Ranching, Cowboying, and Rodeo
are all featured in the Museum
in Williams Lake, BC, Canada

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At the corner of
Borland and 4th
Location & Map

Ranching in British Columbia

We have a tremendous amount of history on Ranching!

The first newcomers to the Cariboo Chilcotin area of BC were fur traders. They left few footprints. The Great Cariboo Gold Rush, however, began in 1858, and while it lasted less then a decade, it opened the doors for the cattlemen.

Cattlemen won the west! Cariboo ranches established in the early days of the gold rush are still in operation today. Alkali Lake Ranch is on record as the oldest beef cattle producer in Western Canada!

Over 40 saddles are on display, many of which have been ridden by inductees of the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame (see the Hall of Fame section). Headstalls, chaps, walking canes, trophies and buckles, and cowboy hats are just a few of the donated items that adorn the walls and display cases.

There are over 7000 donated artifacts, and the list is continually growing, so we can't possibly list all that's on display but there's everything from old farming equipment to horse harness, to a barb wire display to the stock yards history. The museum Gift Store has a DVD/Video called, "Ranching, Living With the Land", which explores both the present and the history of the ranching industry in BC by featuring some of the Cariboo Chilcotin's oldest ranches.