PROMISES AND BROKEN DREAMS:
THE GOLD RUSH DIARY OF GEORGE BLAIR 1862-63
by KATHRYN E. BLAIR-COLBERT, MGS #6484
FORWARD
This year marks the 160th anniversary of the Caribou gold rush. People came from all over the world. Some traveled from Scotland, England, Germany, and even from China. Many left their home nations because of political turmoil, violence, discrimination, poverty or lack of opportunity. These people were risk takers and adventurers drawn to the hope of wealth, prosperity, adventure, better living conditions, and social freedoms.
My second great uncle George and his brother William Blair were two of these men. Their adventures took them from the shores of Georgian Bay to the tropics of Central America and the wilds of New Caledonia. British Columbia was not yet a province. The transcontinental railway was yet to be a dream. George kept a journal of his adventures. It was transcribed by Winnifreda Macintosh on July 17, 1962. The diary itself was made available to the public archives of Canada. I located the transcribed version of his diary in the British Columbia Archives about three years ago and thought that it would help put context around my own family members.
It is a story that begged to be shared and I hope you enjoy the history and the picture that George left for us to read so many years later.