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Wells is a small mining and tourist town in the
Cariboo District Cariboo District was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1871 to 1872. It was created when the province of British Columbia joined Confederation in 1871. Like othe ...
of central British Columbia, located on BC Highway 26, from
Quesnel Quesnel or Quesnell means "little oak" in the Picard language, Picard dialect of French language, French. It is used as a proper name and may refer to: Places * Le Quesnel, a commune the Somme department in France * Quesnel, British Columbia, a c ...
and before the highway's terminus at
Barkerville Barkerville was the main town of the Cariboo Gold Rush in British Columbia, Canada, and is preserved as a historic town. It is located on the north slope of the Cariboo Plateau near the Cariboo Mountains east of Quesnel. BC Highway 26, whic ...
. It gains much of its revenue and jobs from tourists who pass through on their way to the
Bowron Lake Provincial Park Bowron Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park located in northern British Columbia, Canada, roughly east of the city of Quesnel. Other nearby towns include Wells and the historic destination of Barkerville. Once a popular hunting and fishin ...
and to the historic museum town of Barkerville.


History

Originally a
company town A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...
, it was managed by ''Cariboo Gold Quartz Mine''. Fred M. Wells, for whom the town was named, prospected in the area for 10 years before finding the minerals that built the company. At its heyday of the 1930s, Wells sported 4500 people. In 1942 it had a greater population than Quesnel or Prince George.District of Wells
/ref> The closure of the gold and other mineral mines in 1967 took its toll on the town and most of the population moved away. Today it has a listed population of just 250 which doubles during the summer months. Between May and September, Wells sees over 100,000 tourists pass through on their way to Barkerville. Most visitors stay or camp overnight in Wells, which has an active arts and outdoor entertainment sector. During the winter months, visitors come for the cross-country ski trails, snowmobiling, and artistic and study retreats. During the summer visitors enjoy galleries and live performances.


Climate

Wells doesn't have a weather station, but
Barkerville Barkerville was the main town of the Cariboo Gold Rush in British Columbia, Canada, and is preserved as a historic town. It is located on the north slope of the Cariboo Plateau near the Cariboo Mountains east of Quesnel. BC Highway 26, whic ...
does (located away). Wells has a subarctic climate ( Köppen climate classification ''Dfc''), resulting in long, cold and snowy winters, accompanied by short and cool summers due to its high altitude and latitude. Its growing season averages only 66 days.


Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Wells had a population of 218 living in 113 of its 156 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 217. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.


See also

* * * List of communities in British Columbia


References


External links

* * {{authority control District municipalities in British Columbia Ghost towns in British Columbia Populated places in the Cariboo Regional District Mining communities in British Columbia