Alexandria, British Columbia

{{Short description|Hamlet in Cariboo Regional District, British Columbia, Canada}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}

{{Infobox settlement   |official_name = Alexandria |other_name = |native_name = |nickname = |settlement_type = |motto =  |image_skyline = |imagesize = |image_caption = |image_flag = |flag_size = |image_seal = |seal_size = |image_shield = |shield_size = |city_logo = |citylogo_size = |image_map = |mapsize = |map_caption = |pushpin_map = Canada British Columbia |pushpin_label_position = |pushpin_map_caption =Location of Alexandria in British Columbia |pushpin_mapsize =  |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = Canada |subdivision_type1 = Province |subdivision_name1 = British Columbia |subdivision_type2 = Region |subdivision_name2 = North Cariboo |subdivision_type3 = Regional district |subdivision_name3 = Cariboo |subdivision_type4 = |subdivision_name4 =  |government_footnotes = |government_type = |leader_title = |leader_name = |leader_title1 = |leader_name1 = |leader_title2 = |leader_name2 = |leader_title3 = |leader_name3 = |leader_title4 = |leader_name4 = |established_title = |established_date = |established_title2 = |established_date2 = |established_title3 = |established_date3 =  |area_magnitude = |unit_pref = |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 = |area_land_km2 =  |area_water_km2 = |area_total_sq_mi = |area_land_sq_mi = |area_water_sq_mi = |area_water_percent = |area_urban_km2 = |area_urban_sq_mi = |area_metro_km2 = |area_metro_sq_mi = |area_blank1_title = |area_blank1_km2 = |area_blank1_sq_mi =  |population_as_of = |population_footnotes = |population_note = |population_total = |population_density_km2 = |population_density_sq_mi = |population_metro = |population_density_metro_km2 = |population_density_metro_sq_mi = |population_urban = |population_density_urban_km2 = |population_density_urban_sq_mi = |population_blank1_title = |population_blank1 = |population_density_blank1_km2 = |population_density_blank1_sq_mi =  |timezone = |utc_offset = |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |coordinates = {{coord|52|37|59|N|122|27|04|W|region:CA-BC|display=inline,title}} |elevation_footnotes =  |elevation_m = |elevation_ft =  |postal_code_type = |postal_code = |area_codes = 250, 778, 236, & 672 |blank_name = Highway |blank_info = {{jct|state=BC|Hwy|97}} |blank1_name = |blank1_info = |website = |footnotes = }} '''Alexandria''' or '''Fort Alexandria''' was a general area encompassing a trading post, ferry site, and steamboat landing in the North Cariboo region of central British Columbia. The present unincorporated community is on the eastern side of the Fraser River. On BC Highway 97, the locality is by road about {{convert|74|km|mi}} northwest of Williams Lake and {{convert|45|km|mi}} south of Quesnel.

==Name origin== The name honours Alexander Mackenzie,{{sfn|Smith|1955|p=95 (212)}} who in 1793 on his Peace River to Pacific Ocean expedition was the first European to visit the Alexandria First Nation village. On being warned of the dangerous falls and rapids downstream,<ref name=GTBC>{{cite book |last=Ramsey |first=Bruce |title=Ghost Towns of British Columbia|url=https://archive.org/details/ghosttownsofbrit0000rams |url-access=registration |year=1963|publisher=Mitchell Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/ghosttownsofbrit0000rams/page/32 32]}}</ref> Mackenzie returned northward beyond the future Quesnel, before turning westward along the West Road River (Blackwater River) toward the coast.{{sfn|Wolfenden|1954|p=232 (212)}}

==First Nations== The First Nations village on the west side of the river was known as Tautin (Ltau'tenne, "sturgeon people"), part of the Takulli (Carrier), which originally numbered in the hundreds.<ref name=HoI>{{cite book | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcbooks/1.0354340#p465z-4r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |last=Geographic Board of Canada |page=466 (450) |title=Handbook of Indians of Canada. |year=1913 |via=library.ubc.ca}}</ref>

In 1826, when the Chilcotin attacked this village opposite the fort, the fur traders supplied arms to the vulnerable defenders. This gesture caused the former to stop trading with the fort for a period.{{sfn|Hewlett|1972|pp=41–42 (27–28)}} Although the Carrier conducted some revenge killings that year,{{sfn|Morice|1905|p=160 (124)}} hostilities between the two groups had subsided by the following year.{{sfn|Morice|1905|p=196 (160)}}

