The Cariboo Road (also called the Cariboo Wagon Road , the Great North Road or the Queen's Highway ) was a project initiated in 1860 by the Governor of the Colony of British Columbia , James Douglas . It was built in response to the Cariboo Gold Rush to facilitate settlement of the area by miners. It involved a feat of engineering stretching from Fort Yale to Barkerville, B.C. through extremely hazardous canyon territory in the Interior of British Columbia .
24-515: Between the 1860s and the 1880s the Cariboo Road existed in three versions as a surveyed and constructed wagon-road route. The first established road was Cariboo Wagon Road surveyed in 1861 and built in 1862 followed the original Hudson's Bay Company 's Harrison Trail ( Port Douglas ) route from Lillooet to Clinton , 70 Mile House , 100 Mile House , Lac La Hache , 150 Mile House to the contract end around Soda Creek and Alexandria at
48-472: A more viable and safe form of transportation to the gold-mining settlements. The colonial government employed locals as well as the Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment ("sappers") who undertook amazing engineering feats, including the construction of toll bridges including the (original) Alexandra Suspension Bridge of 1863. Building the road cost nearly one and a quarter million dollars, and left
72-407: A more viable and safe form of transportation to the gold-mining settlements. The colonial government employed locals as well as the Royal Engineers, Columbia Detachment ("sappers") who undertook amazing engineering feats, including the construction of toll bridges including the (original) Alexandra Suspension Bridge of 1863. Building the road cost nearly one and a quarter million dollars, and left
96-513: A standing debt of £112,780 after its completion, one of many infrastructure costs in servicing the Gold Colony that forced its amalgamation first with Vancouver Island (1866), and then with Canada (1871 confederation). The Cariboo Road saw the transportation of over six and a half million dollars' worth of gold. Originally Douglas wanted to stretch the road across the continental divide into Rupert's Land (modern day Alberta ) but this plan
120-454: A standing debt of £112,780 after its completion, one of many infrastructure costs in servicing the Gold Colony that forced its amalgamation first with Vancouver Island (1866), and then with Canada (1871 confederation). The Cariboo Road saw the transportation of over six and a half million dollars' worth of gold. Originally Douglas wanted to stretch the road across the continental divide into Rupert's Land (modern day Alberta ) but this plan
144-757: Is now the Canadian province of British Columbia , running northwards along the Fraser River from to present day Lillooet to Big Bar, British Columbia and points beyond in the Cariboo District . The route was primarily in use during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush and associated explorations by prospectors northwards in the search for gold in the Cariboo and Omineca Districts . Less celebrated than its wagon-road contemporaries,
168-741: The Old Cariboo Road and later on the Cariboo Road proper, the River Trail (also known as the "Mule Trail") was the choice for most prospectors and travellers heading north from Lillooet who could either not afford the tolls of the Old Cariboo Road, or had no need of it as the River Trail sufficed for foot-travel or horse travel with small packtrains. The wagon roads were built for freight wagons and stage travel, and also went up and over mountains and plateaus which travel via
192-687: The Queen's Highway ) was a project initiated in 1860 by the Governor of the Colony of British Columbia , James Douglas . It was built in response to the Cariboo Gold Rush to facilitate settlement of the area by miners. It involved a feat of engineering stretching from Fort Yale to Barkerville, B.C. through extremely hazardous canyon territory in the Interior of British Columbia . Between
216-563: The U.S. Camel Corps for freight (1862), and also a tractor-style Thomson Road Steamer known as a "road train", one of the earliest motorized vehicles. Most foot traffic from Lillooet to the Cariboo however, went by the " River Trail ", far below the wagon road, which departed the Fraser Canyon at Pavilion for the steep climb over Pavilion Mountain to Clinton , where it merged with the newer Cariboo Road via Yale and Ashcroft (once
240-445: The U.S. Camel Corps for freight (1862), and also a tractor-style Thomson Road Steamer known as a "road train", one of the earliest motorized vehicles. Most foot traffic from Lillooet to the Cariboo however, went by the " River Trail ", far below the wagon road, which departed the Fraser Canyon at Pavilion for the steep climb over Pavilion Mountain to Clinton , where it merged with the newer Cariboo Road via Yale and Ashcroft (once
264-446: The 1860s and the 1880s the Cariboo Road existed in three versions as a surveyed and constructed wagon-road route. The first established road was Cariboo Wagon Road surveyed in 1861 and built in 1862 followed the original Hudson's Bay Company 's Harrison Trail ( Port Douglas ) route from Lillooet to Clinton , 70 Mile House , 100 Mile House , Lac La Hache , 150 Mile House to the contract end around Soda Creek and Alexandria at
