Showing 96 results

CALL NUMBER: T1038:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-17 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Lawrence Dickinson recalls his journey from Wisconsin and arrival at Francois Lake in 1910, when he was about 15 years old. He describes his journey along the Cariboo Road; stopping in Quesnel Forks to help mine for the winter; the route he had to take to Francois Lake; filing preemptions upon arriving in Francois Lake; joining a survey crew for Swannell company; life as a surveyor ;in the Fort Fraser, Prince George and general Upper Nechako area in 1910. He describes Fort St. James and the HBC post located there in the summer of 1911; the old trails in the area, leisure activities at Fort St. James, and how much everyone enjoyed the area; A.G. Hamilton's trading post in Fort St. James; work he did over the next several winters; how the war disrupted life; his father's trading post at Fort Fraser in 1915; how he and his brother bought out the trading post and went into business for themselves; the kind of people in Fort St. James before the war, including railroad construction men and other old timers; Mr. Murray who was a factor for the HBC and other characters; what makes the area so attractive; the difficulty nowadays at making a living as a trapper; shifts in mining techniques, changes in the Necoslie Valley after WWI; and how Fort St. James continues to be a jumping off point for miners and people of various vocations. TRACK 2: Mr. Dickinson continues how t;he HBC got supplies to their forts; how the war affected business in the area and how the mercury mine boosted the economy; how preemptors could not get good land because companies took all the prime ;real estate.;

CALL NUMBER: T1038:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1971 [summer] SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Dickinson comments on the attitudes of people and various characters in Vanderhoof from his past; anecdotes about gold miners and how the landscape has changed; buildings at Fort St. Jam;es that are no longer standing; how the younger generation is not as reliable as the older generations; the fur trade around Fort St. James and how the local buyers had the monopoly; and a few old timers. TRACK 2: Mr. Dickinson describes traffic going through Fort St. James; changes in the area resulting in growing industry and construction; the rivalry among stores between the HBC and Dickinson and others; placer mining areas; freight service into the Nechako Valley by the HBC, Dickenson's surveying career from 1910 to 1913, including descriptions of places he surveyed; and miscellaneous comments about today's pioneers and industries.;

CALL NUMBER: T1067:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Guy Lawrence : Atlin and region : part 1 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Guy Lawrence describes the circumstances surrounding his immigration to Canada from England with his father and travel to the Yukon gold fields in 1898. He discusses people (such as John Pelling) and incidents while travelling through Wrangell, Stikine River, and Telegraph Creek; mining in Atlin; various jobs; confrontation between miners and employers over Japanese workers after the government declared that foreigners had no rights to claims; and Lawrence becoming a Constable. TRACK 2: Guy Lawrence continues describing his work as a Special Constable, working on telegraph stations at Nahonahe River and Blackwater; and working at Fort George.;

CALL NUMBER: T1067:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Guy Lawrence : Atlin and region : part 2 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Lawrence talks about his father, John Lawrence, who became a famous portrait painter. He also discusses duties of a telegraph linesman; John Pelling, who was his partner at Blackwater; the railroad reaching Blackwater in 1908; Lawrence marrying an Indian couple; and accidents along telegraph lines. [TRACK 2: Blank.]

The sub-series consists of oral history interviews recorded in the Bella Coola, Cariboo and Chilcotin regions, mainly dealing with the history of those regions. The Cariboo materal covers the mid-19th and early 20th century; the Bella Coola and Chilcotin recordings cover the early to mid-20th century.

