Page 2

CENTENNIAL EDITION

Alexis Creek on
former ranch site

Largest village in the Chilcotin is Alexis Creek,

named for Chief Alexis of the Chilcotins.

The band

lived near the present Telford ranch in the 1860's.

Original settler on the site
of Alexis Creek was Alex
Graham, who came to’ America
with a school friend, Archie
Macauley, in 1886. The two
young men worked for a year
in Washington State before
heading for the Cariboo. ‘They
Passed through Vancouver
when it was only timber and
stumps and were offered 160
acres where the ,city is now
located for $40, but their

Chilcotin had
lime industry

The Chilcotin has produced
gold, furs, beef and lumber,
but it once had an industry
that was far removed from
those usually associated with
it.

True, it was not a large in-
dustry, nor did it flourish
long, but it produced as fine
a commercial lime as can be
found. ,

Just before the turn of the
century, a German named Fure-
heller on a prospecting trip
discovered a solid outcropping
of almost pure limestone
along the canyon walls of the
Chileotin River. At the base
of the 500-foot cliff he built
a rough kiln of slab rocks and
into this placed his limestone.
Over the open kiln he built
his fire and ‘cooked’ the rock
until only the lime was left.

Just when the little industry
started or how long it operated
has not been ascertained, but
it is believed the kiln fire died
out for the last time before
the turn of the century.

Today the forest has re-
claimed Fureheller’s cabin but
the kiln still remains.

LIMESTONE KILN
Here is all that remains
of an early day Chilcotin
industry. This pile of
rocks gradually being
~Yeclaimed by the forest
was a kiln in which
pieces of limestone were
heated and the pure lime
extracted. Standing to
the left of the kiln is
Ren Hance.

hearts were set on
ranching,

They crossed the Fraser by
boat and walked into the Chil-
cotin. Graham worked on the
Withrow Ranch below Hance
for two years, and Macaule
went on to Ale:
he pre-empted property later
known as the A.1 Ranch. When
Graham left the Withrow
Ranch, he went into partner-
ship with Macauley and this
lasted a few years. Then
Graham pre-empted his own
land, and his younger brother
took up 160 acres on the site
of the present village and held
it for his brother. Here the
home ranch was established.

Alex Graham was made a
justice of the peace around
1889, and held the office until
his death in 1934.

In 1889 Mr, Graham brought
his childhood sweetheart out
from Ireland and they were
married at Clinton. She was
the first white woman at Alexis
Creek and the only one there
for many years.

cattle

oe

Representative group of Horsefly residents is shown

Wrong road
to Cariboo

Stories of travel on the old
Cariboo Road usually include
the one about the clergyman
who took the wrong turning.

Rev. Thomas Derrick, a
Methodist minister who was
assigned to the Cariboo in the
year 1868, made his first trip
to Barkerville by stage coach.
Nearing Cache Creek, the
clerical gentleman got out of
the stage and ran on ahead
for a ways,
health and circulation” as he
afterwards wrote his superior.

Unfortunately, when he
came to the fork in the road,
he veered to the right, head-
ing for Kamloops. He trotted
along the road for some dis
tance and in the meantime the
coach passed the fork and went
on towards Clinton. By, the
time Mr. Derrick realized his
mistake, he was left well in
the rear.

He had to wait at Bonaparte
Ranch for the next stage,
which owing to fogs and other
delays, didn’t get there for an-
other two weeks.

About this episode the Cari-
boo Sentinel sententiously re-
marked: “The preacher was
coming here to tell us the way
to Heaven, and got lost on the
way to Cariboo.”

hers. ne picture was taken at a turkey shoot at
Christmas time, 1911. Back Tow, left to right, are
Ben Gruhs, Billy Reid, Bill Boswell, Hooper Pagues,
U. S. Chambers, Clyde Rose, Ed. Gaspard, Fred Gas-
pard, Will McCallum, Tom Mikkelsen, Al Campbell,

SN Ee
TRANSITION ON THE ROAD
There was evidence of a vanishing era on the

Cariboo Road when this picture was taken at
Clinton. In the background are a
freight wagons of the type that served
during its formative years. At
the early cars on the road,
age that was to replace th

transport.

number of
the Cariboo
the right is one of

sign of the automotive

Gus Engler, Pete Ross, Bernard Ford, Hope Pate

e colorful horse-drawn

4
n-

aude, Dan McCallum, Front, left to right, Jim Simp-
son, Rena Chandler (teacher), Jimmy Guy, Bert
Allan, Harry Walters (with rifle), Ivan Walters,
Claus Mikkelsen, Lloyd Walters, Glenn Walters.

Shortest
gold rush

The shortest gold rush on
record in British Columbia
occurred at Black Canyon,
to Ashcroft, in the early

60's.
There a_ hill

slid into the waters of the
Thompson River. The waters
were damnied up and the river
bed exposed.

Men, women and children;
whites, Indians and Chinese,
rushed to pick gold nuggets
out of the cracks exposed for
the first time in a thousand
years. Some made small for-
tunes in an hour. Ail hada
rich reward for their labors

And then the dam gave way
once more hid

and the waters
the treasure from sight.

serving

such

a

wonderful
“community

Stopping
place
of tents

The Becher House at Riske
Creek was not an old stopping
place as years are measured,
even in the Cariboo, but in the
early part of this century it
was extremely popular with
travellers to the Chilcotin.

In one period it could also
lay claim to one of the most
unusual stopping places.

Barly in 1913 the original
house burned down and
through that summer it was
being rebuilt, the owner con-
tinued operating with the use
of tents.

There was a large tent con-
taining the bar and dining
room, and instead of a room
for the night, you hired a small
tent. Old-timers report seeing
a dozen tents up at one time.

ESTABL

We have put our faith in local development and the future of the Cariboo by
establishing an entirely new building supply centre.

@ GENERAL BUILDING SUPPLIES
@ CABINET WORK
@ CLL. PAINTS

GEORGE CARLSON

4

ISHED CENTENNIAL YEAR

LEN CARLSON

d Products

| THE MAPLE LEAF HOTEL — as well known a centre as any in town due,
largely to Cariboo booster the late Benny Abbett, was first built on Oliver
Street and was known as The Grand Central Hotel,

Cameras s .
; Ted Weyneberg bought it from builders Bill and George Smith and, in turn,

Accessories sold to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Moxon in 1928. “
Souvenirs -
The Moxons removed the building to its present location on First Avenue

til aterials
Artist Material the same year they bought it.

Magazines ,
WHETHER FOR Candy It was purchased by Benny Abbott and Bill Townes in 1945, Townes relin-
Ciearettes quishing his interest the following year.

* TRANSPORTATION ~ HEATING = COOKING

1930 WAS THE YEAR IT ASSUM S
SHELL IS PROUD TO HAVE PLAYE p ITS PART IN YOUR PROGRESS SRD 1 PeEsEN?

APLE LEA

JACK ABBOT" :

BLACKWELL'S
PHOTO SERVICE ||) |
~ |} AIMITED

SID PIGEON

SHELL OIL DISTRIBUTORS

Williams Lake, B.C, Phone 10

GUS PECK