Thursday, December 9, 1984, {HE TRIBUNE, WILLIAMS LARS, B.6, Bago § Duo, Therm Heaters . Thor Refrigerators Thor Ranges Beatty Washers and many other standard lines _ That About Describes Us But in taking over the business of Smedley & Sharp Ltd., we intend to carry on the fine business reputation _built up by that pioneer hardware firm and to steadily improve the service and stock selection to keep pace With our ever- growing district. We want you to feel welcome to drop in anytime you are downtown shopping, to look over our store and the fine selection of hardware and household lines we carry. BILL SNYDER, Snyder’s Hardware. OF ALL AGES TOYS FOR YOUNSTERS A New Business In An Old Location Remember our Pre-Chrisimas SUNSET | SALE continues this week Buy Now and Save! Visit Our Toyland Display The chief speakers were scheduled to be Sam Prior and Wm. Lowden, but unfortunately Mr. Prior was un- able to attend. John Lynes, who was born in Williams Lake 86 years ago, filed the vacancy with his humorous recollections of the early days of Quesnel Forks and his discovery of gold at Cedar Creek. Henry Windt opened the meeting by using a reference map of the Cari- boo showing the locations of Quesnel Forks in respect to the rest of the Cariboo. Quesnel Forks is 60 miles upriver from the mouth of the Ques- nel, situated on a flat at the foot of the mountain where the north fork joins the fork from Quesnel Lake. With the aid of his map Mr. Windt traced the route used by the miners over the Old Brigade Trail. Mining in B.C. began with gold being found in the sandbars of the lower Fraser, Boston Bar being one. The miners worked up the river until they reach- ed the mouth of the Chilcotin in 1857. The Indians told of a place where there were “lots of yellow stones.” The following spring a party met at the south end of Lac La Hache and travelled on into the Horsefly district where the first gold in nug- get form was found in the Cariboo in 1858. Other miners on the Fraser work: on up to Fort Alexandria where they learned from an Indian woman of the Quesnel River with -its golden sand. They followed up the river to the twin forks where the gold got coarser so they sesrched. the hills and creeks nearby, striking it rich. TOWN STARTED A town was started at the Forks hich was known at times as The Scenes like this illustrate how. your Power Commission is constantly improving, heavying up” and expanding its lines to bring the best possible electri- cal service, at the flick of a switch, to an ever increasing number of customers. This means BETTER British Columbians THROUGH ELECTRICITY! LIVING for ‘FTOUFESS..— The “History of Quesnel Forks’? was the theme of the speakers at a recent meeting of the Williams Lake and District Historical Society held in the High School Auditorium. Forks, Quesnelle City, and finally Quesnel Forks. In the early 60’s it was the most populated city on the mainland with about 5000 people, 20 houses, about 12 stores, boarding houses, whiskey shops and a tent village on a 10-acre area. ‘The townsite was surveyed in 1861 by Col. Moody. Dennis Lynch built the first jail in 1861 and also a gov- ernment office. Later in 1861 Barry and Alder built a 200-foot bridge across the Quesnel River to connect the town with the road newly-built in to Williams Lake for the use of the miners for supplies. ; In 1861 Beaver Lake was estab- lished where, in that same year, 58 mules were sold. Two stores were opned by Dunlevy and Sellers, former miners who later pushed on up the north fork to Barkerville. The story was told “of how Bob Harrison and Jimmy Seivewright came over on a prospecting trip from Keithley to Quesnel Forks and made a strike in 1862. Bob Borland in his old reports told of Chinese working on both north and south forks of the Quesnel River. CEDAR CREEK STROKE In 1866 a strike was made at Cedar Creek. This also was the year that Quesnel Forks was completely de- stroyed by fire in July, which raced up both sides of the river. The smoke was so dense at Kangaroo Creek that it was dark by 4 p.m. causing a near panic when some of the miners thought it was the end of the world. Some prospectors barely saved their lives by jumping into the Quesnel River. Over 20 Chinese miners were burned to death, In 1870 there was a new strike at Quesnel Forks and in 1876 William Stevenson, Barkerville miner, was made Government agent. He was also superintendent, Justice of the Peace, Lad Agent, Assessor and collector of Taxes, and Mining Recorder. John Twan was his first road foreman. In 1908 the Govt. office was moved to 150 Mile with Grain as agent. In the late 70’s and early 80's with the miners travelling on to Barker- ville, Quesnel Forks became almost a ghost town with. just a few white men and Chinese left. BULLION STRIKE Then came the Bullion strike in the 90’s, when, with the building of the Golden River Dam at the present site of Likely and the reopening of the Bullion Mine by J. B. Hobsoa, Quesnél Forks “became a boom town again. Incidentally this dam, which was the focal point of a: story in the Saturday Evening Post about 3 years ago, was built at a cost of $300,000, Despite all this cost the operation lasted just one season as it was dis- covered that former miners, either white or Chinese, had “wing-dain- med" the river and cleaned out all Quesnel Forks Had Early History As Mining Centre, Speakers Recall the gold. Everything, including tools, was abandoned to the wilds. The Bullion was re-opened in later years. During its heyday it was the largest hydraulic operation in the world. Production for one season was $365,000. Another year saw $250,000 made into two bricks of $125,000 each. FIRST GOLD COMMISSIONER. Wm. Stevenson was the first Gold Commissioner, according to Miss Jessie Foster, herself a government agent with a wealth of pioneer in- formation, being the granddaughter of Robt. McLeese (for whom Mc- Leese Lake was named) and daugh- ter.of well-known Capt. Foster, who “steamboated” on the Fraser river from Soda Creek northwards. : Bill Lowden, who arrived in 1908 to work for the Bullion Mine, spoke on the mine operation. He told of the dam, the 12-mile ditch from Morehead Lake and the 18-mile ditch from Polly’s Lake; of the wide intake pipes 6 ft. in diameter which dropped a distance of 300 feet, being reduced to 9 inches through a, monitor thus developing tremendous force. Doug Stevenson read Gold Com- missioner Judge Howe's report from the “History of B.C.’ It reported that. in the fall of 1860 a group of pros- pectors, Rose, McDonald and Weaver, discovered gold at Keithley. The first.pan yielded $25 and the second $75. Word of the strike leaked out and the rush was on. Wm. Bellmond who was born in Quesnel Forks, and whose father crosseé@ the plains to Washington in a covered wagon, going into Quesnel Forks in 1896 as carpenter for J. B. (continued on page 8) Turkey - Shoot Sunday, Dec. 5 10 a.m. Bailey’s Range 4 miles north of town on Mountain House Cut-off Skill and Novelty Matches Open Sights or Any Sights Hunting Rifles or Bull Guns Bows & Arrows or Air Guns Sponsored by Cariboo Marksmen \\ . HERES GO IN ANY WEATHER ON ANY KIND OF ROAD.. - BEGoodrich © MUD-SNOW See us right away for B.F.G. Mud-Snow Truck Tires C & S Tire Service Ltd. Complete Tire Service Phone 27-R-2 Williams Lake