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Stagecoach North: A History of Barnard’s Express
“At the outset of the Cariboo Gold Rush, demand for an efficient transportation route to and from the goldfields was reaching a point of desperation... Focusing on the stagecoach line [Barnard’s Express], which ran from Yale to Barkerville from 1864 until 1886 and from Ashcroft to Barkerville after the construction of the CPR, historian Ken Mather uncovers new details about the gold rush through the lens of this groundbreaking company’s operations. rich in anecdotes and character sketches backed up with extensive research, this is the only book to cover the history of one of BC’s most important early businesses.”
- GenresHistory
292 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 28, 2024
Ken Mather is quickly becoming my favorite author for British Columbia history.
In this book, Mather outlines the history of the stagecoach lines that were key in growing the new British colony from its backwater Hudson Bay fur trade origins into the bustling west coast province of Canada. Since I was a kid, I've always been interested in how the highways I traveled must have had some beginnings in the frontier times of over a hundred years ago, and Mather has helped me fill in the gaps.
Essentially BC expanded from just a set of fur trade outposts in the early 19th century, due to the discovery of gold on the Fraser Rivers and then slightly further north in the Cariboo region. With thousands of miners coming into the country, it became essential to transport people, mail, and equipment up to the gold fields and people, mail, and a lot of gold back down to the key centers of New Westminster and Victoria. During the 1860s, Francis Jones Barnard slowly grew his Barnard's Express to become BC's legendary stagecoach line. In those first days, it traveled up from the end of lower Fraser navigation in the town of Yale and went up into the Cariboo to the once bustling metropolis of Barkerville, which is now BC's most famous ghost town, and one of its most remote.
Mather focuses on Barnard's business to overview the economic, political and infrastructural growth of my home province, but in a most entertaining and enjoyable way. He takes the reader on those old dusty, muddy roads perched precariously over the Fraser Canyon, through snowstorms, spring floods, the occasional hold-up, and into the past...
Mather also has great end notes and lists of sources. I enjoyed looking up his referenced newspaper articles in the archives of the old Cariboo Sentinel and BC Colonist, to see the actual reports from 150+ years ago that have now become my history.
In this book, Mather outlines the history of the stagecoach lines that were key in growing the new British colony from its backwater Hudson Bay fur trade origins into the bustling west coast province of Canada. Since I was a kid, I've always been interested in how the highways I traveled must have had some beginnings in the frontier times of over a hundred years ago, and Mather has helped me fill in the gaps.
Essentially BC expanded from just a set of fur trade outposts in the early 19th century, due to the discovery of gold on the Fraser Rivers and then slightly further north in the Cariboo region. With thousands of miners coming into the country, it became essential to transport people, mail, and equipment up to the gold fields and people, mail, and a lot of gold back down to the key centers of New Westminster and Victoria. During the 1860s, Francis Jones Barnard slowly grew his Barnard's Express to become BC's legendary stagecoach line. In those first days, it traveled up from the end of lower Fraser navigation in the town of Yale and went up into the Cariboo to the once bustling metropolis of Barkerville, which is now BC's most famous ghost town, and one of its most remote.
Mather focuses on Barnard's business to overview the economic, political and infrastructural growth of my home province, but in a most entertaining and enjoyable way. He takes the reader on those old dusty, muddy roads perched precariously over the Fraser Canyon, through snowstorms, spring floods, the occasional hold-up, and into the past...
Mather also has great end notes and lists of sources. I enjoyed looking up his referenced newspaper articles in the archives of the old Cariboo Sentinel and BC Colonist, to see the actual reports from 150+ years ago that have now become my history.
March 18, 2022
Gold was discovered in the lower Fraser River in 1858 with exploration moving up river and the establishment of Barkerville in 1861. The miners needed to move gold back to the banks, obtain equipment and to send and receive mail, all in an expeditious manner. This was the business of express services. The early express services were provided by men travelling on foot, by horse and by canoe. With the development of roads, the stagecoach became the preferred vehicle, with sleighs used during the winter.
Billy Ballou was the first major player, starting an express service in 1858. Ballou carried the colonial mail but the agreement fell through in 1861, allowing Francis Jones "Frank" Barnard to enter the business. Over the years, he was the most successful express operator, being able to out compete other companies.
Governor James Douglas realized that a road into the interior was needed. The route went through the difficult Fraser Canyon, and included two major suspension bridges. It was completed to Williams Lake by 1862. This allowed Barnard to expand his business, while Ballou sold out. Barnard's stagecoaches were painted a distinctive red with yellow wheels and running gear. The line was affectionately referred to as the "BX" by miners and settlers.
The mail system was the alternative to the more expensive express, but was much slower both in travel and processing. It handled a higher volume of correspondence and packages. Government contracts for the movement of the mail were awarded for periods of a year or more. The express companies would often bid on these to provide a revenue baseload.
The delivery of gold back to Victoria - then the major city - was a major service of the express. Gold was carried in strongboxes and the keys were only kept at the offices. While all gold was insured, only a couple of incidents of theft and near theft occurred, Barnard's delivery record being near perfect.
