Waiting and waiting
After waiting for weeks in Victoria, the money finally arrived from England. The horse you wanted was now affordable, but now there was less money to buy land when you got to the Cariboo. It is a great relief to finally get moving again.
Harrison Trail Most of the distance on the Harrison Lake route is covered by steamer travel. Between Victoria to New Westminster you are take the sternwheeler "Enterprize" and from there to Port Douglas you take the "Governor Douglas".
You continue along a narrow, primitive trail to Harrison Lake. The going is slow, but it's better than having your horse stumble and lose the supplies. It's now June, and the heat and mosquitoes are unbearable. When you reach the Lake, there is another sternwheelers that runs to the north side of the lake.
Unfortunately, you missed that days' sailing. From here the trail continues north, and if you took the trail you wouldn't have to wait until tomorrow for the next ship. There is a chance that you could get lost along the trail, but you could save having to pay for your ticket on the sternwheeler. What do you do?
Advice from others miners led you to choose the Harrison Lake route to get to the Cariboo. They warned you that roads were wretched and you should pack lots of provisions. In the Victoria Hudson's Bay Company Store you stock up on flour, sugar, cheese, bacon, beans, coffee and other basic foodstuffs.
Sternwheeler on Harrison Lake (BC Archives: g-00810)
|
Last updated March 12, 1999. Produced by the Schoolnet Digital Collections Team. |
|