Gold. With that one little word and its promise of fabulous wealth, people from all parts of the world came to British Columbia in the 1850s and ‘60s. Most were ill equipped for the difficult terrain, the icy water, and the inhospitable climate. Some found the mother lode. Others settled for becoming rich merchants. Most became impoverished, and a large number lost their lives. With new roads and new settlers, the gold rush helped build Canada’s West. This pictorial history tells the stories of the Fraser and Cariboo gold rush and of the lives involved in that tumultuous but decisive moment in Canadian history.
About the Author
Historian Dr. Beverley Boissery, the author of A Deep Sense of Wrong and Uncertain Justice, is a full-time writer who lives in Crescent Beach, British Columbia.
Like Beverley, Bronwyn Short was born and raised in New South Wales, Australia, where she studied and taught history. She now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she writes and edits women’s studies.
