Cariboo Gold Rush

Cariboo Gold Rush BC's most famous GOLD RUSH to the remote, isolated Cariboo Mts region occurred between 1860, when prospectors drawn from the FRASER RIVER GOLD RUSH discovered free gold on the Horsefly R, and 1863, when international publicity given to news of the rich payload found near bedrock at BARKERVILLE in 1862 drew a large and diverse mix of miners, gold-seekers and adventurers into the former fur-trading territory of the CHILCOTIN and CARRIER. The most promising discoveries of free gold were made at Williams, Lightning and Lowhee creeks, but the former proved the richest; hence it became the centre of mining operations for the district. Here (125 km SE of Prince George), in a canyon with a narrow, steep-sided and isolated creek bed, a trio of supply, service and administrative towns - Richfield, Camerontown and, the only one to outlast the mining boom days, BARKERVILLE - were established.

Barkerville's deep placers and rich hillside deposits were worked from 1864 to the 1930s. This required the use of expensive and complex technology, including hydraulic monitors which directed jets of water to wash the gold-bearing hillsides into sluice boxes, and the development of a more permanent mining community. Placer gold production in the Cariboo approximated $50 million, about one-half the BC total since 1858.

Author DIANNE NEWELL

Suggested Reading
M. McNaughton, Overland to Cariboo (1898, repr 1973).

Links to Other Sites
Encyclopedia of British Columbia
Fast facts and a timeline of the history of British Columbia from the website for the "Encyclopedia of British Columbia." Most of the website content, including articles, photos, and graphics, is available through subscription.

Cariboo Gold Rush
This online collection of personal diaries, journals, letters, memoirs, and other primary sources highlights the hazardous adventures of the hardy folks who participated in the Cariboo Gold Rush. From the B.C. Heritage Branch, Province of British Columbia.

William Hind's Overlanders of '62 Sketchbook
View William Hind's sketches from his 1862 trek across Canada during the Cariboo Gold Rush. Produced by Library and Archives Canada and the Winnipeg Art Gallery.

Gold Rush Trail Sled Dog Mail Run
This site traces the route of the Gold Rush Trail Sled Dog Mail Run and offers photos of sled dog teams.

Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History
Solve some the "Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History." Learn about investigative techniques and Canadian history. From the University of Victoria.

One of Canada's earliest roads: the Cariboo
A CBC Radio audio clip about the history of the harrowing Cariboo Wagon Road in BC.

Miners at Work
An informative site about the life and times of the miners seeking their fortune in British Columbia in the gold rushes of 1858 through the 1860's. A Government of British Columbia website.

Golden Mile
An illustrated overview of the history of British Columbia's Lillooet region. Features numerous archival images.