CALL NUMBER: T0164:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Placer Mining and miners of the Cariboo, 1858 - 1920. RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-04-17 SUMMARY: Captain Norman "Cap" Evans-Atkinson talks about placer mining and miners in the Likely area of the Cariboo, 1858 to 1920. TRACK 1: The miners coming to the Cariboo, circa 1858; sailors who became miners; types of gold; detailed discussion of placer mining along creeks, techniques, equipment, terminology; mining settlements; hard rock mining. TRACK 2: Story of John Likely, J.B. Hobson, and the Bullion Mine; Likely and his books; Cedar Creek; phases of mining; claim jumpers; Cedar City; details of the Cariboo fire of 1869; the Quesnel Lake dam.; CALL NUMBER: T0164:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-04-17; 1964-05-05 SUMMARY: Captain Norman "Cap" Evans-Atkinson talks about Cariboo gold and gold miners, 1858 to 1930. TRACK 1: Miners in the backwoods; enmity between two miners; draft evaders; old-timers; Captain Mitchell's trail to the Barkerville gold fields; people at "Snarlburg" (French Snowshoe Creek); Murderer's Gulch; more on Captain Mitchell's trail; Angus McLean, who lived along the Quesnel River. TRACK 2: Story of how miners were guided by Indians, by the name of Tomah and Long Baptiste, to gold on the Horsefly River, beginning the Cariboo gold rush; potatoes brought in by Russian fur traders; hostility of Indians toward miners; massacre averted by Chief William; Indians co-operated with other prospecting parties; Long Baptiste guide/bodyguard for Judge Begbie; Long Baptiste probably had the earliest Cariboo gold. CALL NUMBER: T0164:0003 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-05-05 SUMMARY: Captain Norman "Cap" Evans-Atkinson talks about miners and other people of the Cariboo, 1860 to 1930. TRACK 1: Different types of gold found in the Cariboo; the Indians and the animals they hunted; caribou in the Cariboo; stories about a trapper named Franz who lived alone in the woods; Long Baptiste and Judge Begbie; more on Franz the trapper; eating porcupines; other stories about men living alone in the woods. TRACK 2: Captain Evans-Atkinson's background; came to the Cariboo circa 1912; Cariboo people; World War I service; impressed by Canadians; return to Cariboo; mining experiences; John Likely; gold strike above Quesnel Forks in 1921; staying at miners' cabins; the naming of Likely, more on John Likely, story of Bob Winkler, an old trapper; pokes, money belts; gold caches. CALL NUMBER: T0164:0004 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-05-05 SUMMARY: TRACK 1; Captain Norman "Cap" Evans-Atkinson discusses some aspects of the trapper's life in the Cariboo, 1912 to 1930. Finding gold caches; stories about old-time trappers living alone in the woods; their habits; coping with flies, mosquitoes, ticks; stories about Jack Glass, another old-timer; encounters with bears. [TRACK 2: blank.]

CALL NUMBER: T0305:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-03-08 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Ernest "Ernie" Fredrick Lang talks about the Keithley Creek area, and recalls his experiences as a German immigrant before World War I. An unidentified woman speaks for about three minutes. Then, Lang describes how he came to Canada in 1912, homesteaded and worked in mines. He mined in the area until 1940. He tells a story about going down Fraser River on a scow and finding a dead man in the mountains. He describes the countryside of the Quesnel Highlands and talks about Bob Borland, Jim Adams and the Mile Tunnel. Then he discusses Mrs. Lee who grazed sheep in the hills before an unidentified man and woman speak again for about three more minutes.

TRACK 2: Lang discusses his background and experiences in Germany, coming to North America, hard times and experiences in New York, coming to Canada as an immigrant labourer, working on a farm near Brantford, Ontario, and coming to BC to work on the Grand Trunk Pacific Railroad. Then he tells a story of a journey through the woods in winter and an elaboration of the story about traveling the Fraser River on a scow.

CALL NUMBER: T0305:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-03-08 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Lang describes working on a farm near 153 Mile House, incidents evolving out of the language barrier, working for Louis Corsina at 153 Mile House, stories about being a German in Canada during World War I, activities in the area of South Fort George circa 1915, mining at 20 Mile House, mining at Keithley Creek, gold in the old river channels and more on mining up to 1925.

TRACK 2: Mr. Lang describes early gold mining in the area between 1860 and 1880, Jim Adams and the Mile Tunnel at Snowshoe Creek, Keithley Creek, staking claims in the snow, the Barkerville Road, the effect WWII had on mining and economics, gold fever, encounters with bears, settlement at Likely and Quesnel Forks, an encounter with a cougar and his wife's death.

CALL NUMBER: T0306:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-10-29 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Harry Marriott describes his immigration from England to Canada in 1907. He describes his work on the Gang Ranch in 1912, his service in WWI, homesteading, several characters who settled in the Cariboo at the turn of the century, and in the 1960s. He discusses the growth of the OK Ranching Co. Ltd. the effects of logging;why he chose to live in Canada and working on a ranch in Washington State. TRACK 2: Marriott discusses his inability to get government jobs in the U.S.; ranching at Big Bar Lake in 1919; dry farmers; sheep farmers; the Gang Ranch and its history.

CALL NUMBER: T0306:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-10-29 SUMMARY: TRACK 1 & 2: Mr. Marriott offers insight and anecdotes about characters and the town of Clinton.

