Pay Dirt!: The Search for Gold in British Columbia

Agnes C. Farrell is an elementary-school teacher in Richmond, B.C.

This is the story of the people who searched for gold on the Queen
Charlotte Islands in 1850 until the rush ended in the Cariboo about 20
years later. Through her meticulous research, the author shows the
importance of the gold rush in establishing roads, waterways, the mail
service, and a strong police force, which in turn led to British
Columbia becoming a Canadian province in 1871. Short anecdotes capture
the people who came from all over the world to seek their fortunes in
the wilderness then called New Caledonia. Enhancing the book are
sidebars and black-and-white or sepia-toned illustrations that include
reproductions of paintings and photographs as well as drawings by Stuart
Duncan.

This informative and accessible book would complement any study of B.C.
history. Highly recommended.