Quesnel River
Map
The Quesnel River outflow begins at Quesnel Lake and flows 100 km west to its confluence with the Fraser River at the city of Quesnel. Simon Fraser named the river after Jules Maurice Quesnel, a young guide who accompanied Fraser on his journey of the Fraser River.1 It was also known as Swift River.2
Quesnel River became known for its gold deposits. In this despatch, Douglas reports that Alluvial diggings of extraordinary value have been discovered on Quesnel River...Some adventurous Miners have ascended this Stream as far as the lake of the same name from which it rises, and have been rewarded with rich strikes; as much, it is reported, as £40 a day having been made to the hand.
  • 1. G. P. V. Akrigg and H. B. Akrigg, British Columbia Place Names (Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997), 221.
  • 2. Ibid.
Mentions of this place in the documents
People in this document

Douglas, Sir James

Fraser, Simon

Places in this document

Fraser River

Quesnel

Quesnel Lake

The Colonial Despatches Team. Quesnel River. The Colonial Despatches of Vancouver Island and British Columbia 1846-1871, Edition 2.0, ed. The Colonial Despatches Team. Victoria, B.C.: University of Victoria. https://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/quesnel_river.html.

Last modified: 2020-03-30 13:22:16 -0700 (Mon, 30 Mar 2020) (SVN revision: 4193)