CALL NUMBER: T0314:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-23 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Alfred Joseph Drinkell tells some stories about the history of the Dog Creek area of the Cariboo, from 1860 to 1914. Drinkell discusses his arrival in BC in 1911. He describes the ranches he worked at around Ashcroft, Joseph Smith's place, and his financial problems and life before he came to BC. He tells anecdotes about Judge Begbie. He tells a story about Samsome, a local doctor, and the legendary packer Jean Caux ("Cataline").

TRACK 2: Drinkell relates the story of Cataline's last trip and describes many trails in the area. He speaks of Joy Sim, a Chinese doctor, and pioneer medicine. He discusses some of Cataline's packers: Robbins, Wiggins Dan Smith, and the first settlers in the area. He describes the Hudson's Bay Trail, freighting, roads in the area, stories about Phil Grinder of Jesmond, a local school teacher, and educated people.

CALL NUMBER: T0314:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-23 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Drinkell describes the early days of Ashcroft, the Chinese in the area, two anecdotes: the Wright of the Dog Creek Ferry and the Stobie of the Gang Ranch. He offers the background of the Gang Ranch and describes cattle drives, the Duke Of York, a Barkerville bartender, and local Indians.

TRACK 2: Drinkell discusses cowboys, social life and Christmas. Then he mentions Indian-White relationships and a story about Indians and the law. He discusses the Chilcotin and Shuswap Indians, problems with the reserve system, Chinese settlers in the Dog Creek area, and the importance of Chinese in the area. Finally, Drinkell tells the story of five Indian women who killed themselves over a white man, and how nails and gold dust were used as money.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-28 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Tommy Wycotte discusses his early work as a labourer, cowboy and teamster. He also talks about Indian medicine, fighting between Indian bands, hunting and gathering in hard times, the origin of the name Williams Lake, and the Sugarcane Reserve.

TRACK 2: Wycotte continues by discussing animals and hunting, his knowledge of the pre-Christian religion, the fur trade, and negative aspects of Indian drinking habits.

CALL NUMBER: T0360:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-26 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Art H. Phair discusses his background; in that he was born in 1880, details of his father's work, his experience at private school in Victoria, the story of the Golden Cache Mine swindle of 1886-98. He describes the early history of Lillooet from 1856, the gold rush of 1858, Chinese miners around Lillooet in the 1880s, pre-war land boom and economic cycles in Lillooet.

TRACK 2: Phair discusses Indian life prior to European contact, strained White-Indian relations, bad relations between Indians, the Poole murder at Pemberton Meadows, murders and hangings, more on Lillooet Indians, Lillooet as a "melting pot" of many races, and the Chinese in Lillooet after 1884.

CALL NUMBER: T0360:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-26 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Phair offers anecdotes about Indians and Chinese people, more about his own childhood experiences at school in Victoria, adventures and "close calls", hunting and prospecting, tobacco growing near Lillooet, the meaning of the word "Lillooet", early farmers between Lillooet and Pavilion, gold panning as a young boy, his family background, the red light district in Lillooet and the flourishing of Lillooet between 1858 and 1864.

TRACK 2: Phair comments more on the Chinese in the area, he describes how his store was a social center, how it was robbed, Indians in the store, and the start of big game hunting in Lillooet after 1884. Phair describes the Pemberton to Lillooet road, his family's relations with Indians, the John Bull murder, old settlements near Lillooet, crossing the Fraser River at Lillooet, how his mother was a musician, uncle was a poet, an incident about a priest who alleged to have beaten an Indian woman, and finally his father's background.

RECORDED: Williams Lake (B.C.), 1964 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Spencer Hope Patenaude describes how he came to 150 Mile House from Quebec with his father, Joseph P. Patenaude, around 1896. He describes his memories of 150 Mile house, how he came there from Ashcroft, and the Bachelors Ball, which was a three day party with about 600 people from all around the area in the winter. Then he describes how he moved to a ranch in Williams Lake with his family in 1898. He describes the area and his memories, the Primrose Dairy, the trails in the area, English settlers who were unprepared for BC. Patenaude tells a story of a cattle drive of 1,500 miles to Dawson Creek from Williams Lake to make a fortune -- which proved to be unrealistic, and almost all were lost. He discloses how his family moved to a ranch in Horsefly which was 600 acres or so with 150 head of cattle. He describes Horsefly as a gold mining town and the town as he remembers it. He discusses his school years including a time in Victoria at the Collegiate College at Beacon Hill, run by Mr. Church, in 1900 and 1901. He goes on to speak about how he became a telegraph operator when he was sixteen. He describes how the telegraph system was set up and how he worked within the telegraph for 47 years. Then he mentions the progress of the railroad which never quite reached Prince George.

