Description of Historic Place

The Telegraph Trail is that portion of the Collins Overland Telegraph Trail and its successor the Yukon Telegraph Trail that is located in the Cariboo Regional District. It is approximately 275 kilometers long, extending from 70 Mile House in the south to the border with the Bulkley-Nechako Regional District northwest of Quesnel. Within the Cariboo Regional District the original trail has been largely covered over by Highway 97. This historic place is comprised of the trail, including the parts covered by Highway 97, and the several remaining telegraph offices that are still in evidence.

Heritage Value

The Telegraph Trail is valued for its historical association with the Collins Overland Telegraph Line and the Yukon Telegraph Line.

The Telegraph Trail is valued for its role in establishing communications between the Lower Mainland of British Columbia and the various communities in the Cariboo region, most specifically those lying along the Cariboo Wagon Road between Cache Creek and Quesnel.

The Telegraph Trail is valued for its role in making possible the extension of telegraph service from the Lower Mainland through Quesnel to Barkerville.

The remaining telegraph offices, a prime example of which exists in its original state at the 108 Heritage Site, are valued for providing examples of the structures and technology of their times.

The Telegraph Trail is valued for the reliance it placed on the use of First Nations trails northwest of Quesnel.

The remaining portions of the Telegraph Trail are valued for their use as recreational trails by hikers and those interested in the history of the province.

The 275 kilometer portion of the Yukon Telegraph Trail that extends the length of the Cariboo Regional District is valued as a physical reminder of the history of both the Collins Overland Telegraph and the Yukon Telegraph lines, and is also valued for the critical role it played in maintaining communications along its entire length, and for opening up and expanding settlement along its route.

Source: Cariboo Regional District, Planning Department, Williams Lake

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Telegraph Trail include:

- Portions of the original route through the entire length of the Cariboo Regional District
- Use as recreational trails
- Surviving old telegraph offices and the remains of others along the original route
- The telegraph office, complete with communication equipment and restored to its original state, that is located in the 108 Heritage Site
- The frequently-visible landmarks from the trail, which can still serve to unite and connect communities albeit in a different manner than carried out by the original trail
- Artifacts such as wire and insulators found along the Telegraph Trail and in private collections