Gold is what drew pioneers to the eastern Cariboo country, even before the famous Barkerville deposits were discovered-astonishing amounts of gold. Some of the richest claims in British Columbia lay along the Quesnel River and its creeks. And some of the grandest mining schemes were hatched there.
While many prospectors worked Cariboo East for a while and then rushed off to newer diggings, other hardy souls stayed on to farm in the beautiful valleys. Despite frequent fires that swept through little settlements such as Likely, Keithley and Horsefly, determined folk who loved the area persevered.
This is the story of entrepreneurs Sam Adler and the Barry Brothers, administrators Phillip Nind and William Stephenson, far-sighted engineer John Hobson, and those grizzled prospectors, the "Snowshoe Boys." It is also the story of Chinese miners, Native residents, and the few women who made the long trek to Cariboo East.

Gold and Grand Dreams: Cariboo East in the Early Years

History

Elliott, Marie

Americas

Touchwood Ed

Mayne Island & the outer Gulf Islands: A history

Gulf Islands Press

As BC 150 celebrations have made us aware, modern British Columbia began in the central interior of the province, where Simon Fraser founded the fur trade empire known as New Caledonia. Today only the restored trading post of Fort St. James and the ancient trails remain. Fort St. James and New Caledonia is the first history of this crucial chapter in over one hundred years. Using unpublished Hudson's Bay Company archival material, Marie Elliott delivers rare glimpses into the lives and times of the first fur traders, weaving a tapestry of colourful characters including the great Carrier chief Kwah, Nor'westers John Stuart and James McDougall, as well as a surprisingly strong cast of women including Miyo Nipiy, Governor Simpson's country wife, Margaret Taylor and the tragic Elizabeth Pruden. Today, the trek from Stuart Lake to Fort Langley that took fur brigades a minimum of four weeks has been reduced to a scenic two-day drive; the three-day, perilous canoe journey from Fort St. James to Fort George can be completed on smooth highways in just a few hours. Elliott transports readers to a time when there was an ever-present threat of starvation, travel meant portaging rivers that rarely followed easy terrain and there were murderous consequences to the irascible, antagonistic relationship that existed between the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company. Perhaps most poignantly, Fort St. James and New Caledonia brings to life the difficulty of surviving the isolation of very long winters with prudently rationed rum, little if any company--and very few books. Elliott fills in a record previously silent on the day-to-day activities of people and companies integral to British Columbia history, creating a readable and valuable addition to the literature of the province.

Fort St. James and New Caledonia: Where British Columbia Began

Harbour Publishing

The influx of over 20,000 European and Chinese miners to the Fraser River in the spring of 1858, all of them hungry for gold, compelled the British government to declare the mainland, known then as New Caledonia, the Colony of British Columbia. In an attempt to capture the excitement of this period and the challenges faced by the colonial government during the years prior to Confederation, this book seeks to answer three vital questions: How did the gold rush unfold? Who were the participants? And what were the outcomes? Excerpts from the correspondence of government officials and from Matthew Baillie Begbie, the only Supreme Court judge in the Colony of British Columbia for most of that period, provide insight, humour and new perspectives into the actual gold rush events and the enormous task of establishing law and order during one of the major social upheavals of North America. In this history, readers will meet the miners, First Nations peoples, Hudson's Bay personnel, governors, royal engineers, assistant gold commissioners, steadfast community leaders, and women who trekked over the mountains-a kaleidoscope of colourful people and events.

Gold in British Columbia: Discovery to Confederation

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

Ronsdale Press

Maisie Mouse Puts on a Show

Children's Books

Animals

UK Book Publishing

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Books by Elliott, Marie