The grave turns out to be for an important 1860's 
Gold Rush Pioneer...
Harry Jones
 
The youngest of the famous
Welsh miners of the
Cariboo GOLD RUSH
 photo 8665fc31-229a-4dd2-9bee-b16e7b4e1a1d_zpsfd09b92d.jpg  photo 7l7WilliamHind.jpg
Things Harry witnessed in his life.
Steam take over from sail, Stern-wheelers, BX Stages, Telephones, Electricity, radio, Automobiles, Aero planes and moving picture shows, B.C. join the Dominion Canada.
What he didn't see was who took his grave marker!
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From Harry's own Diary we have learned much of his time in the 1860's in British Columbia, When he came he could not speak English only Welsh. He wrote his diary after learning English a few years later.
Here is just a small taste, as written...
I begin that I can smell Gold in air
though not in 150 mi1es to the gold, mining operation. A pleasant imagination does help a lonely
traveler over hills, dales and mudy roads.
I was on my mettle again heading for 150 Mile house.
 photo 150milehouse_zps8d5a2489.gif 150 Mile House
I overtake a man with rather heavy pack heading for the same place. As I found him to be a pleasant man, talking lowd and clear, I walk with him to the house, where we camp far the night. Next day we travel together and got to Deep Creek ranch for supper and stays there for the night, though did not sleep as the proprietor (Frank Way) and his friends played cards all night and made more noise than half dozen thrashing machines. Mr. Macdonald, at different tunes during the night, ask there not to make so much noise. The answer from the gamblers was "we could go outside if we did not like it".
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Frank Way's Stopping House
Next day we made Soda Creek, a busy little place, the bulk o f provision brot for the mines was dropt here and shipt by steamers to Quesnel and by pack trains from there.
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Soda Creek
While siting down and talking to my friend and companion, Macdonald, at the front of Mr. Dunlevie's Hotel,
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Peter Dunlevey, First man to find Gold in Cariboo & owner of Colonial Hotel Soda Creek.
I notice Mr. Dunlevie looking strait at me. He ask was I one of Cap. Evans men and the next second he said that he got a letter from Mr. Evans, instructing him to look after me and to let me have whatever I need and put me on board the boat for Quesnel. He ask me to follow him into the Hotel, showd me the dining room and told me when the bell rung for super, to go in and take any seat, and to be round at 9 to half past, he would take me to the boat, which he did.
Sometime after super Macdonald rushing to me said that he heard some Welsh talking in a tent near by. He lead me there and we found 5 Welshmen speaking in the old language. Of couse I join the, and spend a couple of hours with them.
Mr. Dunlevie lead me to the boat, speak very kindly of me to the purser. Went to bed shortly, slept sound all night, did not build castles in the air. Wake up about 6 as fresh as if I had not walk a mile the day before.
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Stern Wheeler Enterprise Soda Creek to Quesnel Mouth
As soon as the boat was tied up, the passengers rushed to shore, heading for Brown and Gillis Hotel, and myself among them. All entered the large Bar-room, drop their packs on the floor careless, sortie went up to the Bar to drink, but myself was littlc backward hang on outside of the door not bold enough yet to mixd up with the crowd.
Mr. Brown notice me - I may look geener than anyone else there at the time - spoke and ask "are you one of Mr. Evans men."? I nod to him, "come in he said I'll show you Mr. Evans letter asking me to look out for you and let you have whatever you need, showd me the dining room, and told me when the bell rung for super, go in and take any seat, took my bundle, place it behind bar for safe-keeping.
About half past 9 p.m. Mr. Brown come again, said if you wish to go to bed I'll show you the room. There's your bed. Goodnight he said and left the room. I was not sorry to let my own blanket have a rest as my bones were yet little sore after laying for many nights only a single blanket between them and hard board.
Got up next morning, only two days between my friends and myself - 46 miles. After breakfast ask Mr. Brown for my bundle, he hand it over. He ask me if I need money I thank him said I thought I had enough to carry me through to Van Winkle. In fact I had only 4 dollars and was very sorry when leaving the house at Cottonwood river, day after, that I did not take at least ten dollars when it was offered to me. Of course the 26 miles between me and my friends did not look very long at the start, but when I got to the other end of it, I thought it was the longest 26 miles I ever travel over in my life. 80 per cent of it was covered with mud and water. Enter your text here...  photo 1c3_zpsda6ca700.jpg
While walking up the 6 mile hill from Quesnel, I overtook a young man who was not friendly to the Cariboo trail. He said look at me I am covered with mud from heels to the back of my neck, by falling on my back on these dam ridges. He turn and look at me and said you must fell too because there is 2 or 3 inches of mud sticking to your clothes.
course I admit that I did fall more than once.
As I was in a hurry to go on I bid my friend goodby and a warm hand shaking, to see him no more.
After traveling a mile or two more I found myself on top the hill where the trail was dry and even,-no mud,-no water. enjoy the walk and wishing the engineers did keep high on the mountains in place
bring the trail down to flat country, where the mud and water was the only bed possible to build a trail on. I find myself again steping on top the ridges made by the pack trains, animals all steping in the same spot leaves a ridge between the mud holes and as slippery as soft soup.
After traveling and falling and picking up myself for few hours more . I landed at the Bridge house at Cottonwood River in good time for supper and I can assure you that I did justice or unjustice to the numerous, good things laid before me on the table. After through supper went work and got rid of some of the mud was sticking to my clothes and felt a little lighter than I did before.
Got up next morning as anxious as ever to finish my journey to my
...  photo 9d787a30-5180-403c-87be-e4128e503370_zpsd28c80f8.jpg Cottonwood House.
friends at Van Winkle. While traveling along Lightning Creek. I notice some gold diggers mining in the bed of the river clay for bottom. I understood later that some of them were doing well. When about a mile above Wingdam, where the trail was running near to the edge of stream, I notice tent with two men in it eating their dinner
whom invite me in to have something to eat. As I was hungry, had no lunch nor a price of one in my pocket, I accept their hospitality. They were both young men and as pleasant as if I was going to pay $5.00 for my dinner Before I got through eating they pile more bread on the table told me to eat all I could, that I had 14 miles more to walk.
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Van Winkle Colony of British Columbia.
It was done in less than three hours and half, in spite of the slipry ridges and the mud holes. Of course I need not express my feelings when I landed at Cap. Evans camp to meet my friends, all talking at the same time, shaking hand which cause some of the mud that stick to my cloths to drop off. Soon after the Captain call me to his tent to tell him my little story. Mr. Evans ask me whether I had any cash on me or not, when I told him that I did not have a cent he got hot again after Mr. Roberts for making such a blunder. He ask if I was afraid to travel alone? I told him I was not in the least.
You are a brave boy alright said he with a laugh, and his son Taliesin said with more laugh you will make your mark some day yet. I turn rown and look at him and told him I had made lots of marks in the mud between Quesnel and here. this cause more laughter.
I left and all of us went to supper...


