The Gold Rushes

California 1849:

The bulk of the miners who made their start in the California gold rush heard of the strikes at the Fraser River and stormed it's sand bars from Fort Victoria by almost any mode of transportation available.

Fraser River, 1858:

The miners worked at the bars of the Fraser River northwards from Yale as far as Lillooet, until rich strike was found in the Cariboo.

Cariboo Gold Strike, 1862

The Cariboo gold strike resulted from miners working sand bars further into the interior river systems of British Columbia. Several creeks proved to be extremely rich, with the result that several towns sprang up near the gold-fields , the most notable being Barkerville. The Cariboo gold-strike attracted world wide attention leading to the organization of the Overlanders Expedition of 1862.

Kootenay, 1865

In comparison to the previous two strikes, the find at Kootenay was minor. However, this gold field was partially responsible for the construction of the Dewdney Trail.

Klondike, 1898:

The most important approach to the Klondike was by sea. Alaska was the final terminal, and it was here that the trail over the Chikoot Pass began. On reaching Lake Bennet gold seekers then built boats and travelled down the Yukon River to Dawson City and the "gold".

Cariboo Map 1862-1865

Last updated November 30, 1998. Produced by Industrial Art Internet Group Ltd. © 1998-2002