Lillooet Cattle Trail
Encyclopedia
The Lillooet Cattle Trail, also known as the Lillooet-Burrard Cattle Trail and also as the Lillooet Trail , was an unusual and daring public works undertaking by the Province of British Columbia
in the 1877, and was the largest 19th Century public works expenditure at $35,000 of the new province since its joining Canada in 1871.
areas and a lack of easy access to the huge market supplying meat to construction crews of the Canadian Pacific Railway
just east, largely because of a lack of bridge crossings of the Fraser River
, the ranchers of the Lillooet
area lobbied the provincial government, and MLA Humphreys, to finance a trail to the coast via the Pemberton
and Squamish
areas to the north shore of Burrard Inlet
(i.e. what is now Vancouver
harbour), at the mouth of the Seymour River. The track was started and followed a gold rush of 1862 route through the Seymour Watershed over to Mamquam and Indian Rivers to Squamish, and to follow a path, taken much later by the PGE, to the Lillooet area. Work crews started hacking and building in 1874 with the trail "finished' in 1877.
The trail's route was improbable, to say the least, hugging lakeside cliffs where, in places, trestles and floating platforms had to be built out above or onto the lake and, beyond that, through marshes and heavy forests beset by infamously-thick mosquitos and, lastly, a tortuous "stairway" section of the trail over the pass between the Squamish
area and the head of the Seymour River, where cattle where expected to use steps on a trail that was nowhere more than 6 yards wide.
Only one formal cattle drive was ever held over the full length of the route and most head were lost; those that finished the trip were put out to pasture to recuperate, being too skinny to be worth butchering. The multi-thousand-dollar loss incurred by trail construction left a bad taste with the provincial government for many years, although the son of its main sponsor, a rancher from Pavilion, later became provincial Minister of Highways and Public Works. Bridges to serve the cattle ranches of the West Fraser, including the suspension-span at Lillooet
, were built in several places by 1910s, although too late to keep the West Fraser Ranches competitive with those in the Thompson
and Cariboo
regions.
The trail remained in use in later years for residents of the Pemberton Valley
for general travel purposes, and at least two more smaller cattle drives from that region to Squamish
were attempted, both financial disasters as was the original one from Lillooet
. The roadbed of the trail remained in place for many years, its stretch from Pemberton
to Squamish
ultimately being subsumed into the grade for the construction of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway through that stretch.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
in the 1877, and was the largest 19th Century public works expenditure at $35,000 of the new province since its joining Canada in 1871.
History
Faced with burgeoning stock populations in the Pemberton-Lillooet and Gang RanchGang Ranch
The Gang Ranch is a famous and historic Canadian ranch in the Chilcotin region of the Central Interior of British Columbia. It is located north of Clinton on the West bank of the Fraser River opposite the Indian Reserve community of Dog Creek. The ranch, near Alkali Lake was founded in 1863...
areas and a lack of easy access to the huge market supplying meat to construction crews of the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
just east, largely because of a lack of bridge crossings of the Fraser River
Fraser River
The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...
, the ranchers of the Lillooet
Lillooet, British Columbia
Lillooet is a community on the Fraser River in western Canada, about up the British Columbia Railway line from Vancouver. Situated at an intersection of deep gorges in the lee of the Coast Mountains, it has a dry climate- of precipitation is recorded annually at the town's weather station,...
area lobbied the provincial government, and MLA Humphreys, to finance a trail to the coast via the Pemberton
Pemberton, British Columbia
Pemberton is a village north of Whistler in the Pemberton Valley of British Columbia in Canada, with a population of 2,192. Until the 1960s the village could be accessed only by train but that changed when Highway 99 was built through Whistler and Pemberton.-Climate:The climate of Pemberton is...
and Squamish
Squamish, British Columbia
Squamish is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway...
areas to the north shore of Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet
Burrard Inlet is a relatively shallow-sided coastal fjord in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Formed during the last Ice Age, it separates the City of Vancouver and the rest of the low-lying Burrard Peninsula from the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, home to the communities of West...
