The 5 Best Things to do in Barkerville, Cariboo

Reviewed By PookyCake - Victoria, Canada

Growing up, and when I attended school, there was always something intriguing to me about pioneer life and the gold rush. The history textbooks would write about the exploits and adventures of Simon Fraser as he navigated the canyon that now bears his name; the difficulties people experienced while building the Cariboo Wagon Road were elucidated in much detail; the efforts of Chinese and First Nations railroad workers was noted; and the routes taken by gold prospectors as they navigated north of the 49th parallel and into the Cariboo region was highlighted as the beginning of BC’s industrial boom. Indeed, the descriptors, adjectives and images we were exposed to painted a rosy – albeit very sanitized – picture of BC’s early gold rush beginnings. Because our view of the gold rush town is so sanitized and romanticized, you can understand my excitement the first couple of times I visited Barkerville in the early and mid-1990s. Back then, my textbook understanding of what a gold rush town is and should be was still firmly in place. I was coming to Barkerville, I thought, to strike it rich! Well, okay . . . maybe not; however, I DID have it in my mind that I was going to find some gold to take home . . . and get rich! I wasn’t totally wrong on this, but more on that in a moment. For now, I’ll just say that my early visits to Barkerville were a lot of fun. I didn’t pay much attention to the history or interpretive displays at the time; however, I did take note of the buildings and period actors. After we paid our entrance fee and entered the Barkerville Historic Town and Park site, I couldn’t help but be wowed by what was spread out before me: Over 100 original buildings; 21 reconstructed buildings; and a literal living history: Here I was . . . in Barkerville . . . transported back in time to the height of the Cariboo gold rush circa 1860s. Mind blown. During these early visits, the family and I had a lot of fun and spent the better part of a whole day on site. I remember walking or running to various buildings and being totally surprised at how people lived or worked at the time. Being of school age, the Williams Creek Schoolhouse caught my attention for both its compact size and limited teaching resources (a few books and a chalkboard); the dental office was both horrifying and funny – horrifying because of the questionable dental tools and funny because of the mannequin display; the Waterwheel show was intriguing and slightly humorous, thanks to the character actors, as they told a tale and demonstrated how to operate the vintage Cornish Waterwheel and flume; and, of course, the blacksmith shop captivated the whole family’s attention as we absorbed the tools of the trade during the Victorian era in BC’s gold rush capital. Being in a historic gold rush town, though, the inevitable highlight for me was the opportunity to pan for gold. Would I actually get some? Would I strike it rich? Such questions went through my mind as we approached the gold pan set up, received our tutorial and began actually panning for gold. And wouldn’t you know it! By happy coincidence, I did manage to get a few tiny flakes of gold, which were nicely put into a small bottle for me to keep. Little did I know, of course, that the gold panning was all staged: Everybody would get at least a couple of thin flakes in their pans to take home. Still, for young kids, it’s an exhilarating and fun experience. You just won’t strike it rich like Billy Barker did in 1862. Barkerville, as a town, has a lot of depth (literally and figuratively). Founded in 1862 and named after Billy Barker, whose Williams Creek gold strike triggered the Cariboo gold rush, it functioned as the epicentre of BC’s gold rush boom. At its zenith, in the mid-1860s, it’s reported to have had a population of about 5,000 people. As such, Barkerville was recognized for a brief period as being the largest town north of San Francisco. Even today that fact amazes me. Unfortunately, like most boom towns centered on a single resource, the population declined quite sharply in the 1890s as the gold rush waned. There was a brief resurgence in Barkerville come the 1930s – thanks to a surge in gold prices – but that didn’t last long. Barkerville was subsequently recognized as a “Historic town” in 1958 by the Provincial Government and turned into the major tourist attraction it is today. Barkerville’s last full-time resident passed away in 1979. The history of Barkerville, and its significance to the early development of BC’s economy is beautifully told in book publications available at the Park’s admissions building as well as on interpretive plaques placed throughout the site. On recent visits to Barkerville (i.e.: 2019), my focus was much more on the history of the town rather than the actors and their interpretive dance. The historic buildings and their accompanying information plaques thus took center stage. As I ambled about town, I couldn’t help but notice that fewer buildings were open to explore versus my visit a few years earlier and, especially, in the 1990s. I’m not sure why this was the case, but it was a little disappointing. Nevertheless, I did enjoy exploring the likes of St. Saviour’s Anglican Church (built 1870), the whore house (haha) and Barkerville’s historic China Town. The Chee Kung Tong building is itself a National Historic Site of Canada, concomitant with the delicious Lung Duck Tong Restaurant, give a good sense and overview of what gold rush life was like. Additionally, if you’re feeling a bit adventurous, I’d also recommend walking off-site about 15-minutes towards the Barkerville cemetery. The “roadway” from Barkerville to the cemetery is actually an original part of the old Cariboo Wagon Road. How’s that for cool? Of course, a bit of nostalgia played into my recent visit as well. It was nice to have my grandparents on site, just as they’d been some 25 years earlier. They moved a bit slower, but still had an enjoyable time walking along Barkerville’s main street, seeing the period actors, stagecoach, and then enjoying a quick bite at the Wake-Up Jake. In short, Barkerville is a wildly dynamic site and very much a form of “living history” as I’ve said elsewhere. Whether you’re young or old, there’s something here for you to see and enjoy. With its impressive set of historic buildings, period costumes, live performances and pleasant staff, Barkerville truly is an “authentic, unique, world-class heritage experience.” At minimum, one should devote at least a full day to explore the area; however, I’d argue that two would be more appropriate to take it all in. One final recommendation: While all of the restaurants in Barkerville are pretty decent, I must strongly recommend a visit to the House Hotel and Saloon. The hotdogs served here are worth their weight in gold ;)