TRACK 2: Mr. Patenaude describes the area around Vanderhoof including the roads around Black Creek to Prince George. He describes how he went to the area, a story about a Chief of the Black Water Tribe named Jimmy who had the ability to foresee who was coming to the area with great accuracy, a man named Dr. Ringwood, and observations and anecdotes about trusting Indians. Patenaude goes on to describe his job as a telegraph operator, the installation of howler telephones in 1910, stories about a phone operator named Bob who was caught eavesdropping, telephone lines, and teamsters.

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.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-22 SUMMARY: Mrs. Anne Stevenson talks about her father, Roderick MacKenzie, the first storekeeper of Williams Lake. Mrs. Stevenson discusses her father's background and experiences in the Vancouver area. She describes how her father's business was established in Squamish, then Williams Lake. She describes why he came to Williams Lake, activity in the area circa 1919, the store, and anecdotes about her father and the store.

CALL NUMBER: T0373:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-24 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Emil Richard Krebs and his wife Gertrude Krebs recall their experiences in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region. Mr. Krebs discusses his father, Fred Krebs, who settled in Vernon. Mr. Krebs describes Okanagan ranches and Vernon circa 1908. He discloses his first experiences in the Chilcotin in 1928, Chilcotin ranches, several anecdotes, how he took up land at Dog Creek, the settlement of the Dog Creek area, the Chinese population, wild horses, and the trap line at Canim Lake in 1939. TRACK 2: Mr. Krebs offers an anecdote about trappers, pioneers at Canim Lake, the story of Buckskin Joe, the Indian population, the town of Likely, Quesnel Forks, and anecdotes about mining in the Keithley Creek-Likely area.

CALL NUMBER: T0373:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-24 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Gertrude Krebs, born in McLeod Lake in 1900, recalls Cariboo life. She offers the details of her birth, a brief summary of her life to 1919, a fire in Williams Lake, Williams Lake in the 1920s, and the first Williams Lake Stampedes. [TRACK 2: blank.]

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-24 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. James "Jim" W. Keefe talks about his experiences in the Soda Creek area of the Cariboo, 1912 to 1930. Mr. Keefe discusses how he arrived from Colorado in 1912 along the Cariboo Road. He describes transporting a bull on a riverboat and the ferry at Soda Creek. He bought Buckskin Ranch after WWI. He describes hunting deer, more on the Soda Creek ferries and riverboats, his partnership on Buckskin Ranch with Joe Demarre, a description of Soda Creek, placer mining, a prospector named Talbot, the Bryant family at Soda Creek, his family background, the American Midwest, Buffalo Bill Cody and Indians.

TRACK 2: Mr. Keefe describes his childhood in the U.S., stories about hunting wild horses, Christmas, an old prospector, bootlegging in Soda Creek, more on the Soda Creek ferry, and finally the story of a bull and a wild boar on the ferry.

CALL NUMBER: T0375:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-29 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Roderick "Roddy" Roy Moffat discusses how his father came out to the Chilcotin from Ontario and began ranching near Alexandria. Moffat offers several stories about his father when he drove a stagecoach. He discusses the tests necessary for a person to be a driver for the BC Line Company. He describes horses and drivers and the relationship between the two. There are many more stories about freighting days. Jerk-line teams had anywhere between four and twelve horses and three carriages. He describes how the horses were handled just outside of Ashcroft when the road became hilly and curved.

TRACK 2: Mr. Moffat discusses the competition between freighters to get the business of the Hudson's Bay Company out of Quesnel, alcohol consumption being a problem to achieving the contract, and then more on freighting. His father invented the snow roller for easier freighting in the winter. He describes the town of Barkerville. He discusses Chinese people as ranchers and as miners in the region. He discusses the Pinchbeck farm as the first farm in the area in Williams Lake and other early ranches: Levy Ranch in Soda Creek, McGuiness Ranch, 4 Mile Ranch, Sam Bohanon Ranch and that was all the farming until Quesnel. He describes many people in the area, old timers, and miners. Steve and Andrew Olsen are two characters he discusses, other Moffatts in the area, Alexander Flats, irrigation, the Hudson's Bay post at Alexandria, and the war between the Chilcotin Indians and the Alexander Indians.

