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What were the pros and cons of the Cariboo Gold Rush?
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The Cariboo Gold Rush in British Columbia (1860-1863) spurred infrastructure development, commerce, and the growth of towns like Barkerville, Richfield, and Camerontown. It improved transportation with the construction of the Cariboo Wagon Road. However, the rush's short duration led to economic decline in abandoned mining communities. The Mainland Colony went bankrupt due to colonization costs. Despite these drawbacks, the rush established important infrastructure and governmental presence in the region.
The primary benefit of the Cariboo Gold Rush was the development of infrastructure and communities in underdeveloped land in British Columbia. These gold strikes welcomes an influx of people from all over the world as well. Towns like Williams Creek and Barkerville became central hubs of this period. The improvement of transportation was huge during the Cariboo strike. Most routes were old and rough fur trade routes from the past. Once the strikes took hold, the Cariboo Wagon Road was constructed in 1862.
Log cabins, stores and communities were erected along these routes. Even a feeble attempt at a government was made. Barkerville became the largest town with the most businesses as well. The only real con would be the bankruptcy of Mainland Colony, which was attempting to colonize the area. It was simply too costly and difficult to colonize the rough terrain and it fell through. Once the strike was over, many evacuated the area and left the remnants behind.
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The Cariboo Gold Rush occurred in British Columbia, Canada from 1860-1863—the same period of time when Canada's neighbor to the south (United States) was entrenched in a brutal Civil War. This period of time in British Columbia was met with much excitement and led to the establishment of new communities with booming economies in previously mostly uninhabited places, such as Richfield, Camerontown and Barkerville.
Though the establishment of these three cities led to a significant increase in commerce, the downside of this was that the boom for the gold rush only lasted about three years. By the time the gold was mostly gone, prospectors left most of the mining communities, leaving their economies in poor shape. Some of these mining communities never recovered.
Despite this, the gold rush allowed for a real infrastructure to be established in British Columbia, which included rivers, bridges, steamboat routes, and an increased government presence.
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