Stanley, British Columbia

Stanley was a gold rush town in the Cariboo region of British Columbia that began during the Cariboo Gold Rush.

History

Gold was found in nearby Lightning Creek in 1861 resulting in the towns of Stanley and Van Winkle, British Columbia springing up as part of the Cariboo Gold Rush. Stanley is located in the Cariboo region of British Columbia’s Central Interior. Stanley can be found by following Highway 26 East from the City of Quesnel. A 45 minute drive along Highway 26 passes by the appropriately named Stanley Road on which the town of Stanley was located. Tourists often pass by Stanley on their way to the ghost town of Barkerville because of the lack of signage.

Stanley once had a sprawling population that surpassed the town of Barkerville at one time due to the gold in the area. Passing by the vicinity one would not even know that there was ever a bristling town full of gold-hungry prospectors and their families. A lone building that is now being renovated is the little visible evidence from the gravel road that there was anything ever there. But just a few steps into the now thick underbrush reveals plenty of evidence of the town of Stanley. An abundance of scrap wood, metal and remnants of buildings can be seen buried in the brush and earth.

By the end of the 19th Century (1800’s), Stanley had a population that surpassed the nearby town of Barkerville; Over half the population of Stanley consisted of Chinese.

tanley Cemetery

Overlooking the town of Stanley is the old Stanley Cemetery located atop a hill. The graveyard holds some pioneers of the gold rush area along with some later expired residents. At first glimpse it seems as though grave robbers may have dug up some of the plots and took the bones but in truth the graves belonged to Chinese gold miners whose remains were shipped back to their birthplace.

The old cemetery is gradually becoming a part of the land, as is the town of Stanley. The Stanley cemetery is maintained only by donations which shows in the deterioration.

Mountain Pine Beetle and the Stanley Cemetery

The Cariboo region of British Columbia is currently being ravaged by the Mountain Pine Beetle in which Stanley lies. In 2005 the Beetle kill trees where harvested around the Stanley cemetery and area for the safety of the visitors and to reduce the threat of forest fire.In the process of logging the beetle kill trees, the fencing surrounding the Stanley cemetery and some of the individual burial plots where damaged by the fallen trees. The damaged fencing was not repaired afterwards.In 2007 some minor restoration work was done to the area fencing.

Photo Gallery

ee also

* Barkerville The famous ghost town of Barkerville, British Columbia, for many years the largest and most important town in the BC Interior.
* Quesnel The "modern Gold pan" City located near Stanley and Barkerville, British Columbia.