About the Book

In 1858, some 30,000 gold seekers stampeded to the Fraser River. Scores perished during the gruelling journey, but some made their fortune and many pressed on northwards to the creeks of the Cariboo. Originally compiled by Art Downs, founder of Heritage House, this is a vivid and detailed account of the first gold strikes, the miners who made them and the incredible efforts to establish transportation routes and build roads to the Cariboo goldfields. Here are the stories of the legendary Williams Creek diggings, which yielded a golden harvest of over $2.6 million in 1862, and creeks with names like Lightning, Jack of Clubs and Last Chance.

Also included are excerpts from Walter B. Cheadle’s journals. Cheadle and Lord Viscount Milton became the first tourists to the Cariboo in 1863. Richly descriptive and touched with humour, Cheadle’s first-hand account is a fascinating window into Cariboo history.