 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 19 Saturday, August 5, 1865 being brought before the Judge, declared that he NEWS FROM Australia: had done the trick fifty times, and if the Judge doubted him he had only to come out in front of “Winning a Wager -- A curious event that the court and he would prove it upon his hat. The THE FILES OF occurred recently on the frontiers of Australian judge declined the flattering proposition and the Gallicia illustrates the value of life in these parts. Cossack escaped with two months imprisonment.” THE SENTINEL A Cossack, who was sitting in a pothouse among the peasants, began boasting about his skill in The Cariboo Sentinel announced plans “to supply shooting, and declared that he could shoot the the public of the Cariboo with the latest news from hat off any man’s head at 50 yards distance. all parts of the world up to the hour of going to A peasant thinking himself clever, offered a press” in July of 1865. This ability, phenomenal for wager that he could not do it to him. The an isolated, regional publication, was made possi- Cossack accepted and the peasant pulled his ble by the arrival of the telegraph in Barkerville. hat as tightly as he could down over his eyes, Semi-weekly telegraph reports were first supplied chuckling at the thought that it would be to the Sentinel on September 9, 1865. News from impossible for the Cossack to shoot it off. And on Dragon Lake Eastern Canada, The United States, Mexico and so it was, the the peasant won the wager but ‘Home of the Heart Gardens’ Europe was included with that days regional news. unfortunately the bullet passed right through Following reports, “received direct from New West- the middle of his forehead. The Cossack on minster” connected the Cariboo to every corner of the globe. The Cariboo Sen- tinel’s international news coverage inc- reased the value of the paper as the Cariboo was an area with a cul- turally diverse popu- lation. This is evident on Barkerville’s main street, termed “Valley f *Boat Rentals *Playground f of the Flags” for the *Tenting *Swimming *World Class Trout Fishing *Full RV Facilities variety of international *Showers *Laundromat flags flown by local *Barrier Free Accessible *email Access merchants to honor their home country. * Golf Course Nearby * The Sentinel supplied Accommodations Available on premises news of home to those f f miners and merchants 31213121 GookGook RoadRoad who were disconnected (about(about 55 milesmiles southsouth ofof Quesnel)Quesnel) from their native lands (250)(250) 747-2015747-2015 and families. Page 18 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada Page 19 Thursday, July 12, Paris, believed himself established his head- 1866 dishonoured, and asked quarters on the Texas Japan: for and obtained per- side. American author- mission from the Tycoon ities had been con- “A Japanese Iron-clad to commit suicide. He strained by a protest -- Some time ago an consequently ended his of the Imperial Gov- The Vaughan House iron-plated steam cor- career in the customary ernment to order Cor- vette, which had been manner in the presence tinas to keep on his Restaurant and Dining Lounge purchased in America, of colleagues, who stood own side. The ‘Monitor’ for the Tycoon, arrived in a circle around him” says, the commander of at Yokohama, in Japan, the French fleet had Upon examination, the Saturday, August 5, 1865 “Mexico an interview with Gen. 0QFOBUBNGPS-VODI Japanese Government, Steel on the subject of considering that the New Orleans, July 14 steamboats captured, QNGPS%JOOFS vessel was too dear and -- Mexican advices of but could not give the badly constructed, July 8th have been result. News from the decided that in future received. Gens. Lopez interior shows that the “Come and enjoy our Lounge & Upper Deck Patio” purchases of the kind and Oliver returned Empire is peaceful. shall be made only in from pursuits of the Maximillian is striving France or England. It remnants of Negrette’s to improve the country 283 Barlow Avenue, Quesnel, BC V2J 2B9 also censured the engi- forces, which are gen- and encourage educa- Phone 992-6852 Fax 992-3687 neer who had been sent erally disbanded, some tion. Guerrillas continue to New York to pur- being on the Texas side. to swarm about Matam- chase the corvette. That Cortinas lately captured oras in great force.” official, who is brother two steamers. “A Sleepless Man-- At phia, who has not slept he cannot or does not August, 1865 for a single moment for sleep is as much of a of one the ambassadors The Commerce says, present there is a soldier fourteen years and six mystery to him as it is to who recently visited Cortinas has officially Philadelphia: at the Chestnut Hill Mil- itary Hospital, Philadel- months. Why it is that CONTINUED ON PG 19
Northland Sports Sales Ltd.
Make Northland Sports your headquarters for hunting and fishing needs.
Sigi & Lesley 8087 Hart Highway, Prince George, BC V2K 3B8 Phone: (250)962-7071 Fax: (250)962-7072 Bed & Breakfast Association of Prince George, B.C. In Town: 250-561-2337 (Beds) Free Reservation Service 1-888-266-5555 Fax: 250-563-2632 One call connects you to a variety of homes offering warm & friendly hopitality.
Toll Free Hotline: 1-877-562-2626
...Opens the door to you! P.O. Box 2693, Station B, Prince George, B.C. V2N 4T5 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.bbcanada.com/ Page 20 ~The Cariboo Sentinel Gold Rush Trail Journal ~ British Columbia, Canada ~ FROM THE FILES OF THE SENTINEL ~ CONTINUED FROM PG SAFE DRINKING WATER ANYWHERE many scientific gentlemen, who having had their attention called to him have been astonished in their The British Berkefeld Water Filter gravity fed, no pressure or electricity attempts to investigate their cause. Upon one occasion, at his request, a number or curiously inclined needed. Use high-tech, silver FROM gentlemen watched him for forty days and nights consecutively, in order, if possible, to arrive at the impregnated ceramic/carbon filters. $199.95 Nominal filtration efficiency of 0.2 cause of the wonderful phenomenon. These gentlemen took turns with each other in the progress of watching, microns effectively blocks waterborne so that if he should chance to sleep he should be observed. Some of the watchers became drowsy, and it was as pathogens and clarifies the water. Removes up to 99.99% of e.coli, giardia much as he could do to awaken them. This singular man was sent to Philadelphia by order of the field surgeon. cryptosporidium and many others. Up to He was admitted into the hospital at Chestnut Hill on the 30/gal./day clean safe water. 10th of November last, suffering from chronic diarrhoea and rheumatism. He has nearly recovered from his phys-
TOLL ical debility. His appetite is good, but yet he does not FREE 1-877-925-2929 Proven effective mfg. sleep. He retires to bed the same as other soldiers, but Williams Lake, BC for over 100 years! yet he cannot sleep. He simply receives physical rest.”