Religious beliefs were often a mixture of traditional and Christianity. Around 1834, indigenous visitors from Oregon introduced one such belief, which the village members enthusiastically embraced.{{sfn|Hewlett|1972|pp=51–52 (37–38)}} During this era, Father Demers used the fort as a base for his missionary endeavours.{{sfn|Hewlett|1972|p=52 (38)}}

By 1902, the effects of colonization had reduced the village to about 15 members.<ref name="HoI" />

==Fort== In 1821, George McDougall of the North West Company Chala-Oo-Chick trading post, west of Fort George, paddled downriver to establish the Alexandria trading post,<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bch/1.0190690#p22z-3r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |last1=Trower |first1=Peter |last2=Klan |first2=Yvonne |title=BC History: Chala-Oo-Chick |year=2005 |volume=38 |issue=2 |page=23 (19) |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> prior to the corporate merger with the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) that summer.{{sfn|Wolfenden|1954|p=232 (212)}}

In HBC governance, Fort St. James was over Fort Alexandria, which was over the minor Fort Chilcotin.{{sfn|Morice|1905|p=160 (124)}} The fishery at the Alexandria post was significant both in terms of trade and the diet of residents.<ref>{{cite thesis | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/831/1.0098807/1 |last=Mackie |first=Richard Somerset |pages=318–319 (309–310) |title=The Hudson's Bay Company on the Pacific, 1821-1843 |year=1993 |type=PhD |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bch/1.0190694#p29z-3r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |last=Palmer |first=Ron N. |title=BC Historical News: Alexander Caulfield Anderson |year=2003 |volume=36 |issue=2 |page=30 (28) |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref>

In 1836, the fort relocated from the east side of the river to the west side,{{sfn|Morice|1905|p=236 (194)}} possibly to simplify trade with First Nations.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/delgamuukw/1.0018455#p32z-3r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |page=33 (22251) |title=Delgamuukw vs Her Majesty the Queen, BC Supreme Court |date=9 Nov 1989 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> Alternative accounts suggest the reasons as erosion of the riverbank,<ref>{{BCGNIS|754|Alexandria (community)}}</ref> the fort burned to the ground, and/or accessing more arable land across the river for farming.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.wltribune.com/our-town/haphazard-history-the-stories-of-fort-alexandria-and-fort-chilcotin |title=Williams Lake Tribune |date=6 Dec 2016 | website=www.wltribune.com}}</ref>

thumb|right|350px|Fort Alexandria, 1910s

Tradition places the second fort adjacent to the existing church on the Alexandria reserve.<ref name="GTBC" />

When news of the murder of Samuel Black, chief factor at Fort Kamloops, was received in 1841,{{sfn|Wolfenden|1954|p=233 (213)}} one account indicates a party of four rode through the snow from Alexandria,{{sfn|Wolfenden|1954|p=234 (214)}} whereas another states they delayed until mid-summer.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcbooks/1.0416600#p209z-3r0f:%22Tod%22 |last=Johnson |first=F. Henry |title=BC Historical Quarterly: Fur-trading Days at Kamloops |date=Jul 1937 |volume=1 |issue=3 | page=210 (179) |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref>

The fort emphasized growing crops and rearing cattle. The phenomenal wheat harvests prompted the construction of a flour mill. Using horses to rotate the grindstone,<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bch/1.0190585#p32z-3r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |last=McGregor |first=D.A. |title=BC Historical Quarterly: Old Whitehead, Peter Skene Ogden |date=Jul–Oct 1953 |volume=XVII |issue=3 & 4 | page=33 (188) |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> the mill operated 1842–1846.<ref name="GTBC" />

The frame church built in 1846 was one of the four Roman Catholic (RC) missionary stations.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bch/1.0190585#p61z-4r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |last=McGloin |first=John Bernard |title=BC Historical Quarterly: John Nobili, 1845–1848 |date=Jul–Oct 1953 |volume=XVII |issue=3 & 4 | pages=62–63 (219–220) |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref>

By 1860, the fort's workforce had reduced to four or five individuals, ten per cent of its peak number.{{sfn|Smith|1955|p=95 (212)}} The fort closed in 1867 and became purely a farm. HBC relinquished the property in 1881 and the buildings were demolished in 1915. The initial location was formally recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1925.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=17741 |title=Fort Alexandria National Historic Site of Canada | website=www.historicplaces.ca}}</ref> A commemorative cairn was erected in 1936<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/dailycolonist193unse_57/page/n1/mode/1up?view=theater&q=alexandria |page=1 |title=Daily Colonist |date=10 Jul 1936 | website=archive.org}}</ref> about {{convert|8|km|mi|0}} south of present Alexandria.

