Hat Creek House is a roadhouse situated 11 kilometers from Cache Creek. The original structure was built by Hudson's Bay Company trader Donald Mclean in 1861, it was 40 feet long and 20 feet wide -- often referred to as “Mclean's Station.”1 The additions that were added to the house to make it larger, such as the second
floor and the west wing, were constructed later by George Dunne and Steve Tingley.
Hat Creek House was famous for its hearty meals which were prepared from the ranch's
own produce, accomplished by irrigation farming; as well as, from the property's own
chicken coop, added in 1872.2
The valley and land in which the building was constructed was originally occupied
by the Shuswap Nation.3 McClean's roadhouse included a wash house in which Indigenous women were employed
to wash various linens and most likely the clothes of the occupants/travelers. These
women were generally not paid in cash but rather in bedding.4
Hat Creek House is one of the few remaining roadhouses which catered to travelers en route between the interior and coastal regions of British Columbia, and continues today in its function as a museum.5