CALL NUMBER: T0375:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-29 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Moffat describes the trail used by the Chilcotin Indians to invade the Alexander Indians, and how this route was used by Simon Fraser. He describes farmland and how technology has improved its uses. He discusses cattle farming near Quesnel. He describes his childhood and schooling. [TRACK 2: blank.]

CALL NUMBER: T0376:0001 RECORDED: Quesnel (B.C.), 1964-07-19 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Nellie Baker talks about her experiences in the Cache Creek, Ashcroft and Quesnel area, 1890 to 1910. Mrs. Baker speaks about her father coming to BC in 1864 and the story of her father and mother coming to Chilcotin in 1884 before buying Bonaparte Ranch near Cache Creek, where Nelly was born. She describes activity along the Cariboo Road; wagons, stages, stopping places and drivers. She speaks about life at the Cache Creek boarding school and her relations with the native children.

TRACK 2: She moved to a ranch between Spences Bridge and Ashcroft where she used to capture wild horses. She discusses the Little Mountain slide at Spences Bridge as well as the sheep and cattle on her father's ranch. She discusses her life after she was married in Ashcroft, as well as pack trains, memories of the famous packer Jean Caux ("Cataline"), Quesnel in 1910, and activity in the area. She mentions that her husband was a doctor.

CALL NUMBER: T0376:0002 RECORDED: Quesnel (B.C.), 1964-07-19 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Baker discusses her traveling and her experiences working with her husband in the area west of Quesnel. She describes the social life and recreation of Wells and Barkerville; working outdoors, a story about eating wild parsnips, and rattlesnakes. She comments on bars and liquor and her upbringing and adventures on her father's ranch near Ashcroft. She talks about her marriage in 1907, the Mormons in Salt Lake City, more experiences with her husband, and horse racing. [TRACK 2: blank.]

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-20 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. William Alvin Johnston describes the Quesnel area before 1900. Mr. Johnston tells the story of how his father, W.A. Johnston, came to BC from Quebec in 1864. His mother, Rosalind Cadwell Crooker, came to the Nicola country in 1861. His father built a stopping house on Jackass Mountain, and later built a flour mill in 1884 and sawmills near Quesnel. He describes the Quesnel district; farms, roadhouses and the town itself. He tells the story of a murderer in 1848, the first miners; John Cameron Dunlevy and transportation; trails, steamers and mill ways.

TRACK 2: Mr. Johnston continues discussing railroads, the lumber industry and Johnston Flats. He discusses gold in the eastern Cariboo, the development of the Johnston Flats, near Quesnel; Jerome Harper, his childhood memories from the 1890s of school and the town of Quesnel. He mentions several people: James (Jim) Reed, John Cameron Dunlevy, John McLean and Bob McLeese. Finally, he describes Soda Creek.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-20 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Russ E. MacDougall talks about gold mining and the Barkerville area, 1900 to 1940. Mr. MacDougall explains how he came to Barkerville in 1921. He discusses hydraulic mining, mining are as Barkerville area, Williams Creek and Lightning Creek, tunneling, claims, details of mining methods and comments on two old time miners, Bill Brown and Julius Powell. He comments about the population in the area, the names of mines and Barkerville.

