AN OLD BRITISH COLUMBIA MINING TOWN ATTRACTS TOURISTS AND SPIRITS

By Steve Bergsman

            I was standing on the dusty streets of Barkerville, British Columbia, about 7 o’clock in the evening on a fine, crisp spring night. There was no one else about; just me. It seemed everyone had deserted the place and the whole town was mine. I felt a little like the Will Smith character in I Am Legend, who has all New York City as a playground and no one to share it with.

            With no one there, I looked in all the windows, I entered houses. The wind whipped the dust from street. Boards creaked. And a black fox scampered uncontested along the wooden sidewalks.

            Then, I saw a young woman running up the street. She would stop every so often to take a picture of a building before continue her jog. When she made it as far as where I was standing, I asked why she was running? Maybe she was an apparition, a ghost replaying her frightening demise in this old mining camp

Although her skin was the color of alabaster, she claimed permanence on earth and was running to stay warm.

 The delightful sunshine of the afternoon remained, but the temperature dropped quickly in the evening as Barkerville is located at the high end of a high mountain road and, more often than not, cold winds from Alaska scourge the region.

            In 1862, Billy Barker discovered gold on Williams Creek, which triggered one of those massive stampedes of treasure hunters from around the world. The town took the name of the lucky Mr. Barker and it grew up overnight as fortune seekers moved in along with all the folks needed to support such hard ventures, and that included Chinese immigrants. In the 1860s, Barkerville had the largest colony of Chinese in North America outside of San Francisco.

            Like most gold rush towns, after the streaks play out, miners leave for the next discovery and the site dwindled. Such was the fate of Barkerville until the 1930s when higher gold prices brought people back to once again dig up the mountainsides. New homes were built and the mining town experienced a short-lived revival. Eventually, Barkerville was eclipsed by the new mining town of Wells, just 10 minutes away, which established the first successful rock gold mine in the area.

            By the 1950s, just a few stragglers remained in Barkerville, but with so many buildings still standing – more or less – the province of British Columbia designated the town an historic provincial park and the remaining residences were whisked away.

            With its designation, the province moved to preserve what was left and built up a tourism infrastructure.

            Today, Barkerville is a living museum. People in period costumes roam the streets talking history to the tourists and shops and restaurants have opened in some of buildings. The reason I was there at 7 p.m. all by myself was that there are three bed and breakfasts in town. I was staying at one, the Saint George Hotel. After a delightful dinner at the town’s Lung Duck Tong Chinese restaurant, I had gone back to my room, but later that same evening, getting restless I decided to take a walk.

            The restaurant was closed as were the shops. All the tourists were gone, but since I was staying the night, the town belonged to me and me alone – at least until the picture- taking spirit materialized.

            The next day I found myself walking in the neighboring town of Wells, which eventually suffered the same fate as Barkerville: the mines played out and the town almost died. I say almost because a few artists moved into the picturesque old buildings and today it boasts 200 people and numerous art galleries.

            The best of the lot was an old church that had been transformed into the Amazing Space Studio and Gallery. The studio was for a very talented couple, the husband and wife artists, Bill Horne and Claire Kujundzic. Canada boasts many superb artists, but here in the little spot of Wells – not Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal -- Bill and Claire were two of the best I’ve seen.

            Ironically, as Claire was showing me her artwork, who should walk in but the jogging, photography-inclining translucent waif from Barkerville. Who’s to say these old mining towns aren’t haunted.

FOR INFORMATION: www.barkerville.ca; www.wellsbc.com

WHERE TO STAY: I stayed at the delightful St. George Hotel with 1890s charm, but modern amenities. Our host, Saya Woods, always delightfully attired in 19^th century clothing, makes a wickedly good breakfast. www.stgeorgehotel.bc.ca

WHERE TO EAT: There are a small number of eateries in Barkerville. The Long Duck Tong Chinese Restaurant is about the best.

AMAZING SPACE GALLERY IN WELLS: www.claireart.ca