In 1858, reports of gold found on the Fraser River spurred tens of thousands of people?mostly men?to rush into the territory we now call British Columbia. They came with visions of fortune in their eyes. The lucky ones struck it rich, but most left penniless or died trying for the motherlode. Some stayed behind and helped build the colony and the province of British Columbia.
Dr. Kathryn Bridge is a historian and archivist who lives in Victoria, BC. She has written several books on historical figures in British Columbia, including By Snowshoe, Buckboard & Steamer (about BC's frontier women), which won the 1998 Lieutenant-Governor's Medal for Historical Writing, and Emily Carr in England (RBCM 2014).
"Offers a fresh look at the impact of the 1858 rush as well as the ones that followed, adding much to what is already known. . . . By taking a new approach, rather than retelling the old, familiar stories, it will encourage a fresh look at our past, and will have an impact on the way the history of the gold rush is considered in the future. It really does offer new perspectives." &mdash Dave Obee, Victoria Times Colonist