TRACK 2: Mr. MacDougall talks about Barkerville; the people there, stories, his journey to Barkerville, transportation, road conditions, old timers in the area, ways of business, description of the stores, the old fashioned atmosphere, and social life in Barkerville.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-20 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Alfred "Fred" William Ludditt tells the story of how he came to Barkerville in 1932. He describes the evolution of mining and mining equipment at Barkerville; Bill and John Houser's family; Johnny Butt; Chinese labourers; Andrew Kelly and the Kelly family, and the first Barkerville Museum, circa 1955. TRACK 2: Mr. Ludditt describes the Bowron Lakes Game Reserve, circa 1912 and Herb and Alf Brown. Then he tells anecdotes about Jack Campbell and Bill Livingstone; Seymour Baker; the government reduction works; the use of cyanide in mining; the recovery of magnetite iron, also known as "black sand"; Joe Mason; livestock; cattle and pigs; and the Chinese in the Cariboo.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-07-20 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Janet Yorston talks about the Australian Ranch, the stages on the Cariboo Road and various Cariboo people, from 1860 to 1914. Mr. Yorston describes how Andrew Olsen and Steve Downes came to the Cariboo and started the Australian Ranch; farming and activities there; how they sold produce to miners; settlers in the area; Chinese miners; Fort Alexandria; more on the Australian Ranch and how it was purchased by her husband John Yorston; the stopping house; and life on the ranch. TRACK 2: Mrs. Yorston tells stories of two Barkerville old-timers, Harry Jones and the "Duke Of York". She describes details of stagecoaches, travel and places on the Cariboo Road.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-04-12 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Sara, or "Tottie", Mrs. R.T. Crosby, recalls her family background. Her father, William Boyd, arrived from Stratford, Ontario in the 1880s. Her mother, Mary Boyd, came from Prince Edward Island in 1884. Her father purchased 70 Mile House in 1883. She describes 70 Mile House in great detail, as well as the stopping house, the stages and freight wagons. She mentions a few characters who passed through including Pauline Johnson. She discusses the Flying U Ranch which was purchased in 1883 and turned into a guest ranch by her brother Jack Boyd in 1920. She tells stories about one of the teamsters; alcohol; Captain Watson; and the Spintlum family. [TRACK 2: blank.]

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-10-28 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Harry Coldwell talks about his experiences in the Cariboo. Mr. Coldwell came from England in 1910 to Ashcroft. He worked as a carpenter in Ashcroft, Dog Creek and in the area. He describes Ashcroft; the Cariboo road; steamboats; the stopping house at Dog Creek and Joe Place, proprietor; the murderers Paul Spintlum and Moses Paul; a commercial traveler; the Gang Ranch; Carl Wycotte's cattle; Phil Grinder; Barkerville; and Big Bar Ranch. TRACK 2: Mr. Coldwell discusses dry farming in the area; the big cattle ranches; Albert Drinkell; and his own ranch at Jesmond. He describes; how the post office was established, and how mail was transported. The interview concludes with Mr. Coldwell's general comments on the area, people and his travels.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965-10-27 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mrs. Catherine Christy remembers her life at Big Bar. Mrs. Christy's father, Robert Chisholm, came to Big Bar in the early 1880s. She speaks about her life on the farm; a typical day when she was a child; cattle ranching; her mother, Catherine Dickey; and life as a single mother. She also discusses illness; sheep; the Chinese; other people in the area; and farmers at Big Bar. TRACK 2: Mrs. Christy discusses her maternal grandfather, James Dickey; and her mother. She then describes marketing turkeys, and more about life on the farm. The town of Lillooet is described circa 1910. She also discusses fruit farming; the Texas Creek area; and stories about the Big Bar area. The interview ends with a description of ranch life before 1920.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1965 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Gussie Haller and Mrs. Maggie Haller of North Kamloops discuss their lineage in the Cariboo. Mr. Haller tells the story of his father coming to the Cariboo in 1858, as he settled at the Big Bar Creek; a trading post, now called the O.K. Ranch. His grandfather, Phil Grinder and the Grinder family also started the Jack Pine Ranch. They were dry farmers. Mr. Haller discusses smallpox; various people who were in the area, including Conrad Kostring; a description of dances and Christmas gatherings in the area. Finally, Mr. Haller tells the story of his father's pack train which traveled the Naas River.

TRACK 2: Mrs. Haller tells the story of her grandmother, the daughter of a Haida Chief. Her grandfather, Joe Tresierra, left Spain during a cholera outbreak and became a packer in BC. She tells the story of packers lost near Hazelton and a crossing bridge Yale. She describes her grandmother. She describes how the family lived in Clinton and how her paternal grandfather, John Miller, ran the ferry at Churn Creek. She describes high water; pet deer; the smallpox epidemic; and her grandparent's ranch. Then Mr. Haller describes how his father built a sawmill and dams. He describes his father's store and speaks of how his father packed supplies from Lillooet to Yale.

CALL NUMBER: T0423:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Thomas "Tom" Carolan discusses various aspects of settlement and life in the Cariboo, 1850 to 1930. The interview begins with the story of William Pinchbeck, Cariboo pioneer. Stories follow about Amadie Isnardy; Mexican packers and the pack trains; Antonio Boitano; the Chilco Ranch area; the local history of the Cariboo; his perceptions of Native people; and the television series "Cariboo Country". Carolan discusses his own background in Alberta and hunting wild horses in the Cariboo, circa 1927. He tells stories about the famous packer Jean Caux ("Cataline"), the Tressiera family, and Rosetti.

