According to the 100 Mile & District Historical Society, it was unfortunately the scene of dozens of murders, over a ten year span starting in 1875 of men, and young women - all carried out by the family who owned the hotel. Agnus MacVee, a Scotswoman, her husband, Jim and son-in-law Al Riley. In the end Agnus murdered Jim, and she and Al were arrested by the Northwest Mounted Police. Agnus escaped the hangman's noose by taking poison, but Al, even though he confessed everything in hopes for a lighter sentence was hanged. It is rumoured that there is a lot of gold missing from the prospectors who were killed,and that it is buried in the ground around the original hotel site.
There are some neat old farm buildings to see, one of which is the largest standing Clydesdale barn, but unfortunately it was closed due to vandalism. After a good tour I found a nice walking path that goes all around 108 Mile Lake, according to a retired school teacher I met, who was picking Saskatoon berries. We had a great chat and the berries were delicious!
It all looks like its waiting for the owners to come home
On the road again - through 100 Mile House and I saw nothing to stop for except gas so I turned east on Horse Lake Road. It’s a nice quiet drive along the lake and through to Bridge Lake PP. The only problem with it, like a lot of roads, is there is so much growth along the side of the road you can’t see much of the lake. There were lots of “for sale” signs, and lots of lakes. No one in the park except me and there was only one camping spot by the lake, so I was happy to snag it. It’s a very small park, but nice to be on the lake, and there’s a good little trail up the hillside.
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The reason I had come this way was to see Lac des Roches, because it is so beautiful
that it is one of the most photographed lakes in the country, but because of the grey sky and drizzle, it didn’t show at its best. When I got up this morning I was
considering going to Wells Gray PP but the weather changed my mind – I will
leave that beautiful park for another trip. So with that decision made, I
headed south to Little Fort instead of north to Clearwater.
It wasn’t many more miles before I came to an 8 km hill with a posted 8% grade. When I passed the first emergency runaway lane that headed straight up the hillside, I thought about the poor buggers that would have to make the decision to head for that with lost brakes. And just as that thought was going through, my brakes started to shudder. Holy shit I thought, what do I do now? So I put on my flashing hazard lights and slowed right down.
The brakes got worse so I pulled to the side of the road and thought – no mechanic within miles of me. How long would it take to get a tow truck out here? I made the decision to keep going and luckily enough made it down with clenched teeth and white knuckles to Little Fort where I called GMC in Kamloops and they said to head right in. I asked a guy what the road ahead was like to Kamloops, and he said no problem, it follows the North Thompson River and is mostly flat, no big hills. And he was absolutely right, I had no problems, and to top it off, the river was flat calm, and it was a beautiful silty green.
There was a big area around Barriere that had been through a
forest fire, both sides of the hills. I don’ t know how the buildings in that
valley survived.
The modern way to transport hay
Through Louis Creek, McLure, Black Pines, and finally I made it into Kamloops. $700 for new rotors and brake pads, and by 4:30 I was feeling tired, but happy to be on my way again, heading to Vernon. I had a dream since I was a kid, to stop and swim in Kalamalka Lake, and I was on my way.
Through Louis Creek, McLure, Black Pines, and finally I made it into Kamloops. $700 for new rotors and brake pads, and by 4:30 I was feeling tired, but happy to be on my way again, heading to Vernon. I had a dream since I was a kid, to stop and swim in Kalamalka Lake, and I was on my way.
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| Kalamalka Lake |
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