Roughing it in search of Cariboo gold

A portion of the Cariboo Road near the Fraser Canyon in British Columbia. Frederick Dally/Library and Archives Canada, accession C-037864

In 1860, the gold rush in British Columbia’s Cariboo region spurred on the economic development of the colony that would become Canada’s west coast province. The only thing missing was a good road … which, unfortunately, wasn’t constructed until the end of the gold rush. All was not lost, though. The road may not have served its primary function of supporting the gold rush, but it built the foundation for future economic success in British Columbia.