==Trails and roads== In the 1820s, the Hudson's Bay Brigade Trail from the fort went south to Fort Astoria (a.k.a. Fort George) at the Columbia River mouth.{{sfn|Favrholdt|1997|p=71 (59)}} Furs from northern forts came by boat to Fort Alexandria, where pack trains carried the product south.{{sfn|Favrholdt|1997|p=72 (60)}} A brigade could comprise 400 to 500 horses of which 200 were stabled at Fort Alexandria.{{sfn|Wolfenden|1954|p=239 (219)}} In 1827, the route destination was changed to Fort Okanogan.{{sfn|Favrholdt|1997|p=72 (60)}} The trail took eight days to cover about {{convert|200|mi|km|order=flip}} to Fort Kamloops{{sfn|Favrholdt|1997|pp=85–87 (73–75)}} and 10 days to cover the remaining {{convert|300|mi|km|order=flip}}.{{sfn|Favrholdt|1997|p=90 (78)}} The next year, the navigability of the Fraser was examined as an alternative route, but the 27 strong rapids in the passage south to the Bridge River mouth quashed the idea.{{sfn|Favrholdt|1997|pp=77–78 (65–66)}}

In 1843, a new brigade route south to Kamloops reduced the journey to {{convert|462|mi|km|order=flip}}.{{sfn|Favrholdt|1997|p=95 (83)}} Before the signing of the Oregon Treaty in 1846, Alexander Caulfield Anderson, the chief factor at Alexandria, was surveying alternative routes before one was finalised in 1849.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bch/1.0190696#p10z-4r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |last=Reid |first=Robie L. |title=BC Historical Quarterly: Early Days at Old Fort Langley |date=Apr 1937 |volume=I |issue=2 | page=11 (76) |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref>

thumb|Route of the Cariboo Road in red. Steamboat travel in blue; dotted lines are alternate routes or routes to other goldfields

In 1860, the Pony Express Co began a Lytton–Fort Alexandria–Quesnel River route, which was a seven-day return trip.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/dailycolonist18600424uvic/page/n1/mode/1up?view=theater&q=alexandria |page=2 |title=Daily Colonist |date=24 Apr 1860 | website=archive.org}}</ref>

In 1863, the completion of the Old Cariboo Road from Lillooet{{sfn|Smith|1955|p=87 (204)}} replaced the brigade trail to Kamloops.{{sfn|Favrholdt|1997|p=140 (128)}} That year, Alfred Waddington's road crew began building a wagon road from Bentinck Arm to the fort. When the Chilcotin massacred the road workers in 1864,{{sfn|Hewlett|1972|pp=149–151 (132–134)}} in what became known as the Chilcotin War, a 50-person force from the fort was part of an exercise to track down those responsible.{{sfn|Hewlett|1972|p=189 (170)}}

In 1863, James Trahey completed building the ''Enterprise'' at Cuisson Creek (Four Mile Creek) (south of present Alexandria, but north of the fort), and the steamer travelled between Soda Creek and Quesnel until its berthing in 1886 at Steamboat Landing near the fort.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bch/1.0190657#p13z-3r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |last=West |first=Willis J. |title=BC Historical Quarterly: The B.X. and the Rush to Fort George |date=Jul–Oct 1949 |volume=XIII |issue=3 & 4 | pages=14–15 (138–139) |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> During that era, paddlewheelers called at the fort.{{sfn|Favrholdt|1997|p=141 (129)}} While the ferry was withdrawn during the winter months, the early Lillooet–Soda Creek passenger stage was extended to Alexandria.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/dailycolonist18640407uvic/page/n1/mode/2up?view=theater&q=stages |page=2 |title=Daily Colonist |date=7 Apr 1864 | website=archive.org}}</ref>

In 1864, the completion of the Cariboo Road superseded the road from Lillooet.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.clintonmuseumbc.org/gallery/getting-there |title=It was all about getting there 'up the Cariboo road' |website=www.clintonmuseumbc.org}}</ref> That year, Walter Moberly built a wagon road northeastward to Richfield (immediately south of Barkerville).<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bch/1.0190678#p13z-4r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |last=Cotton |first=Barry |title=BC Historical News: Walter Moberly |year=1998 |volume=32 |issue=1 |page=14 (12) |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref>

