Quesnelle Forks & Likely

Wandering through the overgrown foilage near the confluence of the Quesnel and something rivers, it is hard to imagine that this was once the site of a bustling 'metropolis' of the day in 1859. Older than Barkerville and a true 'ghost town' (unlike Barkerville which was never uninhabited). The town of Quesnelle Forks was the largest settlement north of San Franscisco, if only for a brief time. When the began to pan out and more was found on creeks further north (such as Antler and Grouse), Quesnelle Forks days were numbered. The death knell came when the decision was made to bypass the Forks in favour of another route during the construction of the Cariboo Waggon Road.

Today, the Barkerville-Cariboo Goldfields Historical Society, the Ministry of Small Business, Tourism and Culture and a local Quesnelle Forks Historical Society are working together to help salvage some of the remains of the once proud town of 5,000. Included among the remaining treasures is one of the oldest Chinese tong (free mason's society) houses in Canada.

Also in the immediate vicinity of Quesnelle Forks and Likely is the famous Bullion Pit, the largest man-made open-pit gold mine in the province. It's BIG!!!

For more information about this fascinating historical footnote, visit Likely and drop in to speak with Henry Hicks, founder of the Quesnelle Museum and Historical Society and a character in his own right.

Phone 790-2300 · Fax 790-2517
Box 77 Likely, B.C. V0L 1N0

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This page last updated September 28, 1996
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