Indigenous Men and Women in the Gold Rush
With successive Gold Rushes sweeping across the province, the second half of the 19th century was crucial in shaping the history of British Columbia. These Gold Rushes brought a rich tapestry of people to the province, hoping to strike it rich, support the hordes of people flocking to remote corners of B.C., work in mining camps, and everything in between; key amongst these people were British Columbia’s first inhabitants, Indigenous peoples.
One of the largest Gold Rushes in B.C., the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, happened relatively locally and started in 1858. Following discoveries of gold in the Lytton area by the Hudson’s Bay Company, thousands of prospectors flooded the banks of the Fraser River, with the arrival of these 30,000 prospectors setting a record for mass movement of mining populations during all North American Gold Rushes. Many of these newcomers came north from the United States, having tried their luck in the California Gold Rush, and relied on the knowledge of local Indigenous groups, specifically the Nlaka’pamux, to navigate, translate, and trade in their new surroundings. However, the influx of settlers triggered conflicts between miners and Nlaka’pamux communities in the canyon, who lost valuable fishing grounds along the Fraser and had their land taken by settlers vying for access to areas they thought contained more gold.
This pattern of collaboration and exploitation was common during British Columbia’s Gold Rushes, showing how B.C.’s Gold Rushes largely could not have happened without First Nations groups, despite them being quickly marginalized once gold was found. Without the intimate knowledge of the land and resources provided by First Nations during the Gold Rush era, B.C. would not have grown and developed into the province it is today.
Barkerville is a mining town established in B.C.’s Interior in 1862. Located in the heart of the ancestral territory of the Dakelh (Carrier) and Secwepemc (Shuswap) First Nations, Barkerville became the main hub of the Cariboo Gold Rush. As the Gold Rush grew, First Nations people from across the province were drawn to Barkerville, lured by the economic opportunities to be had as packers, cattle drivers, and general labour; records indicate that, by 1874, a significant portion of the town’s Indigenous population was made up of Lillooet, Haida, and Nlaka’pamux peoples.
One of the most important jobs was packing – taking supplies up rivers and rough roads to Barkerville. Indigenous peoples found a niche as packers during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, proving so important that Chief Justice Matthew Begbie wrote that, without Indigenous packers, “the country could not have been entered or supplied in 1858-1860”.
In Barkerville, Indigenous packers were in high demand, as they were renowned for their ability to traverse the difficult Cariboo Mountains, often being the only link to far-flung camps without road access. Even as larger overland routes were built up and improved, Indigenous packers proved vital as washouts and large blockages on the roads were common. Aside from packing, delivering mail, carrying supplies, relaying messages, commercial hunting, and fishing were just a few of the wide variety of work that Indigenous peoples did, both in Barkerville and throughout the province.
Depending on the season and expertise needed, Indigenous people had year-round work: in the winter, many worked as cattle drivers and packers, providing supplies and food to the settlement, while in the summer, some worked as hunters, fishers, and berry-pickers, helping to feed the rapidly growing settlement. The unique environment of the Gold Rush meant that Indigenous peoples worked jobs and filled niches that relied equally on their unique traditional knowledge (such as knowing of plentiful fishing grounds and usable mountain passes) as it did on their participation in “traditional” jobs to fill niches in various mining communities. The one thing these jobs all have in common is that Indigenous people serviced Barkerville’s baseline needs and roles, filling niches that created a firm foundation for the growth of the town.
Although these were not equal relationships by any means, as these same people had their land dispossessed around the same time and suffered from racist policies, Indigenous men and women were vital to the success of the Gold Rushes as, without Indigenous people, the Gold Rushes would not have been as successful, as the key roles that B.C.’s First Nations had in the Gold Rushes helped shape the bedrock of British Columbia’s history. Without their contributions and sacrifices, B.C. would not have grown into the province it is today. Our Gold Rush exhibit, Coquitlam’s Heart of Gold, is on display at Mackin House until June 17th. To learn more about the Gold Rush and its rich history, click on the links below or visit Mackin House before June 17th!
https://goldrushtrail.ca/history/
https://ojs.library.ubc.ca/index.php/bcstudies/article/download/185910/185454/197155