At least during the 1940s, a Greyhound stop existed at Marguerite<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1943-07-15-05 |page=5 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=15 Jul 1943 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}} to<br />{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1946-08-15-03 |page=5 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=15 Aug 1946 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> and briefly at Alexandria.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1944-10-19-09 |page=9 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=19 Oct 1944 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

In 1954, {{convert|3.3|mi|1|order=flip}} were paved southward from Alexandria.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1954-06-17-18 |page=18 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=17 Jun 1954 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> The next year, when surface runoff from torrential rains damaged the centre pier of the Cuisson Creek bridge, highway traffic was rerouted for a week over the railway bridge.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1955-06-30-01 |page=1 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=30 Jun 1955 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

In spring 1960, the highway, which ran in front of the RC church, was realigned eastward to its present location following a landslide.<ref name=20Jan11>{{Cite web | url=https://www.quesnelobserver.com/life/a-tiny-church-remembered/ |title=Quesnel Observer |date=20 Jan 2011 | website=www.quesnelobserver.com}}</ref>

==Ferries== ===Early fort site=== The ferry, which operated 1821–1895{{sfn|Morrow|2016|p=78}}<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/dailycolonist18610612uvic/page/n1/mode/2up?view=theater&q=harbor |page=3 |title=Daily Colonist |date=12 Jun 1861 | website=archive.org}}</ref> was likely a rowboat, because a passing steamer was needed to take packhorses across<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/chungpub/1.0114658#p143z-4r0f:%22opposite%22 |last=Fleming |first=Sandford |title=Report of progress on the explorations and surveys up to January, 1874 |year=1874 |page=145 (115) |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> and livestock swam.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0064002#p3z-3r0f:%22swum%22 |page=4 (1596) |title=Department of Agriculture annual report, 1893 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref>

===Later Alexandria=== About {{convert|0.5|mi|1|order=flip}} north of Diamond Island, the pontoon<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0060111#p558z-3r0f:%22ferry%22 |page=559 (D481) |title=Minister of Lands annual report, 1913 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> reaction ferry was established in 1913{{sfn|Clapp|1991|p=15}} as a subsidised government service.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0059778#p131z-3r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |page=132 (Q130) |title=Minister of Public Works annual report, 1913–14 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref>

In 1940–41, a 10-ton standard reaction ferry replaced the 8-ton one.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0314250#p25z-3r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |page=26 (O20) |title=Minister of Public Works annual report, 1940–41 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> In 1942–43, the towers were renewed.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0319035#p34z-4r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |page=35 (O27) |title=Minister of Public Works annual report, 1942–43 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> In 1950, the ferry was discontinued.{{sfn|Clapp|1991|p=15}}<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0343150#p92z-4r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |page=93 (N94) |title=Minister of Public Works annual report, 1950–51 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref>

===Later Marguerite=== About {{convert|4|km|mi}} south of the former fort sites, a ferry connected the community of Castle Rock on the west shore<ref>{{BCGNIS|38128|Castle Rock (community)}}</ref> with the east shore wagon road, then railway line, and ultimately the station at Marguerite. The Sing Lee Creek<ref>{{BCGNIS|20526|Sing Lee Creek (creek)}}</ref> ferry, which existed in 1915–16,<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0059909#p60z-4r0f:%22ferry%22 |page=B61 |title=Minister of Public Works annual report, 1915–16 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> appears to be the forerunner of the government ferry. Officially called the Macalister ferry, the subsidised service<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0059452#p86z-3r0f:%22Macalister%22 |page=B87 |title=Minister of Public Works annual report, 1916–17 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> was a.k.a. the Castle Rock ferry.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0224491#p48z-3r0f:%22Castle%22 |page=49 (D33) |title=Minister of Public Works annual report, 1919–20 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> Commencing as a canoe in 1917, a wooden reaction ferry was installed in 1921,{{sfn|Clapp|1991|p=13}}<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0225864#p38z-3r0f:%22Macalister%22 |page=39 (G21) |title=Minister of Public Works annual report, 1921–22 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> which could carry vehicles and passengers.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0225920#p71z-3r0f: |page=72 (C40) |title=Minister of Public Works annual report, 1922–23 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref>

