GO FOR GOLD WHILE *CHASING THE GOLDEN BUTTERFLY* DOWN THE CARIBOO WAGGON ROAD TO BARKERVILLE

Here’s a revolutionary idea for Bastille Day: go for gold while Chasing the Golden Butterflydown the Cariboo Waggon Road in Barkerville.

The historic Cariboo Gold Rush town is setting up three new geocaches along the famed Waggon Road from Barkerville to Wells and beyond to Stanley. As part of the Chasing the Golden Butterfly geocache/passport program, the caches will be activated during a “mega-event” on July 14.

And inside each cache will be a vial of 24 carat gold leaf as a special prize for the first person/persons to find it. 

Events will also be held in Hope, Princeton and Klahowya Village, the First Nations village in Stanley Park. 

A heritage initiative coordinated by the New Pathways to Gold Society (NPTGS), Chasing the Golden Butterfly combines a traditional passport program like the one used during Expo 86 with the geocaching to encourage travelers to visit historic sites. 

The Barkerville-Wells-Stanley event helps launch a whole new route for the program, one based on B.C.’s Heritage Trails system. A large crowd is expected to gather at 2 p.m. at the cairn commemorating the National Historic Site designation of the Cariboo Waggon Road (located at the top end of the final mile of the Waggon Road, just below the historic Richfield Courthouse). Judge Matthew Begbie will throw the ceremonial switch to activate the golden caches. 

Barkerville Historic Town spokesperson James Douglas said geocaches are a fun and inexpensive way of keeping smaller historic sites like Stanley on the map. 

“Stanley had a thriving community of Chinese miners that endured incredible hardships during the gold rush,” said Douglas. 

“Today it’s the trailhead of a 20 kilometre section of intact Cariboo Waggon Road that leads to Richfield and Barkerville.” 

Geocaching is a hi-tech treasure-hunting pastime that uses a Global Positioning System (GPS) device. Played all over the world, geocaching is a great way to explore B.C.’s historic sites and heritage trails. 

Other new caches to be activated July 14 can be found near Klahowya Village and at the Peers Creek Trailhead near Hope, gateway to the restored the historic 1849 Hudson’s Bay Brigade Trail.

The Chasing the Golden Butterfly program is also adding existing caches from partner organizations and communities. The Princeton Visitor Centre and Chamber of Commerce is adding four of their existing caches. Existing caches from the Gold Country Communities Society (GCCS) GeoTourism Program are also being added.

Chasing the Golden Butterfly is supported by a partnership between NPTGS, BC150, GCCS, ATBC, Vancouver Coast and Mountain Tourism Association, Cariboo Coast Chilcotin Tourism Association, B.C. Transmission Corporation and community sponsors.

For additional information, please contact: 

James Douglas
Marketing and Communications
Barkerville Historic Town
james.douglas@barkerville.ca
250-994-3302 ext. 41
888-994-3332 toll free

OR:

Don Hauka
Communications Consultant
New Pathways to Gold Society
ddclauka@shaw.ca; 604-787-9155