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EspañolWILLIAM BARKER (PROSPECTOR)
:''For other men named William Barker, see William Barker''
'William Barker' (baptized 7 June 1817 – 11 July 1894) was a Canadian gold prospector and miner who participated in the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in 1858 and the Cariboo Gold Rush in 1862 in the modern province of British Columbia.
William Barker was born in Cambridgeshire, England and followed in the footsteps of his father and worked as a waterman on the canals. He married Jane Lavender and had a daughter, Emma Eliza.
In the 1840's when railways were beginning to make canals obsolete, William left England for the United States where he participated in the California Gold Rush. [1]
William Barker arrived in British Columbia in 1858, for the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush and worked a claim on Canada Bar, near Lillooet.
When he heard of the strikes in the Cariboo region in 1861, he moved on to this new center of activity and with five other men, staked a claim on William's Creek on August 15,1862 and a second claim on August 17th. Many of the other prospectors believed that this second claim (Barker No.2) was too far down the creek, but Barker was persistent and dug a shaft down 40 feet and found a very rich deposit, which ran right down to 52 feet. Barker's two claims would eventually yield 37,500 oz of gold. It was a major discovery and made him a (transiently) wealthy man. News of the strike soon spread and the town that sprung up near Barker No.2 was called Barkerville in his honor.
After such a successful season, Barker spent the winter in Victoria and re-married in January 1863. His bride was Elizabeth Collyer, from London, England. Elizabeth spent the following summer at Barkerville with her husband, where, by then, there were three shafts operating on Barker No.2. Tragically, Elizabeth would die just over two years later on May 21, 1865.
In the early 1870's William Barker tried his luck at Horsefly Creek, where the initial strike of the Cariboo had been made, and he would also lead a government funded prospecting expedition in the region.
Although William Barker would continue prospecting until the last year of his life, he would never make another strike like the one he'd made at Bakerville. He died a pauper on July 11, 1894 in Victoria and was buried in the Ross Bay Cemetery in an unmarked grave. [1]
Today Barkerville is a heritage town in what is now the centre of Barkerville Provincial Park and is the largest historic site in British Columbia.[3]
1. http://www.quesnelbc.com/billybarkerdays/history.htm
2. http://www.quesnelbc.com/billybarkerdays/history.htm
3. http://www.barkerville.ca
★ Barkerville Historic Town
★ Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
★ History of Billy Barker Days at Quesnel, British Columbia
'William Barker' (baptized 7 June 1817 – 11 July 1894) was a Canadian gold prospector and miner who participated in the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush in 1858 and the Cariboo Gold Rush in 1862 in the modern province of British Columbia.
| Contents |
| Early Years |
| British Columbia |
| Notes |
| External links and references |
Early Years
William Barker was born in Cambridgeshire, England and followed in the footsteps of his father and worked as a waterman on the canals. He married Jane Lavender and had a daughter, Emma Eliza.
In the 1840's when railways were beginning to make canals obsolete, William left England for the United States where he participated in the California Gold Rush. [1]
British Columbia
William Barker arrived in British Columbia in 1858, for the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush and worked a claim on Canada Bar, near Lillooet.
When he heard of the strikes in the Cariboo region in 1861, he moved on to this new center of activity and with five other men, staked a claim on William's Creek on August 15,1862 and a second claim on August 17th. Many of the other prospectors believed that this second claim (Barker No.2) was too far down the creek, but Barker was persistent and dug a shaft down 40 feet and found a very rich deposit, which ran right down to 52 feet. Barker's two claims would eventually yield 37,500 oz of gold. It was a major discovery and made him a (transiently) wealthy man. News of the strike soon spread and the town that sprung up near Barker No.2 was called Barkerville in his honor.
After such a successful season, Barker spent the winter in Victoria and re-married in January 1863. His bride was Elizabeth Collyer, from London, England. Elizabeth spent the following summer at Barkerville with her husband, where, by then, there were three shafts operating on Barker No.2. Tragically, Elizabeth would die just over two years later on May 21, 1865.
In the early 1870's William Barker tried his luck at Horsefly Creek, where the initial strike of the Cariboo had been made, and he would also lead a government funded prospecting expedition in the region.
Although William Barker would continue prospecting until the last year of his life, he would never make another strike like the one he'd made at Bakerville. He died a pauper on July 11, 1894 in Victoria and was buried in the Ross Bay Cemetery in an unmarked grave. [1]
Today Barkerville is a heritage town in what is now the centre of Barkerville Provincial Park and is the largest historic site in British Columbia.[3]
Notes
1. http://www.quesnelbc.com/billybarkerdays/history.htm
2. http://www.quesnelbc.com/billybarkerdays/history.htm
3. http://www.barkerville.ca
External links and references
★ Barkerville Historic Town
★ Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
★ History of Billy Barker Days at Quesnel, British Columbia
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