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CENTENNIAL EDITION

This picture of 150 Mile House in the early days
shows freight wagons winding their way through the
small settlement. The picture was probably taken in

150 Mile House was quite a busy
community in earlier days

Development of transportation in the Cariboo

has made and broke several communities.

One of

these is the 150 Mile House, closest neighboring
community to Williams Lake.

Back in the gold rush days

and for many years after-
wards, it was 150 Mile House
that boasted of being the dis-
tribution centre for this part
of the Cariboo. With Horse-
fly 45 miles east, Quesnel
Forkes 54 miles north-east,
and the roads leading out to
the Chilcotin and the Dog
Creek country, 150 Mile House
was a natural trading point.

The Davison brothers were
the original locaters in 1861.
They started farming and
probably gave no thought to
the spot developing into a
major distribution set-up since
at the time it was not thought
that the Cariboo Road would
pass there. As the Hud-
son’s Bay Company brigade
trail went down through the
Williams Lake area until it

reached the Fraser and then
turned north to Soda Creek,
the new road being constructed
should have followed this
route.

The road contractors on this
stretch were G. B. Wright and
John C. Calbraith, and they
had the right to run the road
where they liked — subject to
approval, a phrase that seemed
to mean very little.

The year was 1862 and it
was an important one for 150
Mile House.

Tom Manitee, original owner
of the Williams Lake property,
had a serious row with Wright
and Calbraith over some
money matters. The Davison
brothers heard of the squabble
and made a proposition to the
contractors to swing the road

EARLY DAYS AT THE 1.

<

50 MILE

the early 1900’s. The original is in the possession of
Mrs. Jack McPhail of 150 Mile.

through the 150 Mile, which
was accepted.

These original owners of the
150 Mile property disposed of
it to A. S. Bates, who rented
it out to different people and
finally about 1870 decided to
carry it on himself. Bates pros-
pered and eventually he had a
hotel, store and blacksmith
shop, as well as running about
4100 head of cattle. A Cariboo
miner, Jim Griffin, leased the
hotel about 18

About 1876 Gavin Hamilton,
chief factor with the Hu
ay Company at Fort St.

James, decided to leave th

and settle somewhere near a
school since ne had a large
family. He met Bates, who of-
fered to sell him the 150 Mile
House property. The deal went
through for about $35,000
cash. Hamilton didn't have
much success with the stop-
ping place and at the end of
ten years he gave it up.

The well-known firm of
Veith and Borland bought the
Property for around $5,000.
They built it up to its former
flourishing state and at the
end of 15 years the property

was sold as a going concern
to an English company for
$90,000.

In the early days the 150
Mile was noted for its sports.
You could get a poker game,
horse race or dog fight on
short notice and betas muawi
as you liked.

The coming of the P.G.m.
spoiled any chance of 150 Mile
developing. Business gravitatea
to Williams ke, including
the branch of the Bank of
Montreal that had been estab-
lished there.

It has only been in the last
five years that the 150 Mile
has shown signs of’ develop-
ment again, as traffic contin-
ues to increase along the Cari-
boo Highway.

THE WILLIAMS LAKE TRIEUN,

: Early family names of district

Page 3

residents —

°

anode Sfficial lana records,

s original pre-emptions

naa ae also show the

i Many families still
7S it the country.

At 70 and 100 ite houses,
Pre-emptions Were recorded by
John Adrian ana Thomas Mil-
ler during September, 1862.

Tn fhe Lae La Hache area,
early pre-emptions were taken
out by Hudson's Bay Company
employees. Archibald McKinley
preempted Lot 4, G.I. Lilloo-
et District. James McKinley
achuired Lot 161 in 1869.
Henry Felker recorded his pre-
emption in January, 1863.

On a pre-emption transfer,
land was acquired by Rey.
James Maria MeGuckin, 0.M.1.
on behalf of St. Joseph’s Mis-
sion between October 1867 and
April 1869.

Francis Jones Barnard, foun-
der of the B.x. Express Com-
pany, applied for lots 1, 2 and

8 on San Jose Creek. The
Property Was used as a stage
depot and reservoir stock farm
for horses.

For land described as “at
the head of Williams Lake,”
C. B. Eagle was issued a
Crown Grant containing 320
acres in December 1867. W.L.
Meason also acquired land
around this date. Completing
the list of land taken up by
early settlers in the 150 Mile
area, Gavin Hamilton secured
a Crown Grant in December
1878.

What was later the Borland

How Cariboo

‘The origin of place names *

is always a matter of interest
to visitors, and “Cariboo” is
no exception.

Obvious explanation is that
the miners, who shot and ate
this animal, could not spell
“caribou,” hence the mis-
spelled word handed down

“wthrocShthe years.

There is one legend though
that attributes the origin of
the name to an accident that
occurred on Williams Creek
in the first yearst of mining
there.

The resident magistrate,
William G. Cox, called Judge
Cox out of courtesy, was an
Irishman, a bit of a gay dog
and an innocent sort of brag-
gart. He bragged one day that
he could go to the edge of
town and shoot a caribou, and,

Ranch, in the general area of
the present dairy in Williams
Lake, was recorded in the
mame of Moses Dancerault in
April, 1860. After various
transactions the holdings of
Dancerault and John Telfer
were consolidated in a crown
grant on June 29, 1885, in
the name of William Pinch-
beck for 1480 acres. Portion
of this land now forms the
Williams Lake townsite.