TRACK 2: Carolan continues his stories about packers and Cataline. He describes fiddlers in the Cariboo; Johnny MacLean and the MacLean brothers; hangings in Williams Lake; Judge Begbie's justice; Charlie Skinner; the James railway survey circa 1870; more on William Pinchbeck; and the Cache Creek boarding school. Mr. Carolan discusses settlers entering the Chilcotin and the China Flats; and Chinese miners. He mentions Becher's place at Riske Creek; the Bryant family; and the hurdy-gurdy girls.

CALL NUMBER: T0423:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Carolan describes dances at the big ranches and changes in the Cariboo after WWI. Then he describes cattle in the Cariboo; Amedee Isnardy of Chimney Creek Ranch; the importance of Barkerville; and law and order. Mr. Carolan describes ranchers and ranches of the Chilcotin; the Harper family; Alkali Lake Ranch; Canoe Creek Ranch; Henry Koster; and Upper Dog Creek Ranch. Then he discusses the Big Bar area; raising pigs; and ranches on Chilcotin River.

TRACK 2: The final installment begins with a description of roads in the Chilcotin; Benny Franklin; the ways of the pioneers; Mr. Carolan's family background; and a discussion of Hudson's Bay company activities in the early 1800s. Fur trade routes are mentioned as well as Hudson's Bay Company posts at Anahim Lake. Finally, Pat McClinchy, an old timer of the western Chilotin; the Lee family; John Cook, a Gulf Island pioneer; and children of white/Indian parentage are discussed.

RECORDED: [location unknown], [196-] SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Michael Cecil describes what 100 Mile House looked like in the 1930s and 1940s. There was a group who managed the hotel, which has since been converted into a lodge; only one of these people, Ross Marks, is still alive at the time of the interview. The Lodge is described in detail, and then the philosophy shared by those at the Lodge. [TRACK 2: blank.]

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Ed Aiken was born in Clinton and moved in 1921 to the Quesnel area with his father to farm. His father was the former chief of police for the Cariboo at Clinton. Mr. Aiken comments that the area was not busy then and describes what the town consisted of. He mentions the owner of a stopping house, W.J. Anders. Mr. Aiken discusses what farming was like and potato farming. Aiken tells a story about his father and One-Armed Phillips. He describes what Quesnel was like in the 1920s; a cattle shipping point; farming; and a little lumbering. Then he describes Williams Lake and cougar hunting. The interview ends with Mr. Aiken discussing Fort Alexandria. [TRACK 2: blank.]

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1970 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Justus Havelaar and Mrs. Sandy Havelaar discuss living and teaching in Quesnel in 1970. The Havelaars discuss the youth; teaching; the attitudes of the Quesnel people; Prince George; the future; and trade. TRACK 2: The Havelaars discuss the Qualicum school district on Vancouver Island; the nature of Quesnel; and more on the youth centre and youth groups. Finally, they discuss Quesnel winters.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Earl Shaw Baity recounts his coming to BC in 1920 to move to Prince George with his father, Nick Baity. He describes Prince George in the 1920s, and Quesnel as he moved there in 1922. There is a detailed description of the road to Quesnel and the ferry. After he arrived in Quesnel, he took up a homestead. He discusses the growth of Quesnel between 1922 and 1947. He describes Wells and Barkerville as well, and tells stories of Dr. Gerald Ramsey and Paddy Baker. Mr. Baity outlines the differences in the populations of Quesnel and Barkerville. TRACK 2: Mr. Baity talks about several pioneers including John A. Fraser and the growth of Quesnel since World War II. The interview concludes with a discussion about life during the Great Depression in the 1930s.

RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Harold Marshall discusses the Quesnel region in the early 1960s; agriculture; people coming into the area; development of the tourist industry; lumber and pulp mills; pollution; people versus planners; employment; the Nagko Reserve; and regional planning boards. TRACK 2: Mr. Donald Marshall continues the discussion of regional planning boards; young people in Quesnel; advantages and disadvantages of living in Quesnel; labour and strikes; and his personal comments on Confederation. Mr. Donald Marshall talks about the Cariboo News Tab (Cariboo News Tabloid), a weekly news magazine published at Quesnel.