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Reading passage:

A SIMPLE HISTORY OF QUESNEL

Prior to the discovery of gold in the Cariboo region in 1859, tribes of Carrier First Nations inhabited the site of the City of Quesnel, at the junction of the Fraser and Quesnel rivers. It was just a tangle of trees and brush-covered hills.

The first European to visit the area was Alexander Mackenzie, in 1793, when he made the first crossing of the North American continent. With help from the Natives, he used the Grease Trail from the Quesnel area to the Pacific Ocean. In 1808, Simon Fraser and his voyageurs travelled the Fraser River in search of the mouth of the Columbia River. Instead, they discovered the mouth of an uncharted river. Fraser sent his Lieutenant, Jules Maurice Quesnel, to investigate and then named that river after him.

At first, Quesnel was called Quesnellemouth to distinguish it from Quesnel Forks, which was 60 miles up the Quesnelle River. In 1870 it was shortened to Quesnelle and by 1900 it was spelled the way we know it today.

William Dietz, Ned Stout and others discovered gold on Williams Creek, near Wells, in the spring of 1861. Later, Billy Barker staked a claim below the canyon on Williams Creek and other miners made fun of him. In 1862, Barker & Company made the richest strike on the creek. It triggered the Cariboo gold rush and the boomtown of Barkerville, which, in its heyday, boasted that it was the largest city west of Chicago and north of San Francisco.

Quesnel was overshadowed by the glamour and frolics of Barkerville; however, the town gained importance during the 1860s when it was a stopover and supply depot for the miners in the gold fields. Quesnel was, at first, reached by land over First Nations trails and later by the Cariboo Wagon Road. The appearance of steamships made it possible to carry more supplies and gold seekers up the Fraser River. As more and more people recognized the profit to be made in the supply town of Quesnel, many settlers chose to stay. Thus, Quesnel continued to grow in the years following the gold rush, while many other towns in the area were abandoned and left to crumble.

Ours is a colourful and exciting history, trimmed with fur (trade) and laced with gold (mining). Our rivers have echoed with the sounds of birch bark and dugout canoes. Hudson Bay Company freight barges were towed to and from Fort George to the north and proud sternwheelers plied up and down the Fraser River, docking beside what is now Ceal Tingley Park.

Although there were many farms and ranches in the area, gold mining was the major industry in the area until the 1940s. Forestry, ranching and tourism are not the main industries in and around Quesnel.

There are many firsts for this City. The first serious fire in Quesnel broke out in 1863 and another fire in 1874, which not only destroyed the Chinese section of town, but also killed a local Chinese man. Finally, in 1910, the Quesnel Volunteer Fire Department was formed. The most destructive fire occurred in January of 1916. A telegraph system was established in 1865. The first bridge spanning the Quesnel River, built in 1875, collapsed before it was a year old and was rebuilt soon after. The first school was built in 1886 near the centre of town.
The first hospital was built in 1910 and 10 years later, the second. We are now proud to have the fourth hospital, which was an extension of the third. The famous doctor, G.R. Baker, after whom our hospital was named, arrived in 1912. He was loved by all and was soon nicknamed "Doc". The first theatre was built in 1914 when people still travelled by wagon train. The arrival of the PGE Railway in 1921 brought accessibility and convenience to the people of Quesnel. In spite of all the progress, Quesnel was still considered a village. It did not become a town until 1958, the same year a city hall was built. In 1979, Quesnel received city status.

The Gold Pan City today services a population of 27,000. There are 14 elementary schools, two secondary schools, a college/university campus, 21 churches, two pulp mills, five lumber mills, two shopping malls, an art gallery, and an airport. There are twin arenas, a curling rink, two golf courses, a riverfront trail system for walking and a large recreation centre that keep the sports minded people active throughout the year. Cross-country ski trails are abundant and an alpine ski hill is less than an hour away.

Every July, residents and visitors can enjoy Billy Barker Days, a family festival for all ages, which also includes the Quesnel Rodeo. The September Fall Fair and Exhibition brings exhibitors from many places to show their animals, produce and handiwork.
Quesnel has grown so much from our beginning when it became the commercial centre of the Cariboo Gold Rush in 1862.

Edited from material borrowed from:
http://www.city.quesnel.bc.ca/Community/history.asp