 photo kmi001_zpsb0a57661.jpg Captain John Evans
 photo 4e7b7bd7-ec98-47fc-9e66-8ba04b67aeec_zpsb1386bbf.jpg Captain John Evans. Leader of the Company of Adventerures. "The Welsh Miners" Stanley cemetery
Harry was just a young farm boy in Great Briton when he joined a party of men to come to the Cariboo Gold Rush. He sailed around the horn with 25 men. The journey took six months. Harry left us a journal that would give us a very good understanding of life in 1860's Gold Rush British Columbia. This group endured the Wagon road, Road houses, scurvy and Cariboo winters although some were experienced miners they were led by a man who had position and power but was not a gold miner.
They made a gallant attempt but in the end the operation failed, not because of lack of gold for there was and is more than can be imagined on Lightning Creek. But water and mud the scourge of the Cariboo was to be their downfall.
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Harry came at 22 years of age, and green as grass never married and stayed after to prospect. Sure he made a strike now and again but like most all miners, it never lasted. ever optimistic, miners are always just about to discover something great!
Alas he spent most of his lifetime in BC and left us his story. He rests on the claim he originally worked with his group called the Welsh miners and oddly beside the grave of Captain John Evans the leader of the party.
Stanley's little old pioneer Cemetery lies just off the Hwy to Barkerville.



