Barkerville Historic Town
Canada Landmarks and Tourist Spots
Barkerville Historic Town
Barkerville, British Columbia
Barkerville was the main town of the Cariboo Gold Rush in British Columbia, Canada and is preserved as an historic town. It is located on the Quesnel Highland near the Cariboo Mountains 80 kilometres (50 mi) east of Quesnel.
In 1958, the government of British Columbia decided that the town should be restored and operated as a tourist attraction. Today, Barkerville appears as it did in its heyday, and visitors can step back in time and marvel at its past. "Barkerville Historic Town" now greets visitors from all over Canada and other parts of the world, including thousands of students. The history of each building has been meticulously researched and documented. No actual residents remain. They were either bought out or moved to New Barkerville during the restoration of the site.
Barkerville, once the largest town in the Cariboo - and for a while in all of British Columbia, was situated on the western edge of the Cariboo Mountains. It was named after Billy Barker from Cambridgeshire, England, who struck gold in 1862. Barkerville grew up almost overnight, and was a case of "growth via word of mouth". Barkerville grew as fast as word of Barker’s strike spread. His claim would eventually yield 37,500 ounces (1,065 kg/2,350 lb) of gold.
