Exploring the Gold Rush Trail - Lillooet, BC

Lillooet, BC, is considered to be
Mile 0 of the Cariboo Wagon Trail.
I had originally assumed that the Gold Rush
Trail started somewhere near Hope or Lytton, or
perhaps even New Westminster.
Certainly there are names that you could associate with the Trail
in all of those cities, Cariboo Road, Prospect Point
and Smugglers Cove being amongst them.
History is full of twists and turns and
convolutions that need sorting out in ones mind to
make sense of the big picture.
I now come to think of the Gold Rush in
British Columbia as the "Gold Rush Adventure."

The actual Gold Rush in B.C. started in 1858, the Cariboo
Wagon Trail was constructed by the Royal Engineers from
1861 onwards.

Many hope filled prospectors landed in Victoria, New Westminster, or any number
of way points along the way.
They needed to find provisions and supplies to make
the arduous journey into the gold fields of Barkerville, and these
cities met their needs.

Lillooet became the first major stopping point
for the prospectors on their journeys to the gold fields.
Water navigation was possible to ports like
Yale and Port Douglas, after that, it was
the overland routes.

It seems that the actual "Gold Rush Trail"
is not was I have originally perceived it to be.
The "Trail" is actually several different routes,
pathways, wagon tracks, and roads to adventure that
the original prospectors used.

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Exploring the Gold Rush Trail - The Fraser Canyon

You cannot come away from any exploration
of the Gold Rush Trail unchanged.
The staggering vistas of sagebrush and
broken dreams, tales of heroism
and folly are enough to engender
a new appreciation for both Mother Nature and
the human spirit.

Both men and women were drawn to this area
for the promise of unlimited wealth and riches.
Many hundreds would settle along the route to
establish roadhouses, dance halls, farming communities,
cattle ranches and supply lines for the Gold Rush contenders.
They literally changed the face of the land.

To fully understand this time in our provinces' history,
I needed to see and understand the land.
As a photographer,
I have been drawn to the essence of the land,
its spirit,
and what it means to the people who live on it and with it.

The Fraser Canyon is as vast as it is beautiful.
The Fraser River plunges through the
ancient rocks of the Coast Mountains,
creating a myriad of canyons and gorges.
She is completely awe inspiring.
Hanging on the verge
of sheer drop offs with your knees turning watery from
vertigo, Gold Fever seems a far distant
affliction.

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