Colourful Characters in Historic Yale

Historic Yale Museum
Yale, British Columbia

This exhibit brings to life the exciting history of the town of Yale through small biographies of the colourful characters that have shaped its future, many who contributed largely to the destiny of British Columbia. Most people featured here lived in Yale, but it has also been host to numerous dignitaries including judges, governors, and royalty of various classes. Yale has a rich Aboriginal history that dates back more than 9000 years. We have included biographies of some Tait and N’Laka’pamux people from first contact to the present day, including the Spuzzum chief who greeted Simon Fraser in 1808. The Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) was the first non-Native group to settle here, and built the original Fort Yale. A few biographies of the first explorers and traders tell its story. The small population suddenly grew by thousands when the Fraser River Gold Rush began. Gold miners poured through Yale, their stop for supplies and sustenance. A town sprang up almost overnight, full of hotels, saloons and general stores, with houses and a tent city. The influx of so many boisterous men led to unlawful behaviour; robbery and murder were commonplace, and ‘wars’ occurred. The governing parties sent militia, installing a police presence, as well as a judicial system, in the town. The building of the Cariboo Wagon Road kept Yale’s economy alive when the Gold Rush continued on to Barkerville. Construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway began, and this brought a second rush of prosperity to Yale. New businesses supplemented the established ones, and the town history became vibrant with the families who stayed. Religion came to Yale in the form of churches and missions, including a girls’ school, which became ‘Yale’s Little University,’ run by Anglican nuns. All Hallows was visited by a future king and queen, as well as Victoria’s daughter and additional nobility. The list goes on, so please enjoy the stories we have presented here.