First discovered during the summer of 1858, the nuggets at the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson Rivers were larger and more plentiful than those found near the mouth. At first called "The Forks", the community was named after Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton, Secretary of State for the Colonies in the 1860s. The townsite was built on a dry open flat above the river entirely bereft of trees, and where the wind blew constantly, stirring the light sandy soil into clouds of dust. Lieutenant R.C.Mayne, RN, who visited there in 1859, was not impressed, and complained of the wind that filled his eyes with grit. Lieutenant R.C.Mayne R.N."Four Years in British Columbia" p.109 Williams Directory of 1892 mentions "Lytton is 75 miles north of Yale, and 160 miles east of
Vancouver. Population is about 300. Mining and farming are the main industries. It is plentifully supplied with clear sparkling water from the streams flowing from the surrounding hills. The soil is very arable producing fruit and grain in abundance. 6 general stores are kept busy. There is a school, and 2 churches; Roman Catholic and Church of England." P.242. Today the Village of Lytton sprawls along the benchland and confluence of the Thompson and Fraser Rivers. Incorporated in May of 1945, the population of 322 permanent residents has hardly changed since 1894. (Encyclopedia of B.C. p.430) From Lytton the Cariboo Road (Highway 97) turns east and follows the Thompson River to Spence's Bridge, formerly called Cook's Ferry.
Lytton around 1865 (credit: BC Archives #HP-95308)
Pioneers of Lytton
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All text and images
© Quesnel & District Museum and Archives unless otherwise
noted. Thanks to the B.C. Archives for permission to show various
images. Thanks to the BC Encyclopedia for permission to quote information
on the roadhouse communities. Thanks to the Living Landscapes Project,
the Royal British Columbia Museum, Ministry of Community, Aboriginal
and Women's Services for their support of site development.
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