Otherwise known as Collins Overland Telegraph and Yukon Telegraph

Description

The Telegraph Trail is that portion of the Collins Overland Telegraph Trail and its successor Yukon Telegraph Trail that is located in the Cariboo Regional District. It is approximately 275 kilometers long, extending from 70 Mile House in the south to its border with the Bulkley-Nechako Regional District northwest of Quesnel.

Within the Cariboo Regional District, the original trail has been largely covered over by Highway 97.

This historic place is comprised of the trail, including the parts covered by Highway 97, and the several remaining telegraph offices that are still in evidence.

Heritage Values

The Heritage Trail is valued for its historical association with the Collins Overland Telegraph Line and with the Yukon Telegraph Line.

The Telegraph Trail is valued for its role in establishing communications between the Lower Mainland of British Columbia and the various communities in the Cariboo region, most specifically those lying along the Cariboo Waggon Road between Cache Creek and Quesnel.

The Telegraph Trail is valued for its role in making possible the extension of telegraph service from the Lower Mainland through Quesnel to Barkerville.

The remaining telegraph offices, a prime example of which exists in its original state at the 108 Heritage Site, are valued for providing examples of the structures and technology of their times.

The Telegraph Trail is valued for the reliance it placed on the use of First Nations trails north-west of Quesnel.

The remaining portions of the Telegraph Trail are valued for their use as recreational trails, by hikers and those interested in the history of the Province.

The 275 kilometer portion of the Yukon Telegraph Trail that extends the length of the Cariboo Regional District, is valued as a physical reminder of the history of both the Collins Overland Telegraph and the Yukon Telegraph lines and is valued for the critical role it played in maintaining communications along its entire length and for opening up and expanding settlement along its route.

Character Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Telegraph Trail include:

• Portions of the original route through the entire length of the Cariboo Regional District
• Use as recreational trails
• Old telegraph offices and the remains of others along the original route
• The telegraph office complete with communication equipment restored to its original state, located in the 108 Heritage Site
• The frequently visible landmarks which can still serve to unite and connect communities, albeit in a different manner than carried out by the original trail
• Artifacts such as wire and insulators found along the Telegraph Trail, and in private collections

This Statement Of Significance is in part a tribute to the late Andy Motherwell, former Cariboo Regional District Area “B” Director.

Additional information on Telegraph Trail Heritage Site.