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July 31, 2009
Province's Barkerville bounty
Many Jews played a part in the Cariboo community's gold rush.
SARA NEWHAM
It's exactly the way anyone would picture it: two long dirt streets adorned with clapboard-sided buildings and wooden boardwalks. General stores, a saloon, school, laundry, dentist's office, theatre and an Anglican church still stand.
This is Barkerville, B.C., the gold rush ghost town in the heart of the picturesque Cariboo. Nestled on Williams Creek, it's here where fortunes were won and lost in the mid- 19th century. It's also the spot where a sailor named Bill Barker struck $1,000 worth of gold in 1862, drawing a flood of gold miners to the Cariboo, and the development of Barkerville into the largest community west of Chicago and north of San Francisco.
Long since abandoned by prospectors, Barkerville is now a museum and while there is no evidence that a synagogue ever existed, some prominent Jewish settlers were among the town's early inhabitants.
Among them was the man who would to become Vancouver's first mayor, David Oppenheimer. He was one of five Oppenheimer brothers, along with Meyer, Charles, Godfrey and Issac, to open shop in Barkerville. Originally from Germany, the Oppenheimers were in San Francisco when they heard news of the gold rush in British Columbia in 1858. Charles made the trek first, establishing the Charles Oppenheimer and Co. store. Charles also played a part in the building of the Cariboo Wagon Road, the first road into the Interior, from Lytton to Lac La Hache. The brothers established a branch of the store, re-named Oppenheimer and Co., in Barkerville, once the road was constructed. They sold the business in 1867 and decided to open a new store, but it was among the buildings destroyed in the Sept. 16, 1868, fire.
Despite losing $100,000 in the blaze, the brothers rebuilt. David later donated a fire engine that he purchased in San Francisco, and Isaac served as captain of the fire brigade. The Williams Creek Fire Brigade was housed in what is now the Theatre Royale on the main street of Barkerville.
Carl Strouss was another prominent Jewish businessman during Barkerville's boomtime and his store as as large as the Oppenheimers'. He, too, lost it all in the fire but chose to rebuild, and even expanded his Barkerville location, one of several he owned. Strouss also played a prominent role in the fire brigade, providing goods for the firehouse at a reasonable price and funds for its maintenance.
According to Cyril E. Leonoff's Pioneers, Pedlars, and Prayer Shawls, Nathan and Benjamin Grunbaum, the "Vienna merchants," were said to be the first to open a store in Barkerville. When the all-wood town burned to the ground, their business lost $25,000 in the blaze. They rebuilt and dug fireproof cellars.
Felix Neufelder was another Jewish settler in the Cariboo. Neufelder acquired a large fortune and was quite the philanthropist, devoting himself to the fire brigade and the hospital, among other causes. He served on practically every grand jury between 1867 and 1874 and was active in arranging the Canadian and American celebrations of July first and fourth.
Merchants Cohen and Hoffman, dealers in dry goods and clothing, were also hard hit by the fire. Their building was on the west side of the street, between Frank Richard's Saloon and the Hudson Bay Company Store. In 1875, the stock and trade of the business was put up for auction and the building changed hands several times before eventually becoming the Barkerville school.
Thomas A. Barry and H. Adler had a fashion saloon in Barkerville, which had a cards room, a bar room and a billiard saloon. Located between Wake-Up Jake Saloon and Mose's Barbershop, Barry and Adler's was also damaged in the 1868 blaze, which in fact started in an adjoining room of the fashion saloon, where a "Hurdy Gurdy" girl was doing her ironing. According to legend, a miner tried to kiss her and a stovepipe was moved in the process, setting the canvas roof on fire.
Replete with lifelike mannequins, full displays and costumed staff, a visit to Barkerville sends visitors back in time. The interactive site includes two fully functioning hotels, a Chinese restaurant, saloon, bakery and coffee shop – all housed in the 125 heritage buildings on site. A waterwheel and flume still sit on the property, and a wagon ride takes visitors from one part of Barkerville to another, through Chinatown and towards the courthouse where "Judge Begbie" reminisces about early justice.
It's best to go to Barkerville early in the day to take advantage of all the activities available – from gold panning to live theatre and street performances – and miss the big crowds. It's an enjoyable and educational excursion highlighting some of the best British Columbia has to offer.
Barkerville is about a two and a half hour drive from Williams Lake, which is a stunning six-hour drive from Vancouver and an ideal rest spot for those planning to make the trip. If you're looking for a B.C. Day getaway, for the cost of three tanks of gas, Barkerville is a great pick. Visit barkerville.ca for more information.
Sara Newham is a Vancouver freelance writer.
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