Grade 10: Industrial Evolution in the Interior of BC

Student Handout - In My Day . . .

Situation

The two gold rushes that swept through the Cariboo and transformed British Columbia in diverse ways deeply touched individual lives. These were complex events and changed the ways of life of the people involved in or directly touched by them.

The Assignment

Having accessed the material from the websites, you will be assigned or will be asked to choose a particular personal perspective on one of the historic events you have studied. Your assignment is to write a one- or two-page paper from the point of view of one of the following individuals. What was it like, for example, to live through the Great Depression in a booming mining town? What was it like to be an Aboriginal person whose life was totally transformed by an influx of foreigners?

Your position paper can be cast in a number of ways, but should be addressed to a person or persons who is/are thinking about coming to British Columbia to participate in one of these events. For example, you might write a letter to a friend or to the editor of a newspaper, or, as the editor of a local newspaper yourself you might want to boast the your town's success and challenge people to share in it. However you decide to frame your paper, be persuasive-whether for or against coming to the Cariboo in the 1850s or in the 1930s.

The most successful position paper will argue its points on the basis of thorough research. A good persuasive paper will be well organized, carefully argued, and support its opinions from facts as well as controlled feeling.

Unsuccessful Miner from Barkerville

The miner from Barkerville will present an overview of the role of miners in the gold rush at Wells and describe placer mining and its effect on the environment as well as its social aspects. The miner can take on the role of an immigrant from any of the communities that arrived in British Columbia to participate in the gold rush. The miner's lack of personal success will colour how the view of events and portrayal of them to the audience.

Union Organizer from Wells

The union organizer from Wells will cover some of the issues involved in living and working in a company town in the 1930s, the years of the Great Depression. The union organizer's point of view might be based on an overview of the role of miners in the gold rush at Wells and on the actual work of lode mining. Reflections on labour vs. capital issues and the professionalization of mining would be areas to pursue in convincing someone to come to Wells.

The Entrepreneur from Wells

The entrepreneur, who may wish to take the viewpoint of the historical figures Fred Wells, Dr. William Burnett, and O. H. Solabakke (who are covered on the website), will focus on issues related to the safe and efficient running of the mines at Wells, factors of economic life in a company town, and company attitudes to environmental issues. The context of the Great Depression of the 1930s will be important in shaping the viewpoint and in the persuasive elements of the paper.

Chilcotin First Nations Person

The member of an Aboriginal community whose traditional territory includes part of the Cariboo might describe the various socio-economic and environmental impacts of the gold rush (especially the gold rush of the 1850s and 1860s) on their community. Traditional land use and economic activities might be contrasted with the large-scale exploitation of natural resources by recent arrivals.

Individual Involved in a Secondary Economic Activity in Wells

The point of view will be of someone not directly involved in mining in a company town but who depended on the mines for a livelihood, such as, for example, the owner of or worker in a restaurant, a boarding house or hotelkeeper, a grocer, or a domestic servant in the home of a rich entrepreneur. What this person does for a living will control his or her perspective on the gold rush at Wells.

Environmentalist from the Present

The present-day environmentalist might give an overview of the environmental and scientific issues at stake in either or both the Cariboo and Gold Rush. The presentation should be sufficiently balanced and neutral so that all the facts get stated. The viewpoint could be an interventionist one that assesses the final impacts and consequences of the region's use of its natural resources.