Back in time to the Gold Rush

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We're in Wells now. There isn't any internet access in Barkerville, or cell phones either. Why would there be? The town is in the late 1800's. It's a total hoot. If Ashcroft was like going back to the '60's, Barkerville is really like going back into history.

We were able to stay in a bed and breakfast right in the town. Apparently Barkerville is the only historic site in Canada were you can sleep on site. I'm so glad we did it as we felt really immersed in the period. Everyone working there dresses in costume and stays in character the whole time. Some of them even bring their kids along, and Simone and Adrienne spent quite a bit of time playing with girls dressing in "Little House on the Prairie" outfits.

In the morning you see the town wake up. A fellow dressed in an oilskin (I think that's what they are called) coat and a cowboy hat pushes a wheelbarrow full of hay past our living room window to feed the horses stabled across the street (a dirt path really) and the wagons get hitched up. You can have the freight deliver your luggage to the house if you like! How cool is that. A lady dressed in a long dress and apron arrives wrapped in a shawl to cook our breakfast. There is a group of "Royal Engineers" camping on site here. They are volunteers who travel to places like this to interpret history. They sure know how to camp. Their tents have woodstoves to warm them. They've brought along cupboards, china, quilts and all sorts of "luxuries" from home, because the chief engineer has to be able to entertain in style. It's a hoot talking to them, especially the teenage daughters who have been dragged along and are totally unimpressed with the whole thing! Probably exactly how the children of the time felt.

In the evening we stroll over to Chinatown for supper. I'm puzzled by the odd chairs that seem rather wobbly. I'm told they are called "Cariboo Tipper" chairs. The front legs are rounded so that you would fall off if you fell asleep or something like that.

We've been able to partake in many of the activities here. We went for a stagecoach ride, spent a morning being "educated" in the school house, and listened to the travelling judge pontificate on justice of the time. We also attended a rather poignant show in the theatre about the hardships that "overlanders" suffered as they walked from the east coast to the gold fields. Improbably, the show was a musical.

I'm really glad that we came here. It's a great place.

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