Cariboo-Chilcotin: Pioneer People and Places. 2nd ed.

Nora D.S. Robins is co-ordinator of Internal Collections at the
University of Calgary Libraries.

Cariboo-Chilcotin, a name first applied to the goldfields area around
Quesnel and Barkerville, is now generally extended to cover the county
between Cache Creek and Prince George, British Columbia. It is a wild,
sparsely populated area with some of the highest mountains, wildest
rivers, thickest forests, and largest cattle ranches in British
Columbia. First made famous by the gold rush of 1861, it is now
“cowboy country.” Most of the region’s towns began as stopping
places along the Gold Rush Trail. Such places as 100 Mile House owe
their names to the Trail, while others such as Williams Lake began as
trading centres.

The author, who has lived in Williams Lake for 44 years, has a keen
interest in local history. Based on historical files and oral accounts,
this book is a compilation of lively and entertaining stories about
early pioneers in Williams Lake, Dog Creek, Likely, Horsefly, and other
areas of the central Cariboo-Chilcotin. She tells the stories of the
legendary William Pinchbeck, judge, lawyer, doctor, hangman; Alex Meiss,
stagecoach driver, hotelman, postmaster; and Bob Boland, a businessman
overcome by love. We also learn about pioneer wives and the challenges
they faced; the early days of Williams Lake and Dog Creek; and the
tragic story of the cowboy and the princess. The book is enhanced by
maps and by many black-and-white photographs.