My time at the Williams Lake Stampede, a Canada Day weekend tradition, was fun, but I decided to move closer to Alaska and had googled “where to spend Canada Day near Williams Lake”. I quickly discovered a historical village called Barkerville. Canada Day at Barkerville is their biggest day of the year as they celebrate Dominion Day, the day that eventually changed to Canada Day.
I had never heard of Barkerville, but it’s popular amongst Canadians, especially those from central BC. Of the Dominion Day visitors, only 6% were from anywhere other than Canada (including the USA). Driving around British Columbia, you can’t miss the billboards for Barkerville, but there certainly aren’t as many as billboards for Wall Drug.
What is Barkerville?
Barkerville is a historical village, originally settled in 1862 as a result of the Cariboo Gold Rush when Billy Barker dug a deep hole and struck gold in Williams Creek. This creek runs adjacent to the village and was one of the most concentrated pay dirts of gold in the world. Barkerville was once the largest city north of San Francisco and west of Chicago.
Canada Day at Barkerville
Historians believe that Barkerville was the first city to celebrate Canada’s Dominion Day, which soon became the July 1 Canada holiday. To celebrate this historic feat, Barkerville has special celebrations all day long on each July 1 – it starts with the stagecoach delivery of the 8 foot by 4 foot cake of the Dominion flag in the morning. Most of the afternoon is spent playing Victorian era games like tug of war, egg tossing, 20-pound hammer throwing, and climbing a greased pole to win a bottle of whiskey. The night has a dance in the House Hotel Saloon- listening to old-time country and blue grass, dancing, and watching a very entertaining Contra Dance (basically an old-time square dance that was performed in the original time of Barkerville. If you can make your trip to Barkerville coincide with Canada Day, just do it!
What Else Can You Do in Barkerville?
There were so many things to do in Barkerville, I didn’t do everything in my 2-day visit. But some of my biggest highlights (other than Dominion Day) were:
- The Victorian Town tour with Miss Wilson. This guide was excellent and funny. It was a great overview of the city and you can learn stories about the great fire as well as stories about some of the locals that lived in the early days of Barkerville.
- The Barry vs. Blessing court case at Richfield courthouse. It’s a 30-minute walk each way to the courthouse (or a stagecoach ride if you don’t wish to walk) but it was worth it so see the hilarious trial. Who know murder could be so funny. I won’t spoil the gag, so see it for yourself.
- Mrs. McGinley’s Variety Show at the Theatre Royal. The shows at the theater cost about $13 extra from the entry fee and I was thinking about skipping this, but I’m glad I paid the extra admission because the show was great! I laughed out loud many times and the music was wonderful
- Other various lectures – there are lectures all day by people in period clothing – I saw Billy Barker tell his life story, I learned how a waterwheel works, and so much more. Sadly, the Intro to Edwardian Underwear program wasn’t on the days of my visit. 😊 What makes Barkerville education programs so great is that humor is used and that makes it so interesting.
Other Tips for Visiting Barkerville
- Your ticket is good for 2 days, so it’s totally worth making a 2 day stay (see Where to Stay in Barkerville below). And if you visit for 2 days, you increase your chance to visit on a nice sunny day for pictures (on my visit, it rained one day and very sunny on the other).
- Stop into the House Hotel Saloon for some Barkerville IPA or Pilsner. This microbrew comes from an all-female brewery in Quesnel
- If you like coffee, stop into the C. Strouss & Co shop. For $6 you can buy a tin cup that includes free coffee refills all day. I discovered this late on my second day. Alternatively, if you want coffee in a formal setting, go have breakfast at Wake Up Jake Restaurant
- For good Chinese food, head over to Lung Duck Tong Restaurant
- A quick breakfast, lunch or snack can be purchased at the Goldfield Bakery… lots of homemade treats, including cookies, pies, and sourdough bread.
- The parking is close to the town, so don’t worry if you need to go back to the car.
- The wi-fi is excellent, from the entry to around the entrance to China Town. There is no cell service in the area so the wi-fi is a good way to stay connected.
- I didn’t get a chance to do the gold mining at the Eldorado, but I peaked and it looked fun for all ages.
- Cross the creek near the waterwheel to get a nice overview shot of Barkerville.
Barkerville Location
Barkerville is about an hour and 15 minutes east of Quesnel (pronounced Queh-Nel) on highway 26. It’s a nice detour if you’re making your way up to northern BC or Alaska via Highway 97. The drive is beautiful with views of ponds, lakes, wildflowers and many trees. Watch out for wildlife, on my drive in and back, I saw a big female moose, deer, and 3 bears on 3 different occasions. Surprisingly, this was a higher concentration of wildlife than seen in most other areas of B.C.
This post contains affiliate links. This website earns a small commission for items purchased through these links with no additional cost to you.
Where to Stay in Barkerville
If you’re staying for two nights, it’s definitely worth spending a night at Barkerville. They have a wide variety of accommodation, including stays in a small hotel or one of two B&Bs, and one of three campgrounds, with some having cabins available.
I stayed at the smallest campground, Government Hill. While not suitable for larger vehicles it’s great for tents or small campers. I was pretty much expecting pit toilets, but they had other amenities including fire pits, picnic table, running water and firewood available.
Have I convinced you to visit Barkerville? Visit the Barkerville Official website for more information on hours, admission, etc.
Recent Comments