Lewis Campbell (1831–1910) was a pioneer rancher in the Kamloops, area of western Canada. He and James Todd

James Todd

In 1865, James Todd and his family established a ranch south-east of Kamloops, British Columbia. He and Lewis Campbell could be considered the first settlers of Barnhartvale, British Columbia.- Starting out in North America :...

 were the first settlers in what is now Barnhartvale, British Columbia

Barnhartvale, British Columbia

Barnhartvale, originally Barnhart Vale, is located at the southeast end of Kamloops, south of Dallas in British Columbia, Canada. The area includes riding stables, farms, honey bee farms, and ranches. There is a local store called Happy Valley Foods, and a local elementary school, Robert L....

.

Campbell went to British Columbia from the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 during the Cariboo Gold Rush

Cariboo Gold Rush

The Cariboo Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Although the first gold discovery was made in 1859 at Horsefly Creek, followed by more strikes at Keithley Creek and Antler Horns lake in 1860, the actual rush did not begin until 1861, when these discoveries were...

 in 1858, but like many others he discovered more profit in transporting supplies and food for the miners than in actually prospecting for gold. In 1864 he drove a herd of cattle from Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

 to the Cariboo

Cariboo

The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia along a plateau stretching from the Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the woodland caribou that were once abundant in the region...

, selling the beef to the miners. In 1865 he pre-empted a crown grant at the mouth of Campbell Creek on the South Thompson River

Thompson River

The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches called the South Thompson and the North Thompson...

. The Campbell Ranch had an impact on Barnhartvale for many years.

Campbell's ranch eventually included 3,000 cattle on a property of 969 acres (3.9 km²), spreading south about twelve miles (19 km) to Campbell Lake and the surrounding meadows.

Campbell Creek and Campbell Range are both named after him.

Sources

• Balf, Mary, "Kamloops: a History of the District up to 1914" (Kamloops Museum Archives, Kamloops, 1969; pp 123–127)
• Favrholdt, Ken, "Lewis Campbell" (Kamloops Daily News, Friday, August 19, 1986)
• Bulman, Alex T., Kamloops Cattlemen: One Hundred Years of Trail Dust! (Sono Nis Press, Victoria, 1972; pp 18–21)