A new ferry was built in 1941–42<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0314281#p30z-4r0f:%22Macalister%22 |page=31 (T23) |title=Minister of Public Works annual report, 1941–42 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> and a new residence for the operator in 1944–45.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0320810#p37z-4r0f:%22Macalister%22 |page=38 (O27) |title=Minister of Public Works annual report, 1944–45 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> While the ferry was withdrawn seasonally between December and March, an ice bridge was installed. By the early 1950s, a cage-like aerial passenger ferry had been erected for winter use.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0348086#p55z-4r0f:%22Marguerite%22 |page=56 (P57) |title=Minister of Public Works annual report, 1951–52 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref>

Motorists temporarily crossed to the old road on the west side when the highway south of Quesnel closed after the Quesnel River bridge collapse in June 1954<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1954-06-14-01 |page=1 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=14 Jun 1954 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> and washouts in June 1955.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1955-06-30-03 |page=3 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=30 Jun 1955 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

While driving onto the small ferry in April 1959, an automobile crashed through a guard chain and plunged into the river. The driver was rescued, but three other occupants drowned.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1959-04-27-03 |page=3 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=27 Apr 1959 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> Attempts to pull the vehicle out of the {{convert|30|ft|m|adj=on|order=flip}} deep water proved difficult.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1959-04-29-01 |page=1 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=29 Apr 1959 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> The bodies of two 12-year-old girls were found within months and a 38-year-old woman was discovered near Chilliwack that October.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1959-10-23-01 |page=1 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=23 Oct 1959 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

In 1961–62, the ferry was partially rebuilt after flash flood damage.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0363981#p51z-3r0f:%22Macalister%22 |page=J52 |title=Minister of Highways annual report, 1961–62 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> In 1964, the official name changed to Marguerite<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0364026#p54z-3r0f: |page=C55 |title=Minister of Highways annual report, 1964–65 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> to avoid confusion with the community of Macalister {{convert|9.5|km|mi}} farther south.{{sfn|Clapp|1991|p=13}} At this time, the hours were 7 am to noon, 1 pm to 5 pm, and 6 pm to 7 pm.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1966-07-13-08 |page=8 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=13 Jul 1966 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

In 1977, the towers and concrete foundations were replaced.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0378743#p103z-3r0f:%22Marguerite%22 |page=104 |title=Minister of Highways annual report, 1977–78 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1977-07-27-03 |page=3 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=27 Jul 1977 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

In 1984, local protests prompted the province to reverse its decision to discontinue the ferry, but daily hours reduced from 15 to 10.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1984-03-27-03 |page=3 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=27 Mar 1984 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> However by 1991, hours had increased to 14 for the two-vehicle, 12-passenger ferry.{{sfn|Clapp|1991|p=74}}

In 2002, the final ferry run occurred.{{sfn|Morrow|2016|p=81}} Despite First Nation protests, the government announced in April 2003 that the service would not be resuming.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/PGC:2003-05-01-03 |page=3 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=1 May 2003 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> The remnants of the abandoned residence stand beside the highway.

==Communities== By the 1910s, from north to south, the general areas straddling the river were Alexandria, Castle Rock, and Macalister.<ref name=BCD18>{{Cite web | url=https://bccd.vpl.ca/title/1918/Wrigley%27s_British_Columbia_Directory.html |title=1918 BC Directory |website=bccd.vpl.ca}}</ref> The arrival of the railway created Marguerite, which gained prominence over Castle Rock.

===Early fort area=== In 1859, Fort Alexandria was the common name of the fort and adjacent settlement.{{sfn|Smith|1955|p=95 (212)}} During that era of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, miners lived in tents and rough cabins. However, being merely a stopover on the way to the goldfields, the year-round population was minimal. The next year, the town was surveyed, but lots were not known to have been sold.<ref name="GTBC" /> The settlement comprised a saloon, restaurant, and several stores.{{sfn|Smith|1955|p=95 (212)}}

In 1860, Alexander Douglas McInnes acquired the HBC farmlands and resided a couple of miles south. He built a roadhouse for travellers to the goldfields.<ref name="GTBC" /> After the goldrush subsided, Quesnel became the distribution centre and Alexandria lost significance.{{sfn|Favrholdt|1997|p=141 (129)}}