Thank You for your time
British Columbia Historian
John Mitchell


BcHistoty@Gmail.com
 photo 770b7b7e-02e2-4f4b-8885-641afc4bef27_zps803ae66d.jpg
 photo HarrysParty_zpsfe9eb4cd.jpg The Vancouver Sun Sept. 26th. 1935
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I think of Harry as a young  man ever optimistic of a big strike. 
We see the past thru his eyes...
This Graveyard and the Ghost Town of Stanley lie within the original gold claims of Captain John Evans and his Welsh miners...
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Harry left us some valuable information in his Journal and I hope you enjoy another small example...

Dr. Spruce
Later Mr. Williams got sick like rheumatism a great pain in his legs and arms. Evans send for some medicine to Dr. Black in Barkerville but did not help him any and in a few days later half dozen more men were struck with the same complaint. One day a prospector who camp in less than half mile to our camping spot call in for a chat with us but took notice some of the men moving around lame and of course enquire what was the cause of so many of the men lame. The Captain been present he spoke and said it was rheumatism and that Dr. Black perscribe some medicine which did no good to them. The prospector smile and said it was not rheumatism the men had it was scurvey and that he Cap Evans would not have a man left inside of a month if he did not get the proper medicine for the men. However he said you got the medicine and all you need to cure all your men in ten feet to your door. He open the door invite us to follow him and pointed at a big spruce tree which stood a few feet from our door, told us to get some o f the branches and boil them in clean water for an hour and drink it. You can't drink too much o f it he said and if you do what I tell you you will be all well in side ten days. He drunk the first cup himself to show us that the medicine was harmless. Well before the end of the ten day refer to we were all well and all at work. We must drink not less than 1 dozen cups a day of this spruce tea as it was call.
The name of the prospector was Pharker Maclenan of Highland of Scotland or as we used to call him Doctor Spruce in honor of the great medicine spruce tea which saved us from a lot of suffering and death maybe to some of us if not all. Poor Mclennan died in 1898 as a result of on operation for stone in the bladder in the hospital at Barkerville.
We the men uest to think that Cap Evans rather blame rheumatism than scurvy as it would reflect on him and his bill-of-fare when he deside to feed us on straight bean and tea for the first two meals every day. Later on four of us were sen to Oregon Gulch to mine a piece of ground which was stable and not deeper than from 1 foot to 2 feet of gravel on bedrock. 1f we did not get much gold we spend our time very pleasant during the Winter of 1863-64. 4 of us in the cabin, plenty to eat,
no bill to be paid, no Boss, nobody to criticize for laughing to loud nor to tell us that we did not know how to sing a song or tell a story.
We did not wish for anything that we did not have and had no care.
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Just a few years after the Company of Adventurers failed to raise the gold in Lightning creek, the town of Stanley sprang to existence and boomed not once but twice. You see the gold is and has always been very good in Lightning creek and some day will boom again...
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If you would like to know more,
find an out of print book called Cariboo Dream by F. W. Lindsay...
Oh Ya You can Google Earth Stanley BC, the old town is just above and to the left of the dot they provide.
Thanks to our contributors...

Dave Youngston
Victor Beaulieu
Don White & Son, Washington State
William Kellett
Aileen Paulson
Majid, Century Counter tops
Bob Peacock
Wayne Schell
Brent Pfefferle
Peter Wong
Maureen Thompson
Peter Thompson
Al Thorp
Margaret Kuhn
Lana Fox
Gary Fox
Thanks to all
We did it & it's in place so please visit Stanley on the way to Barkerville.
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Thank You!
We got it made for Harry! The Headstone is in place July 2014.

Our Very great Thanks to Lana & Gary of the Friends of Barkerville for their very valuable help on this replacement and the lifetime of volunteering in preserving our Gold Rush History for British Columbian's to come...
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