The Cariboo Gold Rush California Fraser River Fraser

The Cariboo Gold Rush California, Fraser River, Fraser Canyon War, Colony of BC, End of the Gold, Barkerville, Population Change

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Gold Rush Was A Fantasy • The gold rush had the same influence as lottery • The gold rush gave people a fantasy that they could get rich fast, yet discovering gold was a difficult and rare occurrence • Most major deposits were never found because the gold washed downstream from the mother lode

Difficult and Disappointing Work • The Process - Dig up gravel along creek - Swirl in wide shallow pan to expose gold - Stake a claim on creek bank and dig a mine shaft down to bedrock below - Gold bearing clay brought to surface and washed to revel gold

Getting to the Gold • Difficult task- no easy routes • Most miners - carried supplies - Used pack horses - Old HBC trails

California Gold Rush • 1848 Gold discovered along the Sacramento River - 1000 s of people immigrated to Canada and the US - Majority never struck it rich, many never returned home

• By 1849 - Best claims had been staked (shot gunned) - Most ended up working as labourers to make a living • By 1850 - Sacramento River Mined out - California filled with former miners who had no way to get home

Fraser Gold Rush Sets off Fears • 1857 HBC trader found gold along Thompson River and brought it to Vancouver Island • Governor Douglas was not happy about the news as he feared this would lead to: - a massive influx of American miners in the island colony - Mainland will be further threatened by American annexation

Douglas’ Fear Came True! By the end of summer 1858 • 450 miners arrived at Fort Victoria before traveling to mainland • Over 10 000 men working claims along Fraser - Mostly American

The Cariboo Wagon Road 1862 Douglas Ordered the construction Began at Yale to Lytton Then Quesnel to Barkerville 650 km

The Cariboo Wagon Road Essential to the gold rush and BC because -Need to transport goods -Connected Gold Rush towns -Provided a safe route -Help end conflict with First Nations -Route for Military if necessary

Was it Worth it? • The Cariboo Wagon Road took 3 years and $750 000 • A Waste of Time and Money? - Finished in 1865 when the gold rush already over - Tax revenues to offset costs lower than expected - BC in major Debt!

Barkerville • Main Town of the Cariboo Gold Rush - Named after Billy Barker 1858 when he struck Gold!!! Why Important? - End point of Cariboo Wagon Road - Barker’s claim became legend - Experienced a massive influx of miners

People of Barkerville Called the "THE DREGS OF SOCIETY“ Wild West Images -drunken, gambling, violent -Uncivilized -Think Vegas yet really dirty

Hurdy Girls Dancers direct from Germany by saloon owners Job to dance with miners Got a % of every drink sold

1920 s Barkerville Became A Ghost Town Barkerville was an example of a resource town boom and bust cycle • During the boom the economy grows, jobs are plentiful • In the subsequent bust the economy shrinks, people lose their jobs and investors lose money. • By 1870 s almost all gold gone and town deserted

The Gold Rush Spreads Smallpox 1862 San Francisco miner brought smallpox to Victoria Colonists vaccinated while First Nations quarantined and sent home taking smallpox with them - 30 000 First Nations • Estimated that over HALF of Coastal First Nations died from smallpox

Tsilhqot’in Uprising • The Tsilhqot’in Uprising was a conflict between peoples of the Tsilhqot’in Nation in the interior plateau of the colony of BC and a crew of construction workers building a road from Bute Inlet to the goldfields in the Cariboo. • Read page 219