Barkerville

Billy Barker struck gold on Williams Creek in 1862 and the town that grew around the claim became the largest settlement north of San Francisco and west of Chicago for a time, with a Chinese community that at points made up half the population, running its own stores, benevolent association and temple. Fire destroyed the town in 1868 and it was rebuilt in six weeks. Restoration began in 1958 and there are now over a hundred and twenty buildings on the original site, most of them authentic, with costumed interpreters, a working bakery, a Chinatown presented with its own historians, and the Theatre Royal running shows.

History

The town is named after Billy Barker from Cambridgeshire, among the first to strike gold here in 1862, whose claim eventually yielded 37,500 ounces, and it grew almost overnight as word spread. Supplies were carried in on backs and pack trains, at high prices, until the Cariboo Wagon Road brought freight wagons; the town gained stores, a theatre, a literary society and in 1867 a Hudson's Bay Company store, and Chinese residents, with businesses such as the Kwong Lee Company, were part of its life for almost a hundred years (Wikipedia, Barkerville).

What's there

• The original streets - over 120 buildings standing where they were built.
• The Chinatown - Chee Kung Tong hall and the Chinese community's own history.
• The Theatre Royal - live shows in a reconstructed gold-rush theatre.
• The working trades - bakery, blacksmith, printer and gold panning.

When to go

June to September for the full programme with interpreters and shows; the site is open with almost nothing running in winter, when it becomes a cross-country ski destination.

What to expect

Outside summer the buildings are shut and there is no programming. It is a long drive on a mountain road from Quesnel. Weather at 1,200 metres is cool even in July.

Nearby

Bowron Lake canoe circuit lies east; Quesnel is west.

Key facts