Rainy Morning in Barkerville

With umbrella in 
hand, I wandered the streets of
Barkerville with A. 

~ carliewired

We were up having the continental breakfast at 7 in our hotel. We'd spent a quiet night there after dinner with friends. By 8 we were on our way to Barkerville, an historic town and park. 

We'd been told to watch for a bear that had been loitering near the park. Nothing today! I was surprised to see so much snow still evident in the parking lot and on the streets in the townsite. It was drizzling rain as we walked up the street past the St. Saviour's Anglican Church (1869). We were on our way to have breakfast at the Wake-Up restaurant on the main street. It was a lovely refuge from the wet outside. We folded our umbrellas and sat to enjoy a hearty miner's breakfast. We had it all to ourselves this morning. 

Just beside the main street colonies of Columbia ground squirrels were active. Locally, these cousins of our marmots are known as 'whistlepigs' and can be very entertaining. 

A and I did some shopping in the general store, then I wandered to the back street to see the horses stabled there. One handsome pair was out in the corral enjoying their breakfast. Later, I discovered another pair was pulling the wagon on main street that carried visitors in the park. 

Barkerville grew out of the gold strike on Williams Creek here in 1861. The Cariboo Waggon Road was completed in 1865 to support the transport of gold and its miners. (We travelled some of that historic route yesterday on our way here.)

We walked up the street to China town. Nothing was open yet for us, but we'll go back. Chinese immigrants made up half of the population in this region during the 1880s. We are learning more about their contributions to opening up this province as excavations are conducted in the townsite and research continues. 

I left my quilted heart on the bridge railing in Wells.

I will have a nap while A visits a friend. Dinner will be in our hotel this evening. 

We can expect a high of 12 C on this day of rain and cloud.