(i.e. what is now Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
harbour), at the mouth of the Seymour River. The track was started and followed a gold rush of 1862 route through the Seymour Watershed over to Mamquam and Indian Rivers to Squamish, and to follow a path, taken much later by the PGE, to the Lillooet area. Work crews started hacking and building in 1874 with the trail "finished' in 1877.
The trail's route was improbable, to say the least, hugging lakeside cliffs where, in places, trestles and floating platforms had to be built out above or onto the lake and, beyond that, through marshes and heavy forests beset by infamously-thick mosquitos and, lastly, a tortuous "stairway" section of the trail over the pass between the Squamish
Squamish, British Columbia
Squamish is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway...
area and the head of the Seymour River, where cattle where expected to use steps on a trail that was nowhere more than 6 yards wide.
Only one formal cattle drive was ever held over the full length of the route and most head were lost; those that finished the trip were put out to pasture to recuperate, being too skinny to be worth butchering. The multi-thousand-dollar loss incurred by trail construction left a bad taste with the provincial government for many years, although the son of its main sponsor, a rancher from Pavilion, later became provincial Minister of Highways and Public Works. Bridges to serve the cattle ranches of the West Fraser, including the suspension-span at Lillooet
Lillooet, British Columbia
Lillooet is a community on the Fraser River in western Canada, about up the British Columbia Railway line from Vancouver. Situated at an intersection of deep gorges in the lee of the Coast Mountains, it has a dry climate- of precipitation is recorded annually at the town's weather station,...
, were built in several places by 1910s, although too late to keep the West Fraser Ranches competitive with those in the Thompson
Thompson River
The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches called the South Thompson and the North Thompson...
and Cariboo
Cariboo
The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia along a plateau stretching from the Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the woodland caribou that were once abundant in the region...
regions.
The trail remained in use in later years for residents of the Pemberton Valley
Pemberton Valley
The Pemberton Valley is a valley flanking the Lillooet River upstream from Lillooet Lake, including the communities of Mount Currie, Pemberton, British Columbia and the agricultural district surrounding them and flanking the river as far upstream as the Pemberton Meadows area...
for general travel purposes, and at least two more smaller cattle drives from that region to Squamish
Squamish, British Columbia
Squamish is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway...
were attempted, both financial disasters as was the original one from Lillooet
Lillooet, British Columbia
Lillooet is a community on the Fraser River in western Canada, about up the British Columbia Railway line from Vancouver. Situated at an intersection of deep gorges in the lee of the Coast Mountains, it has a dry climate- of precipitation is recorded annually at the town's weather station,...
. The roadbed of the trail remained in place for many years, its stretch from Pemberton
Pemberton, British Columbia
Pemberton is a village north of Whistler in the Pemberton Valley of British Columbia in Canada, with a population of 2,192. Until the 1960s the village could be accessed only by train but that changed when Highway 99 was built through Whistler and Pemberton.-Climate:The climate of Pemberton is...
to Squamish
Squamish, British Columbia
Squamish is a community and a district municipality in the Canadian province of British Columbia, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway...
ultimately being subsumed into the grade for the construction of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway through that stretch.
See also
- Douglas RoadDouglas RoadThe Douglas Road, aka the Lillooet Trail, Harrison Trail or Lakes Route, was a goldrush-era transportation route from the British Columbia Coast to the Interior...
- Old Cariboo RoadOld Cariboo RoadThe Old Cariboo Road is a reference to the original wagon road to the Cariboo gold fields in what is now the Canadian province of British Columbia...
- Cariboo RoadCariboo RoadThe Cariboo Road was a project initiated in 1860 by the colonial Governor of British Columbia, James Douglas...
- Dozier's Way
- Hudson's Bay Brigade TrailHudson's Bay Brigade TrailThe Hudson's Bay Brigade Trail, sometimes referred to simply as the Brigade Trail, refers to one of two routes used by Hudson's Bay Company fur traders to transport furs, goods and supplies between coastal and Columbia District headquarters at Fort Vancouver and those in New Caledonia and also in...
- River TrailRiver Trail (British Columbia)The River Trail was a main route for travel in the colonial era of what is now the Canadian province of British Columbia, running northwards along the Fraser River from to present day Lillooet to Big Bar, British Columbia and points beyond in the Cariboo District...