One Hundred Mile House, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
100 Mile House is a district municipality
District municipality
A district municipality is a designation for a class of municipalities found in several locations, including Canada, Lithuania, and South Africa.-Usage in British Columbia:...
located in the South 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...
region of central British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
History
100 Mile House was originally known as Bridge Creek House, named after the creek running through the area. Its origins as a settlement go back to the time when Thomas Miller owned a collection of ramshackle buildings serving the traffic of the gold rushBritish Columbia Gold Rushes
The presence of gold in the region that is now British Columbia is mentioned in old legends that, in part, led to its discovery. The Strait of Anian, claimed to have been sailed by Juan de Fuca for whom today's Strait of Juan de Fuca is named, was described as passing through a land "rich in gold,...
as a resting point for travellers moving between Kamloops and Fort Alexandria, which was 98 miles (157.7 km) north of 100 Mile House farther along the HBC Brigade Trail
Hudson's Bay Brigade Trail
The Hudson's Bay Brigade Trail, sometimes referred to simply as the Brigade Trail, refers to one of two routes used by Hudson's Bay Company fur traders to transport furs, goods and supplies between coastal and Columbia District headquarters at Fort Vancouver and those in New Caledonia and also in...
. It acquired its current name 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...
where a roadhouse was constructed in 1862 at the 100 Mile mark (100 miles (160.9 km)) up the Old Cariboo Road
Old Cariboo Road
The Old Cariboo Road is a reference to the original wagon road to the Cariboo gold fields in what is now the Canadian province of British Columbia...
from Lillooet
Lillooet, British Columbia
Lillooet is a community on the Fraser River in western Canada, about up the British Columbia Railway line from Vancouver. Situated at an intersection of deep gorges in the lee of the Coast Mountains, it has a dry climate- of precipitation is recorded annually at the town's weather station,...
.
In 1930, Lord Martin Cecil
William Cecil, 7th Marquess of Exeter
William Martin Alleyne Cecil, 7th Marquess of Exeter , known until 1981 as Lord Martin Cecil, was an Anglo-Canadian peer.-Personal:Exeter was the second son of William Cecil, 5th Marquess of Exeter....
left England to come to 100 Mile House and manage the estate owned by his father, the 5th Marquess of Exeter
William Cecil, 5th Marquess of Exeter
William Thomas Brownlow Cecil, 5th Marquess of Exeter KG CMG TD , known as Lord Burghley from 1895 to 1898, was a British peer....
. The estate's train stop on the Pacific Great Eastern (now CNR) railway is to the west of town and called Exeter. The town, which at the time consisted of the roadhouse, a general store, a post office, telegraph office and a power plant, had a population of 12. The original road house burned down in 1937.
Economy
Lone Butte, British Columbia
Lone Butte is an unincorporated community in the South Cariboo region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada, north-east of 70 Mile House on the north side of Green Lake and near the butte of the same name...
, Horse Lake, Bridge Lake, 70 Mile House, Canim Lake
Canim Lake, British Columbia
Canim Lake is an unincorporated settlement and First Nations Indian reserve reserve community in British Columbia, Canada. It is located east of 100 Mile House in the Cariboo Region....
, and 108 Mile Ranch
108 Mile Ranch, British Columbia
108 Mile Ranch is a residential community of 700 homes situated in the South Cariboo region of British Columbia located in a historic area of ranches and lakes.Historically, en route to the great Cariboo Gold Rush, a few of the travellers settled here....
, and is the largest residential centre between Kamloops
Kamloops, British Columbia
Kamloops is a city in south central British Columbia, at the confluence of the two branches of the Thompson River and near Kamloops Lake. It is the largest community in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and the location of the regional district's offices. The surrounding region is more commonly...
and Williams Lake
Williams Lake, British Columbia
Williams Lake, is a city in the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the central part of a region known as the Cariboo, it is the largest urban centre between Kamloops and Prince George, with a population of 11,150 in city limits....
.
The primary industries of 100 Mile House are forestry and ranching. Log home building and tourism are also an important part of the community.
