Paddlewheel trip a ride through B.C.’s history

The upcoming BC 150 Goldrush Paddlewheel event is not only going to be a great adventure, it will be a good chance to connect with the roots of our early beginnings here in B.C. as a province.

Paddlewheelers came up the Fraser River to bring gold miners seeking fortune to Port Douglas. In 1858 alone, there were an estimated 30,000 people that were carried upriver on a paddlewheel boat.

Local historian Elisabeth Scotson says sternwheelers are a fascinating part of B.C.'s history, and had a real impact on the development of our province.

"The sternwheeler route was first opened in 1858 when the gold miners flooded to B.C.," Scotson says. "Governor Douglas opened up this route, and sternwheelers were the way the goldminers got up from Victoria to the Fraser, turning north at the Harrison River, through Harrison Lake and to Port Douglas."

The first paddlewheels to travel the river were imported from America. The 'Umatilla' was the first sternwheeler up the Harrison Lake, and it came from the United States, Scotson reports.

B.C.'s history reveals the strong competition that existed between the sternwheeler captains.

"The competition between these captains to get customers was furious. Sometimes they would overcharge their boilers; several of the sternwheeler's boilers either blew up, caught fire, or ran aground on a sandbar," Scotson describes.

She read one story that recounted how a sternwheeler caught fire and ran aground, and a rival captain raced cheerfully past it, never stopping to see if anyone was even hurt. Arguably the most famous sternwheeler captain was John Deighton, better known as Gassy Jack, who is now remembered with a statue in Gastown, Vancouver. He was a captain who went on to settle in the site known today as Vancouver, reportedly building a saloon within 24 hours of settling there.

As substantial as the paddlewheel boats were to the history of B.C., the need for them dropped just as quickly when the Cariboo Road was completed in 1865. With the new route, the days of the paddlewheel boat on the river, and the booming community of Port Douglas, faded from the face of the Fraser Valley.

Much like the brief but powerful history of paddlewheel boats on the Fraser, the upcoming paddlewheel trip is a brief and not-to-be-missed summer highlight.

The M.V. Native paddlewheeler will make its way from New Westminster to Mission Aug. 5, with a stop-over in Fort Langley. On Aug. 6, the boat will travel from Mission to Harrison.

On Aug. 7, the boat will make its way up the lake to Port Douglas and back. On Aug. 8, the M.V. Native will return back to New Westminster.

Tickets are still available for all legs but the Port Douglas stretch, which sold out within days of going on sale. The other legs are selling well, but tickets are limited so be sure to buy yours soon. Tickets can be purchased by going to www.vancouverpaddlewheeler.com, or by calling 1-877-825-1302.

There is also going to be an evening reception, with food, entertainment and a chance to tour the boat for those not going on the adventure. The paddlewheel committee is still working on the details of this event. For more information regarding the reception, call Tourism Harrison at 604-796-0288.