70 Mile House is a community situated on Highway 97 in the

Cariboo The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia, Canada, centered on a plateau stretching from Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the Caribou (North America), caribou that were once abundant in the reg ...

region of

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Its name is derived from its distance from

Lillooet Lillooet () is a district municipality in the Squamish-Lillooet region of southwestern British Columbia. The town is on the west shore of the Fraser River immediately north of the Seton River mouth. On BC Highway 99, the locality is by road abo ...

, which was Mile 0 of the

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. It should not be confused with the Cariboo Road, which was built slightly later and used a differen ...

. Other examples of towns named by their distance from Lillooet on the Old Cariboo Road are

93 Mile House 93 Mile House (officially 93 Mile) is an unincorporated community in 100 Mile House (outside edge of) the South Cariboo region of British Columbia, Canada. It is at the junction of Highway 24 and Highway 97. It is located approximately 11&nbs ...

100 Mile House 100 Mile House is a district municipality located in the South Cariboo region of central British Columbia, Canada. History 100 Mile House was originally known as Bridge Creek House, named after the creek running through the area. Its origins ...

, and

150 Mile House 150 Mile House (also referred to as "the 50") is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community of 1,172 people in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. It is located 15 km (9 mi) southeast of Williams Lake, British Columbia, Willia ...

. In its heyday, 70 Mile House was a frequent stop for stagecoaches, such as the ones run by

Barnard's Express Barnard's Express, later known as the British Columbia Express Company or BX, was a pioneer transportation company that served the Cariboo and Fraser-Fort George Regional District, British Columbia, Fraser-Fort George regions in British Columbia, ...

and for

Cataline Jean-Jacques Caux, known as Cataline, was the most famous mule Moving company, packer of the Canadian West. Biography Jean Jacques Caux, known as Cataline, was born in rural southern France around 1830, most likely in a town called Oloron in the ...

's mule train.

History

70 Mile House was the first stopping place built on the Old

Cariboo Road The Cariboo Road (also called the Cariboo Wagon Road, the Great North Road or the Queen's Highway) was a project initiated in 1860 by the Governor of the Colony of British Columbia, James Douglas. It was built in response to the Cariboo Gold Rus ...

. Charles Adrian pre-empted the land in 1862 and built a roadhouse on the property. The roadhouse was used in the winter of 1862-1863 by pioneer road builder

Gustavus Blin Wright Gustavus Blin Wright (June 22, 1830 – April 8, 1898) was a pioneer roadbuilder and entrepreneur in British Columbia, Canada. His biggest achievement was building the Old Cariboo Road to the Cariboo gold fields, from Lillooet, British Columbia, Li ...

as a camp for his labourers. In the spring of 1863, Wright purchased the property and leased it to other operators until 1869 when he sold it to JM Roberts and Edward Fisher. They sold the roadhouse in 1875 to John and William Saul. The Sauls sold it to William Boyd in the 1880s, and he and his family operated it for twenty years.

Present day

The roadhouse at 70 Mile House burned down in 1956, but travellers on Highway 97 will still find a store and a variety of other services at this historic location.

Notes

Geography of the Cariboo Populated places in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District {{cariboo-geo-stub