Heritage Corner

I walked around Heritage Corner today on the riverfront downtown. This is the start for walks on both sides of the river. The Quesnel River Footbridge, all wood, was built in 1928, linking West and North Quesnel. It was one of the first bridges built to span the Fraser and has been used by cattle, horses, vehicles and people until replaced by the Moffat Bridge in 1970 which is used today.

There is a Cornish Waterwheel, the technology dating back to Roman times. As surface gold was exhausted, the miners used this to pump out sledge, keeping the deep workings dry. The sledge went into the sluice box separating some dirt and gold.

There is an old paddle wheel, which of course would have come from one of the old paddle wheelers plying the river, the early transportation years ago.

On the left, you can see some old telegraph poles. Perry Collins, the U.S. International Agent to Russia, working with Western Union started this. It was the south end of an early gamble on a vital communication link to Europe, but alas, the cable was laid across the Atlantic in 1867 first, ending this project.