Photo of the Day: Overlander Falls

Overlander Falls, Mt Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia

In the Spring of 1862, a group of 175 men and one woman traveled overland from Ontario to reach the newly discovered goldfields of central British Columbia. At that time, the usual route to the west coast was by sea, around the southern trip of South America. So this group (thought to be quite daring), was known as "The Overlanders."

The Overlanders passed by this spot in late August of 1862 en troute to Tete Jaune Cache where they regrouped and rested. There, the group split into two: one travelling by land an water along the North Thompson River Valley to Fort Kamloops and one travelling by water along the Fraser River to Quesnel.

After the long, difficult journey and tales of hardships in the goldfields, many of the Overlanders dismissed the idea of mining that year. Some settled in Fort Kamloops, many traveled on to the coast in search of work and others went back home. Few actually made it to the goldfields of the Cariboo.

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