The Hudson’s Bay Company had known about gold finds on the Fraser River since early in 1856, and they had kept word of this to themselves, quietly sending gold which had come in on trade to Fort Langley for safekeeping. However, when the company had amassed some 800 oz. of gold, they sent it to San Francisco to be refined, and the secret was out.

Some 30,000 prospectors and entrepreneurs passed through Victoria and Fort Langley during the spring and summer of 1858. James Douglas had three major concerns. First, since most of the newcomers were American, he feared that they would make an attempt to take over the territory in the name of the U.S. Secondly, he worried that there was insufficient policing for the influx of people, some of whom were rather shady characters.

The third problem was that Douglas’ colonial government was virtually broke. A colonial Gold Escort was eventually formed for the sole purpose of carrying gold from the current diggings to government assay offices at New Westminster or Victoria.

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This latest instalment of Haphazard History, written by Barry Sale, revisits the historic Barkerville fire of 1868.

During its peak, the gold rush town of Barkerville had more than 10,00 residents who lived in wooden buildings that were clustered in a haphazard manner along its main street in the Central Interior.

On September 16, 1868 the saloon caught fire and then the end of the day a total of 116 buildings were destroyed in the blaze. Fortunately there had been no loss of life, but property losses were estimated to be about $700,000, or around $12.7 million in today’s prices.

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The iconic bridge over the Fraser River some 25 kilometres west of Williams Lake on Highway 20, sometimes referred to as “the gateway to the Chilcotin” has an interesting and colourful history.

For eons, a natural slowing of the current in that area of the river made for a suitable crossing site. When the river is at its normal height, the current is usually peaceful enough for boats to cross, and when the flow of water is low, there are spots where animals can easily swim across.

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