Mather has an excellent chapter on the stagecoaches, the drivers and the horses. While the heavy "Concord" coach had been designed for use in the American frontier, it was very heavy and Barnard used the lighter "Celerity" wagon (celerity meaning swiftness of speed) as it was better at negotiating sand and mud. The best drivers of the day were highly regarded for their ability to get the best out of their horses while making it easiest on them. The best being called "reinsmen" for their ability to drive each span of horses independently of the others.
"These stage horses were never really broken. They were trained for staging alone and had to be handled in a way they would understand." Only when the wagon was loaded and the driver in place were the horses led out and hitched. Often the horses would prance and rear, filling the timid passengers with fear, and not settle down for until they had driven a short distance.
Travel in the stagecoaches was very uncomfortable with newcomers often suffering from "stage sickness". Room was limited and passengers had to sit with their legs "dove-tailed". The lack of heat made travel difficult in the winter where the roadhouses had a single fireplace.
With the continuing need for good horses, Barnard set up a ranch originally of 320 acres, near where Vernon exists today. By the 1880's, B.C. ranches found a business supplying heavier horses into Alberta where the transition to larger cattle - British Shorthorns and Herefords - was making the smaller cow ponies of the prairies less suitable.
At its peak, Barnard's express operation was amazing in size. As the horses were changed at least every 18 miles, a minimum of 120 horses were required with an equal number of sets of harness (each horse had its own). Stagecoaches totalled 26 with an equal number of two-horse coaches and sleighs. Roadhouses were numerous as each stop required a hosteller to care for the horses.
Barnard was a visionary and in 1871 he acquired six Thomson Road Steamers. They were able to pull heavy loads at 4 mph, but inclines caused the boiler tubes to overheat and the wheels caused too much damage to the roadbed. They were abandoned after a short trial. Much later in 1910, he bought eight Winston automobiles. While they were used extensively, they had trouble with the rutted roads. One quarter of their operating expense was tubes and tires, and they returned little profit.
The company operated two steamboats, the B.X. and the B.C. from 1910 to 1920. By 1920, it was clear that the railway would supplant the express service and the BX Express was liquidated.
Billy Ballou was the first major player, starting an express service in 1858. Ballou carried the colonial mail but the agreement fell through in 1861, allowing Francis Jones "Frank" Barnard to enter the business. Over the years, he was the most successful express operator, being able to out compete other companies.
Governor James Douglas realized that a road into the interior was needed. The route went through the difficult Fraser Canyon, and included two major suspension bridges. It was completed to Williams Lake by 1862. This allowed Barnard to expand his business, while Ballou sold out. Barnard's stagecoaches were painted a distinctive red with yellow wheels and running gear. The line was affectionately referred to as the "BX" by miners and settlers.
The mail system was the alternative to the more expensive express, but was much slower both in travel and processing. It handled a higher volume of correspondence and packages. Government contracts for the movement of the mail were awarded for periods of a year or more. The express companies would often bid on these to provide a revenue baseload.
The delivery of gold back to Victoria - then the major city - was a major service of the express. Gold was carried in strongboxes and the keys were only kept at the offices. While all gold was insured, only a couple of incidents of theft and near theft occurred, Barnard's delivery record being near perfect.
Mather has an excellent chapter on the stagecoaches, the drivers and the horses. While the heavy "Concord" coach had been designed for use in the American frontier, it was very heavy and Barnard used the lighter "Celerity" wagon (celerity meaning swiftness of speed) as it was better at negotiating sand and mud. The best drivers of the day were highly regarded for their ability to get the best out of their horses while making it easiest on them. The best being called "reinsmen" for their ability to drive each span of horses independently of the others.
"These stage horses were never really broken. They were trained for staging alone and had to be handled in a way they would understand." Only when the wagon was loaded and the driver in place were the horses led out and hitched. Often the horses would prance and rear, filling the timid passengers with fear, and not settle down for until they had driven a short distance.
Travel in the stagecoaches was very uncomfortable with newcomers often suffering from "stage sickness". Room was limited and passengers had to sit with their legs "dove-tailed". The lack of heat made travel difficult in the winter where the roadhouses had a single fireplace.
With the continuing need for good horses, Barnard set up a ranch originally of 320 acres, near where Vernon exists today. By the 1880's, B.C. ranches found a business supplying heavier horses into Alberta where the transition to larger cattle - British Shorthorns and Herefords - was making the smaller cow ponies of the prairies less suitable.
At its peak, Barnard's express operation was amazing in size. As the horses were changed at least every 18 miles, a minimum of 120 horses were required with an equal number of sets of harness (each horse had its own). Stagecoaches totalled 26 with an equal number of two-horse coaches and sleighs. Roadhouses were numerous as each stop required a hosteller to care for the horses.
Barnard was a visionary and in 1871 he acquired six Thomson Road Steamers. They were able to pull heavy loads at 4 mph, but inclines caused the boiler tubes to overheat and the wheels caused too much damage to the roadbed. They were abandoned after a short trial. Much later in 1910, he bought eight Winston automobiles. While they were used extensively, they had trouble with the rutted roads. One quarter of their operating expense was tubes and tires, and they returned little profit.
The company operated two steamboats, the B.X. and the B.C. from 1910 to 1920. By 1920, it was clear that the railway would supplant the express service and the BX Express was liquidated.
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