For land on Meldrum Creek
Charles MeVittie recorded a
claim on August 14, 1868, but
as he did not complete his
title, the distinction fell on
Thomas Meldrum to be the
first pre-emptor to secure a
Crown Grant which was issued
August 1, 1867. Meldrum was
the first white man to settle
permanently in the Chilcotin.

on the San Jose on January 5,
1885.

In 1870 William L. Meason
transferred 200 acres at 50c an
acre to C. Hagle. The land now
forms part of Onward Ranch.

R. Borland acquired land in
1865.

Of the earliest settlers at
Dog Creek, only four complet-
d title to their claims. Of
these Moses Pigeon located
there on August 17, 1866, fol-
lowed by Allen Graham and
Jesse Davis during the year
1870. Isidore Versepuche (also
known as Vespuois Gaspard)
obtained a record on Nevember
6, 1861 for 160 acres near the
mouth of Dog Creek with the
right to use the water stream.
Later the same month Samuel
Leander Charles Brown pre-
empted 160 acres described as
being immediately above the
old crossing trail.

Joseph Haller pre-empted in

1869 on the Big Bar Creek.

On Alkali Lake the first pre-
emptor was Herman 0. Bowe
on March 19, 1861 with Philip
Grinder, who later abandoned
his right. Bowe re-recorded
320 acres in his own name on
September 7, 1867. This be-
came the first cattle ranch in
British Columbia. At this site
Bowe opened a wayside stop-
ping place on the trail before
construction of the Cariboo
road.

At Little Dog Creek, one of
the most prominent settlers,
although not the first one, was
William Laing Meason. The
first evidence of his presence
in the district was November
6, 1873.

For land described as being
on the north fork of the Ch
cotin River, the Hudson’s Bay
Company was given a grant for
100 acres as “Fort Chilcotin”
on October 26, 1900.

Chimney Creek shows a cer-
tificate was issued to John =

Laveau in October, 1861. Five
years later he transferred his
interests to J. Rose, who in
turn assigned his interests
to Amedee Isnardy in 1876.
Another early settler was Ed-
ward Doherty whose record
dated to November 1867.

In the McLeese valley pre-
emptions were made to Robert
McLeese and J. T. Lenay and
Thomas Stoddart in 1863.

Pre-emptions were taken out
in July 8, 1861 by Charles
Fisher, William Pinchbeck and
Moses Dancerault on land des-
cribed as Deep Creek prairie.

J. Murphy pre-empted land

sot its name

being challenged, laid a wager

The boys of the town then
went up Stout's Gulch into
the hills, killed a bull caribou,
propped it up on the hillside

and fastened a rope to the
‘When the judge arrived
on the scene he fired at the
animal and a concealed con-
spirator pulled the rope to
bring the carcass down. The
boys offered to carry it home
and Cox hurried to spread the

prop.

news of his marksmanship.

The joke was told in the bar
room that night, it spread up
every creek and was repeated
all the way down the road to
Yale. For weeks after, Cox
would take the offensive say-
ing, “ Boo, boo, boo, Cariboo
boo, booo!” People finally
tired of the joke but the name
stuck and the country is still
the Cariboo.

Margaret Webber

Allan Montford

Elsie Timpany

AS BRITISH COLUMBIA CELEBRATES ITS 100th BIRTHDAY, SIMPSONS-

SEARS LIMITED TAKES PLEASURE IN PROVIDING A SECOND TO NONE
MAIL ORDER SERVICE TO EVERY CORNER OF THE CARIBOO.

Phone 219

LIMITED

Williams Lake, B.C.

Our Centennial Year 1958

WE CELEBRATED

BY BUILDING

x The

YEARS OF PROGRESS

in Williams Lake.
* The new school at Glendale

* Acting as joint contractors
on the new Kiwanis Health
Centre in Williams Lake.

G. & L. CARLSON CONSTRUCTION

LIMITED
Phone 239.

100

new Tom-Boy store in

and of
- Leather -

—

Few of us can go back more than fifty years in
the Province of British Columbia, but we should
all realize that the foundation upon which one
hundred years of progress has been built, has
been due largely to the indomitable spirit of the
pioneers who gave their best and their all, and
with too, just as much concern for the welfare of

their neighbours as themselves.

In going into the second century, let us ever keep
in mind the unselfish labours and integrity of
the early settlers, in order that our destiny may

be achieved through the spirit of true citizenship.

me
LEE

LADIES WEAI

(Margot ¥. Lee—Frank L, Lee—Helen M, Lee)
in Ladies, Wear.

Specializing Infants and Children’s

Coats — Dresses — Suits — Sportswear — Hosiery
Lingerie — Foundations — Footwear — Wool — Yardage
Bedding — Linens — Gift Items — Floral Agents.

P.O. Box 277, 21.23 First Avenue South,

Williams Lake, B.C.

For 100 years, the Cariboo has made the fullest
use of leather - from the earliest times when
all transport was by horse — or foot!

Eighteen years ago Tony Borkowski started a
leather business in Williams Lake in tiny prem-
ises .. . repairing shoes, performing the intricate
arts of saddlery and, in fact, doing everything
one can do with leather.

This small one-man business has grown with the
Cariboo in these later years when great steps
have taken place. Keeping confidence with the
hopes and aspirations of its hardy people, Tony
has built as fine a leather goods store as any in
the province in the firm knowledge that leather
and the craftsmanship it demands will be a prime
requisite of people in the Cariboo for a long time
to come.

Tony’s Leather Goods