McInnes was the inaugural postmaster 1876–1904.<ref name=PMAlex>{{cite web |url=https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?app=posoffposmas&IdNumber=27778 |title=Postmasters (Alexandria) |website=www.bac-lac.gc.ca}}</ref> By the late 1880s, a general store also existed.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://bccd.vpl.ca/title/1889/Henderson%27s_BC_Gazetteer_and_Directory.html |title=1889 BC Directory |website=bccd.vpl.ca}}</ref> By 1910, the roadhouse had closed.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://bccd.vpl.ca/title/1910/Henderson%27s_BC_Gazetteer_and_Directory_Part_1.html |title=1910 BC Directory |website=bccd.vpl.ca}}</ref>

John Sandford Twan, born at the fort in 1853, remained a resident almost until his death in 1947.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1947-01-02-12 |page=12 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=2 Jan 1947 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

===Later Alexandria=== In 1912, BC Express (BX) purchased land for a shipyard and winter berth.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/fgh:1912-09-14-01 |page=1 |title=Fort George Herald |date=14 Sep 1912 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> During the railway construction, both the BX and railway contractor boats used the Alexandria landing.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/fgh:1914-07-18-02 |page=2 |title=Fort George Herald |date=18 Jul 1914 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

By 1918, a general store operated.<ref name="BCD18" /> By the next year, a school existed, but the initial name of Sisters Creek suggests it was to the north or relocated from there.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://bccd.vpl.ca/title/1919/Wrigley%27s_British_Columbia_Directory.html |title=1919 BC Directory |website=bccd.vpl.ca}}</ref> Alexandria North was the subsequent name (largely to distinguish it from the long established Alexandria school on Vancouver Island),<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0225892#p81z-3r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |page=M82 |title=Public Schools annual report, 1924–25 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> and the location had moved to south of Alexandria.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.waughfamily.ca/Waugh/Agnes%20Waugh%201923.pdf#page=1 |page=1 |title=Teachers' Bureau Records |website=www.library.waughfamily.ca |access-date=January 7, 2023 |archive-date=January 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230107175522/https://www.waughfamily.ca/Waugh/Agnes%20Waugh%201923.pdf#page=1 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Our Lady of Perpetual Help RC church was erected in 1940, but closed in the late 1960s.<ref name="20Jan11" />

By 1940, a sawmill existed.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1940-02-01-05 |page=5 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=1 Feb 1940 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> By 1946, the more significant J. Earl McIntyre mill operated.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://bccd.vpl.ca/title/1946/British_Columbia_and_Yukon_Directory.html |title=1946 BC Directory |website=bccd.vpl.ca}}</ref>

Joining Alexandria North in School District 28 Quesnel, the new Alexandria school (a Quonset type structure) opened in 1949–50.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0342765#p149z-3r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |page=O150 |title=Public Schools annual report, 1949–50 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref><ref name=25Aug49>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1949-08-25-18 |page=18 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=25 Aug 1949 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> The Alexandria North school closed in 1953.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0348647#p149z-3r0f: |page=P150 |title=Public Schools annual report, 1952–53 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref>

Matheson's Diamond Island Sawmill operated at least until the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS35-503-1961-eng.pdf#page=73 |page=73 |title=List of Sawmills Prairie Provinces, BC, Yukon, and NWT, 1959 |website=gc.ca}}</ref>

The Alexandria school closed in 1963,<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0364006#p119z-3r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |page=W120 |title=Public Schools annual report, 1962–63 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> after which students were bussed to Quesnel.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1963-04-29-02 |page=2 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=29 Apr 1963 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

Immediately south on the east side of the highway, a rusting beehive burner stands alone.<ref name="20Jan11" />

===Castle Rock=== Castle Rock is an unincorporated community on the west bank of the Fraser River between the cities of Williams Lake and Quesnel, British Columbia, Canada, located in that province's Cariboo Country opposite the community of Margeruite and near Alexandria. The geographical features of Castle Rock are a rocky outcrop<ref>{{BCGNIS|38130|Castle Rock (rock)}}</ref> and bar on the west shore of the Fraser River about {{convert|2.4|mi|1|order=flip}} north of Alexandria,<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.hookandbullet.com/fishing-castle-rock-alexandria-bc |title=Castle Rock Fishing |website=www.hookandbullet.com}}</ref> whereas the general community area is a long way farther south. Castle Rock is named for a rock outcrop of the same name on the Fraser River in that area.

