SUMMARY: "Trail of Gold", number 8 in the series, recalls the coming of Simon Fraser and the story of the Cariboo Gold Rush -- but more particularly, the results of the gold rush, such as the Cariboo Road, inns, stagecoaches, freight wagons, pack trains, etc. Techniques of gold mining. The story of Barkerville. Voices heard include: Annie York, Rose Baker, Nellie Baker, R.T. Crosby, Captain Norman Evans-Atkinson, Gus Milliken, A.W. Ludditt, Roddy Moffat, Art Phair, Tom Carolan, Bryson Patenaude, Martin Starret, and Albert Drinkell.

The fonds consists of a photocopy of George Blair's diary describing the voyage from New York to New Westminster via the Panama Canal 1862-1863 , as well as his experiences in the Cariboo Gold Rush. Fonds also includes a transcript of the diary created by the Provincial Archives of British Columbia and an incomplete version of the diary arranged by Jane F. Yemen and published in the Daily Colonist, April 5-26, 1936.

CALL NUMBER: T0364:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-24 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. George Bryson Patenaude was born in St. Andrews, Quebec in 1893. He discusses mining in Horsefly, the story of Bob Borland, the early history of Williams Lake, a distillery in Williams Lake called Pinchbeck Distillery, his early life, a description of the 150 Mile House, freighting on the Cariboo Road, famous Cariboo freighters, an anecdote about stealing whisky, early commercial travelers, a detailed description of the Cariboo stagecoaches, stagecoach schedules, and keeping warm in the winter.

TRACK 2: Mr. Patenaude offers more details about stage coaches, stage coach drivers, and the techniques of driving. Then he discusses the river boats on the Fraser River between Soda Creek and Prince George, fares and schedules, Klondike gold rushers through 150 Mile House, and freighting and ox teams on the Cariboo Road.

CALL NUMBER: T0364:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-24 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Patenaude describes Ashcroft and holdups of Cariboo stagecoaches. Then he discusses Chinese people in 150 Mile House, a story of "Calamity Jane MacKenzie" of Williams Lake and her courthouse appearances, the story of the Cedar Creek gold rush of 1921, and the aftermath of the rush.

TRACK 2: Mr. Patenaude concludes his story of the Cedar Creek gold rush of 1921. He discusses the Bullion Mine, survey trips to the Peace River country in the 1930s, a discussion of the declined economy of Horsefly, the early history of Horsefly, Chinese miners in Horsefly in the 1880s, problems encountered in gold mining, and the story of Alec Meese, a hotel keeper in Horsefly.

CALL NUMBER: T2785:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977-07-06 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Glenn begins with his birth in 1902 in South Bend, Washington; his mother went down to be with relatives for the birth and returned shortly after. His parents operated a ranch and one of the two hotels in Horsefly. Glen talks of the community when the three major mines were operating; the Hydraulic Mine operated by J.B. Hobson, who was also manager of the Bullion Mine at Likely; the Orientals, who dug ditches and worked in the mines; Ward's Mine; the Miocene Mine; I.D. and E. Co. (International Dredging Co.); the effects on the community of the closure of the mines; Glen began trapping when he was very young and has trapped for over sixty years. He talks about what a trap line is, where his was in the Quesnel Lake area, how much time he spent on the trap line and what he took with him. TRACK 2: Glen continues to talk about trapping; what it was like to live on a trap line for several months, what the trapping cabins were like; a few stories of his experiences on the trapline; about traps; how he sold the fur; how trapping today compares to trapping in the 1920s and 1930s.

CALL NUMBER: T2785:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977-07-06 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Trapping; supplies in trappers cabins; setting traps; stretching and tanning hides; first aid on the trap line; trapping regulations; big game hunting; guiding; began when he was about 19 years old; first time guiding hunters from California; supplies taken by hunters; hunting stones, etc. TRACK 2: Big game hunting; hunting stories; game population; decreasing and increasing numbers over the years; wolves across Quesnel Lake; changes in big game hunting; small game in the area; grouse and pheasant; dressing and preparing meat; brief description of the Williams Lake Stampede in the 1920s.

CALL NUMBER: T2785:0003 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977-07-06 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Father's ranch; the Walters's Ranch; work around the ranch; hired help; Ah Wee, the Chinese domestic and ranch hand; operations around the ranch; survey of ranches up Black Creek; mining at Eureka Creek in the early 1900s; ranches, pre-emptions along Horsefly Lake Road; ranches in Beaver Valley. TRACK 2: Ranches in Beaver Valley; cattle drives from Horsefly to Ashcroft and Williams Lake as late at the 1940s; early freighting along the Cariboo Road from Ashcroft; team and wagon; trips into Horsefly; freighting with trucks; goods brought into Horsefly; incident at home with family.

CALL NUMBER: T2785:0004 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977-07-12 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Glen talks about buying a small ranch in Horsefly from his mother and building up the ranch into a working operation; clearing land; seeding; irrigation; haying; Indian crews; trading with locals; winter campgrounds; battle on Cariboo Island and the reason there are no Indians in Horsefly. TRACK 2: 108 Road; original road into Horsefly before the road from 150 Mile; his father had the mail route over 108 Road; original road through Horsefly to Quesnel Lake and across to the gold fields around Barkerville and Keithley Creek.

CALL NUMBER: T2785:0005 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Glen remembers the wild horses in the area before they died out; role of women on the ranches; fencing in the early days; Farmer's Institute; buying seed in the early days; effects of the First World War on ranching, as well as the Depression and the Second World War. TRACK 2: Differences between ranching in the early days and ranching today; early roads around Horsefly; road-building crews; horse graders; corduroying; changeover to power graders; trucks; freighting with trucks and traffic along 150 Road in the 1920s; conditions of the roads.

CALL NUMBER: T2785:0006 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1977 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Glen's father owned and operated the Walters Hotel which was one of two hotels during the early 1900s; the bunkhouses used by miners; the Meiss Hotel; the main hotel also called the City Hotel, had a small store; description of it, saloon, dining room, livery stables, rooms, services provided; patrons; gambling; miners; Walters Hotel also called the Horsefly Hotel; rooms; livery stables; dining room, meals; Harry Walters carried gold for Hobson and was also an early forest ranger. TRACK 2: House of ill repute in Horsefly; hotel patrons; celebrations at hotels; first phone installed in Horsefly.

The item is a copy of a thesis by Robert Galois titled "Gold mining and its effects on landscapes of the Cariboo." vii, 188 leaves, illus., figs., maps, tables. Thesis (M.A.), University of Calgary, 1970. Bibliography: leaves 170-178.

Records of business conducted; accounts of merchandise sold, 1866-1868 (liquor, sardines, cigars, matches), accounts of the Full Rigged Co. including payroll, amount of gold mined and bills paid, 1867-1927.

The item is an audio recording of an interview with Harold Armes re ranching and mining in the Cariboo Region, 1919-1950.
Track 1: Born in England in 1898. Immigrated to Canada with his family in 1905. First came to the Cariboo in 1919 to look for gold. Family ranched at Little Dog Creek during the 1920s. Hydraulic mine; in the Cariboo during the 1930s. Description of hydraulic mining operations and other placer mining in the Horsefly area. Worked on Little Dog Creek Ranch during WWII for Colonel Victor Spencer. The Place family of Dog Creek. Dog Creek Hotel described.
Track 2: Settlement of Dog Creek described. Cariboo rodeos described. Visits to Williams Lake. Early economic connections of the Cariboo Region. Gang Ranch briefly described. Armes managed Pavilion Ranch for five years after WWII. Colonel Victor Spencer described.