Since I am living in the Cariboo, BC which is the heart of Gold Rush Country I thought I'd share a bit of the Gold Rush Culture and History. Quesnel is right smack dab in the middle of the Cariboo Gold Rush Wagon Trail, so the small ghost towns all around have a lot of History which has been very well preserved. I'd like to get to Barkerville soon, and will definitely take photos of that, but for now, here's a sharing of a trip to Cottonwood Ranch yesterday, to Celebrate Canada Day.
Cottonwood Boarding house, used by travellers on the Gold Trail. Cottonwood House is one of several roadhouses built to meet the needs of the prospectors, miners, settlers and many other travelers of the Cariboo Wagon Road.
Constructed on the Cariboo Wagon Road between 1864 and 1865, Cottonwood House served the Gold Rush travellers heading for Barkerville or making their way out to Quesnel and other destinations south and north.
In the first years of operation, Cottonwood was managed by several owners, then John Boyd acquired the property in 1874.
In those early days Cottonwood was a day's journey from Quesnel, and overnight accommodations were provided at the House. (Today, it takes about a half hour to drive there.
With his wife Janet, ten children, and hired help, Boyd worked to raise crops, build the barns and operate a general store.
Chickens, geese and ducks were raised, and their own fresh vegetables, beef and pork were sold here along with hard goods.
After John Boyd passed away in 1909, Cottonwood was operated by Janet and his sons William and Harry until 1951.
Horses were changed, hearty meals were served to the stage drivers and passengers, and essential provisions could be obtained. Cottonwood earned a reputation as one of the finest stops along the Road! Today you can stop in and capture a sense of what travelling the Cariboo was like
over a hundred years ago.