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#1732772044573288-487: The Fraser Canyon Highway for automobiles in the 1920s). The road was a reaction to the high concentration of gold in the Cariboo region and the dangerous "mule trail", which was a rough-hewn cliff-side trail - wide enough only for one mule - that ran along the approximate route of the Cariboo Road. In order to lower supply-costs to the settlers in the Cariboo region, Douglas ordered the construction of
312-413: The Fraser Canyon Highway for automobiles in the 1920s). The road was a reaction to the high concentration of gold in the Cariboo region and the dangerous "mule trail", which was a rough-hewn cliff-side trail - wide enough only for one mule - that ran along the approximate route of the Cariboo Road. In order to lower supply-costs to the settlers in the Cariboo region, Douglas ordered the construction of
336-580: The Fraser Canyon route of the Cariboo Wagon Road proper. The mile-house names (e.g. 100 Mile House ), in the Cariboo are derived from measurements taken from the Mile '0' of this road, which is in the bend in the Main Street of Lillooet and commemorated there by a cairn erected in the 1958 Centennial Year. It was along this route that an attempt was made to use Bactrian camels purchased from
360-400: The Fraser Canyon route of the Cariboo Wagon Road proper. The mile-house names (e.g. 100 Mile House ), in the Cariboo are derived from measurements taken from the Mile '0' of this road, which is in the bend in the Main Street of Lillooet and commemorated there by a cairn erected in the 1958 Centennial Year. It was along this route that an attempt was made to use Bactrian camels purchased from
384-512: The River Trail did not require. Water was in short supply on this route, which is semi-desert for most of its length as far north as what is now Williams Lake , and the route was very rugged, but was favoured due to its lower elevation and more temperate climate than the official and more-documented routes eastward over the plateaus. One visitor to Fountain , then Upper Fountains, a staging ground for wagon trains 10 miles (16 km) upstream from Lillooet, commented that there were few travellers on
408-546: The doorstep of the Cariboo Gold Fields. The second Cariboo Wagon Road (or Yale Cariboo Road) operated during the period of the fast stage-coaches and freight-wagon companies headquartered in Yale : 1865 to 1885. From the water landing at Yale , the road ran north via the spectacular Fraser Canyon route over Hell's Gate and Jackass Mountain , connecting to the earlier Cariboo Road at Clinton. The third Cariboo Road
432-425: The doorstep of the Cariboo Gold Fields. The second Cariboo Wagon Road (or Yale Cariboo Road) operated during the period of the fast stage-coaches and freight-wagon companies headquartered in Yale : 1865 to 1885. From the water landing at Yale , the road ran north via the spectacular Fraser Canyon route over Hell's Gate and Jackass Mountain , connecting to the earlier Cariboo Road at Clinton. The third Cariboo Road
456-553: The latter route was completed, that is). The River Trail continued along the Fraser Canyon as far as Big Bar and various routes spread towards Quesnel and Barkerville from there. The Cariboo Road was featured on the television historical series Gold Trails and Ghost Towns , season 2, episode 4. Cariboo Wagon Road The Cariboo Road (also called the Cariboo Wagon Road , the Great North Road or
480-422: The latter route was completed, that is). The River Trail continued along the Fraser Canyon as far as Big Bar and various routes spread towards Quesnel and Barkerville from there. The Cariboo Road was featured on the television historical series Gold Trails and Ghost Towns , season 2, episode 4. River Trail (British Columbia) The River Trail was a main route for travel in the colonial era of what
504-479: Was abandoned when Douglas retired in 1864. The name Cariboo Road or Cariboo Trail is also informally applied to a toll road built by contractor Gustavus Blin-Wright in 1861–1862 from Lillooet to Williams Lake , Van Winkle and on to Williams Creek (Richfield, Barkerville). This route was known also as the Old Cariboo Road , when the Lakes Route from Port Douglas to Lillooet had not yet been superseded by
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#1732772044573528-419: Was abandoned when Douglas retired in 1864. The name Cariboo Road or Cariboo Trail is also informally applied to a toll road built by contractor Gustavus Blin-Wright in 1861–1862 from Lillooet to Williams Lake , Van Winkle and on to Williams Creek (Richfield, Barkerville). This route was known also as the Old Cariboo Road , when the Lakes Route from Port Douglas to Lillooet had not yet been superseded by
552-597: Was the revised route following the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885. The railway station at Ashcroft became the southern end of the wagon road. Much of the Fraser Canyon wagon road was destroyed by the railway construction as well as by washouts and by the Great Flood of 1894 (interest in rebuilding this portion of the road would not occur until the construction plans for
576-399: Was the revised route following the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885. The railway station at Ashcroft became the southern end of the wagon road. Much of the Fraser Canyon wagon road was destroyed by the railway construction as well as by washouts and by the Great Flood of 1894 (interest in rebuilding this portion of the road would not occur until the construction plans for
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