The Cariboo Trail

Early in 1849 the sleepy quiet of Victoria, Vancouver Island, was disturbed by the arrival of straggling groupsof ragged nondescript wanderers, who were neither trappers nor settlers. They carried blanket packs on theirbacks and leather bags belted securely round the waist close to their pistols. They did not wear moccasinsafter the fashion of trappers, but heavy, knee-high, hobnailed boots. In place of guns over their shoulders, theyhad picks and hammers and such stout sticks as mountaineers use in climbing. They did not forgather with theIndians. They shunned the Indians and had little to say to any one. They volunteered little...
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The Cariboo TrailThe Cariboo Trail, by Agnes C. Laut 1CHAPTER ICHAPTER IICHAPTER IIICHAPTER IVCHAPTER VCHAPTER VICHAPTER VIICHAPTER VIIIThe Cariboo Trail, by Agnes C. LautThe Project Gutenberg EBook of The Cariboo Trail, by Agnes C. Laut This eBook is for the use of anyoneanywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use itunder the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.netTitle: The Cariboo Trail A Chronicle of the Gold-fields of British ColumbiaAuthor: Agnes C. LautRelease Date: September 1, 2009 [EBook #29885]Language: EnglishCharacter set encoding: ISO-8859-1*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE CARIBOO TRAIL ***Produced by Al HainesThe Cariboo Trail, by Agnes C. Laut 2[Frontispiece: The first Legislative Assembly of Vancouver IslandBack Row--J. W. MKay, J. D. Pemberton, J. Porter (Clerk) Front Row--T. J. Skinner, J. S. Helmcken, M. D.,James YatesAfter a Photograph]THECARIBOO TRAILA Chronicle of the Gold-fields of British ColumbiaBYAGNES C. LAUTTORONTOGLASGOW, BROOK & COMPANY1916Copyright in all Countries subscribing to the Berne Convention{v}CONTENTSPageI. THE ARGONAUTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 II. THE PROSPECTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 III. CARIBOO . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . 33 IV. THE OVERLANDERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 V. CROSSING THE MOUNTAINS . . . . . . . .. 68 VI. QUESNEL AND KAMLOOPS . . . . . . . . . . 80 VII. LIFE AT THE MINES . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 VIII.THE CARIBOO ROAD . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE . . . . . . . . . . 110 INDEX . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 112{vii}ILLUSTRATIONSTHE FIRST LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF VANCOUVER ISLAND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FrontispieceAfter a photograph.THE CARIBOO COUNTRY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Facing page 1 Map by Bartholomew.SIR JAMES DOUGLAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 From a portrait by Savannah.INDIANS NEAR NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. . . . . . . . . . . . 12 From a photograph by Maynard.The Cariboo Trail, by Agnes C. Laut 3IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 From a photograph.A GROUP OF THOMPSON RIVER INDIANS . . . . . . . . . . . 36 From a photograph by Maynard.SIR MATTHEW BAILLIE BEGBIE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 From a portrait by Savannah.A RED RIVER CART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 From a photograph.WASHING GOLD ON THE SASKATCHEWAN . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 From a photograph.{viii}IN THE YELLOWHEAD PASS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 From a photograph.UPPER MLEOD RIVER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 From a photograph.THE CARIBOO ROAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 From a photograph.INDIAN GRAVES AT LYTTON, B.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 From a photograph.[Illustration: Map of the Cariboo Country]{1}CHAPTER I 4CHAPTER ITHE ARGONAUTSEarly in 1849 the sleepy quiet of Victoria, Vancouver Island, was disturbed by the arrival of straggling groupsof ragged nondescript wanderers, who were neither trappers nor settlers. They carried blanket packs on theirbacks and leather bags belted securely round the waist close to their pistols. They did not wear moccasinsafter the fashion of trappers, but heavy, knee-high, hobnailed boots. In place of guns over their shoulders, theyhad picks and hammers and such stout sticks as mountaineers use in climbing. They did not forgather with theIndians. They shunned the Indians and had little to say to any one. They volunteered little information as towhence they had come or whither they were going. They sought out Roderick Finlayson, chief trader for theHudsons Bay Company. They wanted provisions from the company--yes--rice, flour, ham, salt, pepper, sugar,and tobacco; and at the smithy they {2} demanded shovels, picks, iron ladles, and wire screens. It was onlywhen they came to pay that Finlayson felt sure of what he had already guessed. They unstrapped those littleleather bags round under their cartridge belts and produced in tiny gold nuggets the price of what they hadbought.Finlayson did not know exactly what to do. The fur-trader hated the miner. The miner, wherever he went,sounded the knell of fur-trading; and the trapper did not like to have his game preserve overrun by fellowswho scared off all animals from traps, set fire going to clear away underbrush, and owned responsibility to noauthority. No doubt these men were argonauts drifted up fr ...