The pioneer roadhouses between Clinton and Barkerville provide a living heritage of the colourful era of the Cariboo gold rush. While thousands plodded toward Barkerville dreaming of pay dirt on Williams Creek, always seeking a faster route to the motherlode, a separate breed of settlers created the shelters that would ease their journey. The trail was everchanging, and when the rush was over the Cariboo-Chilcotin was left with a mosaic of roadhouses and a legacy to build on. These structures had their own stories, tales of wild nights and human heartbreak, sagas of sin and sincerity.

In the first volume of Trails to Gold, the author described the early inns, primarily south of Clinton, which preceded the construction of the Cariboo Road between 1862 and 1865. This volume completes the story of the peak years of a gold rush that British Columbia will never forget.

Branwen Patenaude moved to British Columbia with her parents and brothers in December 1941. Born in Shanghai, China, where she led the sheltered life of a British schoolgirl, her life changed dramatically when her family moved to West Vancouver. When Branwen was in Grade 11, her family moved to the Cariboo, and shortly thereafter she met Wilfred H. Patenaude. The two were married in Ashcroft in 1947. In 1960 Branwen, Wilfred and their two children Anne and David Honor moved to Quesnel, where eventual Branwen volunteered at the Quesnel Museum and began writing. Branwen has published eight books on Cariboo history, making her a great contributor to the information available on pioneer life in the Cariboo during the last century.

Branwen Patenaude's profile page