The Castle Rock post office operated from a residence 1916–1943 and 1950–1951.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?app=posoffposmas&IdNumber=14493 |title=Postmasters (Castle Rock) |website=www.bac-lac.gc.ca}}</ref> A school opened in 1917.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0059923#p42z-4r0f:%22Castle%22 |page=A43 |title=Public Schools annual report, 1916–1917 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref>

In 1949, a Quonset type structure replaced the Castle Rock school building on the west side of the river.<ref name="25Aug49" /> The school closed in 1956.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0349151#p158z-3r0f: |page=FF159 |title=Public Schools annual report, 1955–1956 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref>

===Marguerite=== In 1885, Harry Moffat established Landsdowne Farm, a dairy ranch, in the vicinity of later Marguerite,<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1940-08-29-04 |page=4 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=29 Aug 1940 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> where he remained a resident until 1927.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1927-06-30-01 |page=1 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=30 Jun 1927 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> In the early 1900s, the big ranch house served as a roadhouse for stages.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1961-06-28-20 |page=20 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=28 Jun 1961 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

At Marguerite,<ref>{{BCGNIS|21173|Marguerite (community)}}</ref> Mary E. Rowed was the inaugural postmaster 1924–1937.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?app=posoffposmas&IdNumber=8384 |title=Postmasters (Marguerite) |website=www.bac-lac.gc.ca}}</ref> By 1926, a general store existed.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://bccd.vpl.ca/title/1926/Wrigley%27s_British_Columbia_Directory.html |title=1926 BC Directory |website=bccd.vpl.ca}}</ref>

A BP service station operated at Marguerite at least until the 1960s.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1959-11-10-06 |page=6 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=10 Nov 1959 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> The Marguerite rest area is about {{convert|800|m|yd|0}} south of the former ferry site.

==Railway== In early December 1920, the northward advance of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) rail head reached Australian Creek,<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1920-12-10-01 |page=1 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=10 Dec 1920 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> about {{convert|10|km|0}} north of Alexandria, before activity ceased for the winter. After clearing landslides during the following spring,<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgl:1921-04-15-06 |page=6 |title=Prince George Leader |date=15 Apr 1921 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> the line northward reopened to this point in early June 1921.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1921-05-31-01 |page=1 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=31 May 1921 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> Alexandria became a station that year.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://bccd.vpl.ca/title/1921/Wrigley%27s_British_Columbia_Directory.html |title=1921 BC Directory |website=bccd.vpl.ca}}</ref>

In May 1956, a {{convert|90|ft|m|adj=on|order=flip}} deep and {{convert|50|ft|m|adj=on|order=flip}} wide washout near Marguerite closed the line for 11 days.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1956-05-03-01b |page=1 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=3 May 1956 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

In 1960, a wooden trestle was constructed over Cuisson Creek on a new alignment about {{convert|35|ft|m|order=flip}} west of the old trestle.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcsessional/1.0362917#p14z-4r0f:%22Australian%22 |page=Z15 |title=Department of Commercial Transport annual report, 1960 |website=library.ubc.ca}}</ref> In the mid-1980s, a fill replaced the bridge.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,2265211 |title=Canadian Railroads |date=1 Oct 2009 |website=www.trainorders.com}}</ref>

In October 1992, shots were fired at a passing freight train near Alexandria. The incident was one of several random acts of shooting at trains.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1993-03-18-03 |page=3 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=18 Mar 1993 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" ! colspan="12" style="background:#ffdead;" | Train Timetables (Regular stop or Flag stop) |- ! !! Mile !! 1923 !! 1936 !! 1943 !! 1950 !! 1959 !! 1969 !! 1978 !! 1986 !! 1996 !! 2001 |- | || <ref name=CP50>{{Cite book |last=Wolf |first=Adolf Hungry |title=Route of the Cariboo |page=39 |others=Timetable 25 Sep 1950 |publisher=Canadian Caboose |year=1994 |isbn=0-920698-37-9}}</ref> || <ref>Timetable. 11 May 1923.</ref> || <ref>Official Guide. Jan 1936.</ref> || <ref>Timetable. 19 Apr 1943.</ref> || <ref name="CP50" /> || <ref>Timetable. 15 Feb 1959.</ref> || <ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.american-rails.com/pge.html#gallery[pageGallery]/0/ |title=Timetable |date=1969 |website=www.american-rails.com}}</ref> || <ref>Timetable. 17 Dec 1978.</ref> || <ref>Timetable. 26 Oct 1986.</ref> || <ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=48530 |title=Timetable |date=1 Apr 1996 |website=www.rrpicturearchives.net}}</ref> || <ref>Timetable. 2001.</ref> |- | Quesnel || 347.0 || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} ||{{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} |- | Dragon || 339.2 || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || || {{small|Flag}} || || |- | Kersley || 334.4|| {{small|Flag}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || || || {{small|Flag}} || || |- | Australian || 327.8 || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Both}} || {{small|Both}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || || || || || |- | '''Alexandria''' || 320.8 || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || |- | Tingley || 312.9 || {{small|Flag}} || || || || || || || || || |- | Marguerite {{ref|Alpha|a}} || 311.4 || || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|Flag}} || || || || || |- | Macalister || 307.4 || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Both}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || || || |- | Soda Creek || 298.6 || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|R{{small|egular}}}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} || {{small|Flag}} |}

