Barkerville
Barkerville
was a
gold rush town
currently preserved as a historic town in
British
Columbia,
Canada. When
Billy Barker discovered gold in 1862 at Williams Creek, a rush of fortune-seekers
flooded the area, travelling the Cariboo Wagon Road. Barkerville was the largest
town in the Canadian West at its peak. After the decline of the gold rush, the
town's population withered away until it was
almost a "
ghost
town", though it supported full-time residents until
1979.
Barkerville was made a BC Heritage site in 1958 and is currently a major tourist
attraction.