Tourism
100 Mile House is a centre for outdoor activities and is becoming increasingly known for its richness of birdBird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
life. The surrounding area features many lakes for boating and fishing including Lac La Hache, Canim Lake
Canim Lake (British Columbia)
Canim Lake is a lake in British Columbia, Canada. It is located approximately 35 km northeast of 100 Mile House.-Provincial parks around Canim Lake:*Canim Beach Provincial Park*Roserim Creek Provincial Park*Wells Gray Provincial Park...
, Horse Lake, Green Lake
Green Lake (Cariboo)
Green Lake is a lake in the South Cariboo region of British Columbia, Canada, located east of 70 Mile House. The lake is a popular recreational residential area frequented by owners from the Lower Mainland. Several locations around the lake are part of Green Lake Provincial Park.-References:*...
, and Bridge Lake
Bridge Lake (British Columbia)
Bridge Lake is a lake in the Interlakes District of the South Cariboo region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is the source of Bridge Creek which runs in a curving course west and then northeast to Canim Lake via the town of 100 Mile House...
. The Cariboo ski marathon attracts a large and international field of cross-country (Nordic) skiers.
The surrounding communities offer varies activities for residents and visiting tourists. Several Rodeos throughout the area are attracting visitors from far away and the extensive trail system invites trail riders from all over the province.
Locations
- North of 100 Mile House is Lac La HacheLac La Hache, British ColumbiaLac La Hache is a recreational and retirement community in the Cariboo region of British Columbia, Canada. Located on the shore of Lac La Hache alongside British Columbia Highway 97 near the regional centre of 100 Mile House, the community's origins date to the days of the Cariboo Gold Rush and...
(17 km), 150 Mile House150 Mile House, British Columbia150 Mile House is an unincorporated settlement of 893 people in the Cariboo region of British Columbia.It is located 15 km south of Williams Lake on Highway 97....
(83 km), Williams LakeWilliams Lake, British ColumbiaWilliams Lake, is a city in the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the central part of a region known as the Cariboo, it is the largest urban centre between Kamloops and Prince George, with a population of 11,150 in city limits....
(97 km), and McLeese Lake (142 km). - Also located north of 100 Mile House is QuesnelQuesnel, British Columbia-Demographics:Quesnel had a population of 9,326 people in 2006, which was a decrease of 7.1% from the 2001 census count. The median household income in 2005 for Quesnel was $54,044, which is slightly above the British Columbia provincial average of $52,709....
(218 km) and Prince GeorgePrince George, British ColumbiaPrince George, with a population of 71,030 , is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, and is known as "BC's Northern Capital"...
(335 km). - South-East of 100 Mile House is the InterlakesInterlakesThe Interlakes, also known as the Interlakes District, is a geographic region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada, located along and around the Interlakes Highway between 100 Mile House on BC Highway 97 and Little Fort on the North Thompson River...
area and Bridge LakeBridge Lake, British ColumbiaBridge Lake is an unincorporated recreational community located at the eastern end of Bridge Lake in the Interlakes District of the South Cariboo region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The town is the largest service centre on the Interlakes Highway and has a population of 500. ...
(59 km). - South of the town is 70 Mile House70 Mile House, British Columbia70 Mile House is situated on Highway 97 in the Cariboo region of British Columbia, Canada. Its name is derived from its distance from Lillooet, which was Mile 0 of the Old Cariboo Road. Other examples of towns named by their distance from Lillooet on the Old Cariboo Road are 93 Mile House, 100 Mile...
(50 km), ClintonClinton, British ColumbiaClinton is a village in British Columbia, Canada, located approximately 40 km northwest of Cache Creek and 30 km south of 70 Mile House.It is considered by some to straddle the southern edge of the Cariboo country of British Columbia, although others consider Ashcroft-Cache Creek, Lillooet, Savona,...
(81 km), Cache CreekCache Creek, British ColumbiaCache Creek is a junction community northeast of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada. It is on the Trans-Canada Highway in the province of British Columbia at its junction with northbound Highway 97...
(120 km), Spences BridgeSpences Bridge, British ColumbiaSpences Bridge is a community in the Canadian province of British Columbia, situated 23 miles north east of Lytton and 32 miles from Ashcroft. In 1892, the population included 32 people of European ancestry and 130 First Nations people. There were 5 general stores, 3 hotels, one Church of England...
(168 km), and VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
(469 km).