Q is for Quesnel

ABC Wednesday
November 4th, 2015

The letter is Q for Quesnel

A picturesque town in the North Cariboo area of British Columbia, with a fascinating history.

Although today it is a beautiful playground  with a perfect

combination of rural charm and quiet city sophistication, Quesnel is rich

in history.

The First Nations people who inhabited this area called themselves 'Uda uketh',

which means 'People who travel by boat on water early in the morning'

but their neighbours, the Sekant people, called them the Carrier, and

this is the name by which they are commonly known.

They made Quesnel their summer fishing camp and eventually developed a trading culture with the Nuxalk people who provided nutrient rich Salmon and Ooligan Grease (a healing 

remedy made from fish oil).
 Eventually a trade route crisscrossed the plateau both west and south

of Quesnel.

While Alexander Mackenzie was traversing the territory in 1793

en route to the Pacific he encountered the Carrier First Nation camp and 

they convinced him to abandon the dangerous Fraser route and travel the

Nuxalk-Carrier Grease Trail along the Blackwater River .

In 1808 Simon Fraser (another explorer all Canadian children

learn about in school) camped at the junction of two rivers,

the Fraser and the Quesnel.  The Fraser River he named after himself, but

the Quesnel river he named after his lieutenant, Jules Maurice Quesnel.

In 1857 gold was discovered on the Fraser River and by 1859 the great rush

of miners had reached the Quesnel River, and due to its location Quesnel became

a major stopover and supply centre for the gold fields.

From its beginning Quesnel was a multicltural community.
 As early as 1860 Chinese miners were working the bars of the Quesnel River
and many soon turned to business.
The gold rush  attracted people from Eastern Canada,
 the US and many European countries.

And now, like many British Columbia towns, it takes advantage

of the abundant recreational opportunities the countryside offers.

Excellent fishing, reminiscent of the early summer fishing camps of the First Nations.

both rainbow and bull trout

Mountain cycling and river rafting

The countryside is beautiful and varied

Quesnel Lake

and nearby Dragon lake in the spring of the year

 Agricultural land

and hoodoos

The population celebrating Billy Barker days

and one of the main industries, besides tourism...

the West Pine Mill

how to get there.........

if you don't want to follow the gold trail, paddling up the Fraser River,
go by highway...  up past Williams Lake
and before you get to Prince George
If I remember correctly you have to take a right turn into town.

more excellent Qs here at ABC Wednesday
with thanks to Roger and Denise and any quirky helpers.