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Ranches along the Fraser River
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The Dunlevy roadhouse on the original wagon road north of Soda Creek. (credit: Branwen C. Patenaude, Quesnel)
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From Soda Creek to Alexandria, the original wagon road winds along close to the Fraser River. On the way are several of the most productive and beautiful ranches in the Cariboo. From Soda Creek north are the Dunlevy Ranch, dating back to 1861, and the Pickard ranch of the early 1900s. This piece of the Highway was bypassed in the 1950s, but is still used extensively.
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Pickard Ranch beside original road (credit: Vancouver Public Library)
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Mud Lake House site by original road (credit: Branwen C. Patenaude, Quesnel)
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Another piece of original wagon road of the 1860s runs for several miles north of Soda Creek, off the east side of Highway 97, known now as Robertson Road, it meets Highway 97 again at McLeese Lake. At the crest of the hill, on this 3 or 4-mile route, was the site of Mud Lake House, of the early 1860s. In 1984, owner of the property, Zander Robertson had the original logs from Mud Lake House stacked up in the field beside the road. The logs, felled from the local forest, were all squared, and measured 22 inches by 10 inches by 40ft. in length.
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The Australian Ranch in 1863, the original road ran through the ranch until the 1950s when it was bypassed. (credit: BC Archives #HP60194)
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The Bohanon Ranch in 1862, the original power poles can still be seen from a time when the Cariboo Road ran through the ranch. (credit: Steven Hilborn, Quesnel)
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The Henry Moffat ranch (credit: Jack Nelson, Quesnel)
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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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