Barkerville’s Waterwheel Show

British Columbia has many reasons for you to visit, and one worth paying attention to is a visit to the Historic Town of Barkerville. When great finds of gold happened in the west, Barkerville was at the forefront.

You can tell that this fellow never does anything wrong.
You can tell that this fellow never does anything wrong.

Gold was being rooted out of the streams all along the Fraser River. When Billy Barker arrived at Williams Creek, 1862, he found miners already abandoning claims and heading for new areas. They had panned the surface gold, and even dug down a few feet, and finding nothing, they had had enough and were ready to move on. Barker staked land along Williams Creek, perhaps even bought a few claims from those leaving the area,

Miner gets an earful from his boss.
Miner gets an earful from his boss.

and he started to dig down. There was an abundance of scoffers about his great digs, and with good reason. He dug several pits, and found nothing, and that’s what everyone had told him. “You are wasting your time. Move on to some new areas before all the good claims are gone.”
It must be realized that digging a pit down through accumulated river sediments was not a simple task. You needed to build a solid wood frame on the sides of your pit to prevent a cave-in from

Cornish Waterwheel
Cornish Waterwheel

burying the digging crew. Also, the lower you went, the wetter the digging, and there was even more potential of cave-ins. You had to send up the muck, sand, and rocks in buckets pulled up using a type of tripod and pulley. The object of the pit was to dig to bedrock in an old river channel, and see if gold might be located in the crevices and adjacent sand or clay. Once at the bottom you would explore sideways along the solid rock by building a tunnel. This is not work for the claustrophobic.

Winch for Lifting Bucket of Gravel, and people
Winch for Lifting Bucket of Gravel, and people

In late summer of 1862 they were down 52 feet when they saw the glint of gold. Their digging had landed them right on top of a rich gold lead. This rich lead was extremely rich. One day they recovered as much as 50 ounces of gold in a pail full of sand and clay. The gold bearing zone was thick and estimates the eventually over 2 billion dollars of gold in today’s prices, came out of the streambed.
Removing the paydirt was made easier using the Cornish Waterwheel. At Barkerville there is a tremendously popular skit between a worker, and a manager, showing how the waterwheel worked. The role of the miner is well done by a man who has been doing it for several years, and he has his actions and facial expressions down pat.

Author meets a great actor.
Author meets a great actor.

He shows how the waterwheel powers the cable that holds the bucket that brings up the paydirt. It was also used to move the miners up and down from their moist and dripping work area. It also passed water over the sluice box that contained the pay dirt, separating the gravel and sand from the gold which collected in places along the bottom of the sluice box.
Make plans for next year, and be one of the more than 60,000 visitors to the Historic Town of Barkerville.

Happy RVing!
For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.  Visit his website at:  www.stonesstravelguides.com

Historic Hat Creek Ranch

House at Hat Creek Ranch
House at Hat Creek Ranch

Way back in the mid 1800’s travellers seeking gold flocked into the Cariboo and Chilcotin Plateaus of British Columbia. The building of the Cariboo Wagon Road provided an easier way of getting to the gold fields than crawling over the individual animal trails over the canyons and hills.
The road ran from Lillooet (Mile 0) to Barkerville. Local homes, ranches, and road houses provided lodging and refreshment for the tired potential miners. Today we still see towns named after the stopping points, such as 50-mile house, 100 mile-house, and several others. The Hat Creek Ranch Roadhouse was one of the popular places to stop and rest.

Barmaid pours a stimulant!
Barmaid pours a stimulant!

Today, a visit to the Historic Hat Creek Ranch will take you back into a different era. As you join your guide, who is dressed in the clothing of the day, you will be taken through the old Roadhouse, dating back to 1860. The rooms look as if they’d be very inviting to a weary traveller. You can visualize them sitting around the tables in the barroom, warmed by the old box stove, quietly sipping a libation, or more likely having a noisy reunion.

Old crockery take you back in time.
Old crockery take you back in time.

The beds look more comfortable than sleeping on the ground and there was wall paper to brighten up the room, and to cover the cracks to keep out the drafts. The wall paper is still there, although much the worse for the wear of the intervening years.

Stagecoach takes you on a portion of the Cariboo Road.
Stagecoach takes you on a portion of the Cariboo Road.

Outside, you can hitch a ride on a stagecoach, and actually ride down a portion of the old Cariboo Waggon Road. You might stroll through the apple orchard and over to the display of antique machinery.

Enjoy and old rocking chair on the veranda.
Enjoy and old rocking chair on the veranda.

The present day ranch caters to groups who want to come and celebrate some event, such as a wedding. Their 75 seat restaurant is ready for present day travellers, and if visitors want to stay over, there are cabins, a Tee Pee, and several campsites available.
For a pleasant, and unusual trip into the past, you won’t find any place that is better.

Banff National Park

Popular Rocky Mountaineer Stop
Popular Rocky Mountaineer Stop

Canada’s Banff National Park is known the world over for its mountain scenery. If you visit the park you will see people from many different countries who are busy enjoying the wonders of the park.

RVers come from all across North America to enjoy the camping and to enjoy the pleasure of driving through the park. This is a place where high grey mountains puncture the deep blue sky with majestic ease. On their sides, glaciers cling to sidewalls, or fill beautiful cirques. Hidden alpine meadows call to hikers to come and explore their quiet domains cloaked with rafts of colourful flowers, the silence broken by the sudden whistle of the marmot,

RV in Tunnel Mountain CG
RV in Tunnel Mountain CG

or the sharp crack of shifting ice in a nearby glacier. Walk around a shoulder of rock and suddenly revealed below might be the immeasurable beauty of a tiny emerald lake, one of the jewels of the mountains of Banff.

The park is huge, at 6,600 square kilometres (2564 sq. miles). Setting aside the land for protection began in 1883 when workers building the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) discovered a cave with hot running water. The Banff Upper Hot Springs are now are great place to soak in the natural hot water spring, with the facilities for your comfort just at hand.

Motorhome in Tunnel Mtn. Campground
Motorhome in Tunnel Mtn. Campground

There are campgrounds for everyone. A favourite place to stop is at one of the Tunnel Mountain campsites, just a short distance from the Banff Townsite. If you stop at the Lake Louise campsites you are close to the entrance to Lake Moraine and the Valley of the Ten Peaks which is perhaps the greatest view in the Rockies, and is easily reached.

Lake Moraine, and Lake Louise have become a magnet for every tourist that come to the park and this horde of people is spoiling the beauty of what they had come to see. When I first visited lake Moraine, it was at the end of a long dirt road with a little camping area. Now the road is paved, and there is a huge parking lot, and no camping. Now your experience is fighting for a parking spot, and working through jostling crowds. Try to avoid the summer months, if you want to experience what stirred those who realized what a gem there was here.

Handsome elk on guard duty
Handsome elk on guard duty

For years visitors had the opportunity to see a herd of buffalo just outside of town, but they were removed. The good news is the buffalo herd may return to the park although they will be placed in a remote back-country, and not up close for viewing as they were formerly. However, they may expand their range if left alone.

Come to the park and enjoy the great scenery. If you can arrange it, avoid the summer months.

Happy RVing!

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.  Visit his website at:  www.stonesstravelguides.com