Cottonwood House Historic Site
Cottonwood House at Cottonwood House Historic Site was built between 1863 and 1865 and is famous as a welcoming roadhouse on the Cariboo "Waggon" Road. Cottonwood House Historic Site is a Government of British Columbia heritage site and is run as a National Award Winning School District #28 Quesnel Youth Project.
Visiting this wonderfully preserved and restored piece of history is an ideal way to start your North Cariboo and Barkerville adventure. See the original root cellar and double barn, and walk the riverside trail. Visit the café and gift shop for unique heritage wood products. The site is open mid-May to early September.
While
you are visiting, pick up The Cottonwood House Historic Site Cookbook,
which is brimming with old fashioned recipes that are soooo delicious.
So delicious in fact, they serve these dishes in the restaurant in
the General Store!
Visit the Cottonwood House Historic Site website.
The Roadhouse
Cottonwood House Site Map · History of Cottonwood House
Roadhouses were possibly the forerunner to the modern day motel, but operated
in the 1800s. They were an intregal part of the Gold Rush Trail, which
carried miners from Vancouver to Barkerville.
After a long day's journey, either on foot, horse, or in a bumpy stagecaoch, the roadhouse provided a hot meal, a place to rest and a good night's sleep.
Successful roadhouses were not just reliant on the traveller. They were also operating farms that supplied the surrounding area with produce, meat and hay.
Each roadhouse was paced about a day's journey by foot or horse from the last. As roads, travel and automobiles improved, the roadhouse became redundant. Many abandoned relics can still be seen today on the side of the highway.