{{small|{{note|Alpha|a}}. The station existed by 1925.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1925-07-23-04 |page=4 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=23 Jul 1925 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>}}

==Accidents and incidents== 1963: A hunter in the vicinity of Marguerite was fatally shot by a companion when mistaken for a deer.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1963-11-13-08 |page=8 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=13 Nov 1963 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

1964: Two youngsters discovered a canvas bag in a ditch near Alexandria containing almost $80,000 in stolen treasury cheques and about $10 in change.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1964-03-05-01 |page=1 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=5 Mar 1964 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

1979: Speed and alcohol were factors<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1979-07-16-01 |page=1 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=16 Jul 1979 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref> when a fiery head-on collision between a car and a pickup truck near Alexandria killed nine people.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repository/pgc:1979-05-14-01 |page=1 |title=Prince George Citizen |date=14 May 1979 |website=pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca}}</ref>

==Maps== *{{Cite web | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcbooks/1.0372919#p63z-3r0f |page=65 (28) |title=Official motorist's guide of British Columbia |year=1931 |website=library.ubc.ca}} *{{Cite web | url=https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/workspace/handleMediaPlayer;JSESSIONID=83caf6bd-5c13-4a2d-8744-65fde1e6d603?lunaMediaId=RUMSEY~8~1~212315~5500350 |title=Shell BC map |year=1956 |website=www.davidrumsey.com}}

==Footnotes== {{reflist}}

==References== *{{cite book | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcbooks/1.0226336#p6z-5r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |last=Morice |first=Adrien Gabriel |title=The history of the Northern interior of British Columbia (formerly New Caledonia) 1660 to 1880. |edition=Third |year=1905 |via=library.ubc.ca}} *{{cite journal | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bcbooks/1.0417436#p150z-4r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |last=Wolfenden |first=Madge |title=BC Historical Quarterly: John Tod, Career of a Scotch Boy |date=Jul–Oct 1954 |volume=XVIII |issue=3 & 4 |website=library.ubc.ca}} *{{cite journal | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/viewer/bch/1.0190670#p86z-3r0f:%22Alexandria%22 |last=Smith |first=Dorothy Blakey |title=BC Historical Quarterly: Harold Guillord's Journal of a Trip to Cariboo, 1862 |date=Jul–Oct 1955 |volume=XIX |issue=3 & 4 |website=library.ubc.ca}} *{{cite thesis | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/831/1.0088683/2 |last=Favrholdt |first=Kenneth Cornaby |title=The Cordilleran communication: the Brigade system of the far western fur trade |year=1997 |type=MA |website=library.ubc.ca}} *{{cite thesis | url=https://open.library.ubc.ca/media/stream/pdf/831/1.0101653/1 |last=Hewlett |first=Edward Sleigh |title=The Chilcotin uprising: a study of Indian-white relations in nineteenth century British Columbia |year=1972 |type=MA |website=library.ubc.ca}} *{{cite book|last=Clapp |first=Frank A. |title=Ministry of Transportation and Highways, Lake and River Ferries |publisher=Ministry of Transportation and Highways |year=1991 |isbn=0-7726-1364-8}} *{{cite book|last=Morrow |first=Trelle A. |title=Silent Passage |publisher=Talisman Publications |year=2016 |isbn=978-0986842320}}

Category:Ghost towns in British Columbia Category:Hudson's Bay Company forts Category:Geography of the Cariboo Category:Populated places on the Fraser River Category:Populated places in the Cariboo Regional District Category:National Historic Sites in British Columbia Category:1821 establishments in the British Empire Category:Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia