Cottonwood House
Constructed on the Cariboo Wagon Road between 1864 and 1865,
Cottonwood House served miners
 and travelers heading to Barkerville
and the Cariboo Goldfields, or going west and south to Quesnel and
Victoria. Horses were changed and hearty meals were offered to
stagecoach drivers and passengers, as well as accommodation. In the
General Store across from the house, all the hardware and provisions
needed for survival in the mountain wilderness were available. John
Boyd's family welcomed travelers and managed the site between 1874
and 1951! Cottonwood used to serve as a telegraph office for the
Overland Telegraph, and you can still see some of its poles and
wires here.
Cottonwood House is situated between the Cottonwood River and
Highway 26, 28 km east of Quesnel and on your way to Barkerville.
The original Cariboo Wagon Road runs right through the property as
it heads toward the famous goldfields of the Barkerville district.
Cottonwood is only a 25 minute drive from Quesnel and a 40 minute
drive from Barkerville.
Want More Information?
Cottonwood House is managed by School District 28 (Quesnel). For further information, please visit the Cottonwood House website
at: http://www.cottonwoodhouse.ca
Special web link:
The Gold Rush Trail
is a Canada's Digital Collections website that provides a look at
the Fraser River Gold Rush of 1858, the discoveries in the Cariboo
in 1861 and the construction of the famous Cariboo Wagon Road.
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