We experienced many a rainy and cloudy day over the past few weeks so we were hoping for a break in the weather. When we reached Quesnel, our wishes were granted. The weather was sunny and the breezes were warm. We found an amazing private campground (Robert’s Roost) positioned right on beautiful Dragon Lake. The RV park was such a pleasant surprise as we aren’t used to finding special private campgrounds. Most have been rather crowded with little space between RVs. Robert’s Roost also hosts weddings so the gardens around the park were beautiful. Ken made a huge roaring fire one night and the wild windst0rm whipped up the flames. We met a nice couple from the BC area and chatted while the kids roasted an interesting rice square dessert.
We had heard a lot about Barkerville and decided to take the hour drive to this historic town in the Cariboo gold fields. The route (Highway 26)was the original Cariboo Wagon Trail and had many attractions along the way. We made a stop at the historical “Blessing’s Grave”. Charles Morgan Blessing was murdered in 1866 on his way to Barkerville. His killer, James Barry, was caught when he gave a keepsake of Blessings to a dance hall girl. James Barry was the only white man hanged in the Cariboo during the gold rush. We also stopped at the ghost gold rush towns of Stanley and Van Winkle. The last stop before Barkerville was the town of Wells. Once home to a big gold mine, Wells now is an attraction for tourists due in part to the very colorful array of houses.
When we reached Barkerville, we expected a rather touristy kind of place. What we found was an amazing and authentic town full of old mining stores, hotels and houses. It gave us such a sense of going back in time to the old gold rush days. People in costume passed us by and bid us “Good Day!” Barkerville was named for miner Billy Barker who struck gold on Williams Creek. The resulting gold rush in 1862 created Barkerville. History really was brought back to life in this historic town. We loved it!
