Having established a roadhouse farm at the foot of Williams Lake in 1860 Thomas Davidson sold the ranch to Thomas Menefee, a partner of Peter Dunlevy in the discovery of gold at Little Horsefly Creek in 1859. When Menefee took over the Mission Creek farm in the fall of 1861, he anticipated the building of a wagon road through the area within the next year or two. In 1863, as Wright's road approached Davidson's 150 Mile House, and turned north up Carpenter Mountain towards Deep Creek, Menefee knew then that his dream of a road was not going to happen. Menefee's ranch was not the only one to suffer from this devastating turn of events. William Pinchbeck, who had built up a sizeable ranch at Williams Lake, also suffered. For over 50 years, Williams Lake remained a backwater, until 1919, and the arrival of the PGE railway owner of the Williams Lake property at this time was Robert Borland, who sold the land to the Pacific Great Eastern Railway Co., giving rise to the eventual development of the town of Williams Lake. Today the City of Williams Lake, with a population of 10, 472 is located halfway between Kamloops and Prince George, and has remained a major ranching centre through the years. Since the 1970s logging, mining and tourism have also become important. The first Williams Lake Stampede was held in 1926, and has become a major annual attraction. (Encyclopedia of B.C., p.773.)
William Pinchbech's first ranch buildings at Williams Lake around 1870 (credit: BC Archives #HP66365. This only links to a text record at BC Archives)
William Pinchbeck and second wife Alice Killam (credit: BC Archives #G-03187)
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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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