Overlanders of 1862

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The Overlanders of 1862 were a group of some 150 settlers who travelled from Ontario to the BC interior, led by brothers Thomas and Robert McMicking of Stamford Township, Welland County, Ontario. They went in groups by ship and American railway to Fort Garry [Winnipeg]. Leaving there in early June 1862, equipped with Red River carts and a few horses, they reached Fort Edmonton on July 21 and traded their carts for pack horses. With the help of Indian guides they crossed the Rockies. All but 6 survived the perilous descent of the Fraser River by raft to Fort George [Prince George]. Most went on to the Cariboo goldfields, and many, including the McMickings, had successful careers in BC. The only woman Overlander, Catherine O'Hare Schubert, took her 3 children with her and gave birth to her fourth only hours after arriving at Kamloops in October.
"Crossing Swamps"
"Crossing Swamps"
Near Headquarters, North Saskatchewan. Painting by William Hind, 1859, watercolour (courtesy McCord Museum).

Author BARRY M. GOUGH


Links to Other Sites
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.

Carlton Trail - First Western Highway
Check out the colourful history of the Carlton Trail, the first highway west of Winnipeg. A Manitoba Historical Society website.

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.

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

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