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Ashcroft Museum receives original Gold Rush Trail sign

Ten of the iconic signs being given to museums, historic sites along the Gold Rush Trail
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(from left) Kristi Denby, CCCTA Industry Development and Program Manager; Ashcroft Museum curator Kathy Paulos; and Jolene Lammers, CCCTA Destination Development Coordinator, with the Gold Rush Trail sign donated to the museum. Photo: Barbara Roden

On May 27 the Ashcroft Museum welcomed an iconic piece of British Columbia’s roadside history into itse collection: one of the original Gold Rush Trail signs which used to mark the hundreds of kilometres of highways from the Fraser River in New Westminster to Barkerville.

The sign donated to the Ashcroft Museum is one of 10 original signs that the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association (CCCTA) and the Gold Rush Trail Management Committee is presenting to communities, museums, and founding partners. The Yale, 108 Mile, and Barkerville Historic Sites, as well as museums in Lytton, Lillooet, and Clinton, are among the other sites selected.

“We are pleased to have this opportunity to ensure Gold Rush Trail artifacts are preserved in our communities for future generations,” says Amy Thacker, CEO of Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association. “The Gold Rush Trail is our collective asset.”

The Gold Rush Trail tells the story of British Columbia, and follows the traditional Indigenous peoples’ trading routes utilized during the fur trade in the early 1800s and expanded during the gold rushes of 1858–1862. The iconic original signs, depicting a miner leading a pack animal loaded with gear, were familiar sights along the corridor for three decades, and were established by the provincial government at the time of Expo 86 to promote the Trail.

In 2015 the Gold Rush Trail Management Committee, in collaboration with communities and partners along the corridor, completed a brand refresh and became the first aligned brand with Destination British Columbia’s Super, Natural British Columbia brand.

“I’m really happy for you to have this sign,” said Kristi Denby, CCCTA Industry Development and Program Manager, as she presented the sign to Ashcroft Museum curator Kathy Paulos.

“It’s an original piece of the Gold Rush Trail, and these sign markers bring back lots of memories. We want them to live on in public places.”

Paulos said that she and museum summer student Breana Paulos had been busy trying to decide where to display the sign.

“I’m thrilled to get this piece of B.C. history for the museum,” she said. “I’m excited about it; I can’t wait to hang it up!”



editorial@accjournal.ca

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