6 miles north of Cache Creek on Hwy 97
Connecting Barkerville with the outside world, the “BX” stage coaches served “Cariboo” for over 50 years. The terminus was moved from Yale to Ashcroft after CPR construction destroyed the wagon road through the Fraser Canyon. The red and yellow coaches left Ashcroft at 4:00 am and 4 days and 280 miles later reached the end of the road Barkerville.
Francis J. Barnard was the founder of Barnard's Express & Stage Line which later became the BC Express Company. Barnard began his business by carrying mail and papers on his back from Yale to Barkerville. His only serious rival in this venture was Billy Ballou. However, in 1862, when Barnard won the government mail contract and added passenger coaches and freight wagons to his operation, Ballou retired. Barnard's Express was so reliable that people set their watches by his stage coaches.
In 1867, Barnard expanded his business by purchasing Dietz & Nelson, a Victoria-based Express company, and then in 1878 the BC Express Company was incorporated.
Over the years, various would-be rivals succumbed in ferocious rate wars with the entrenched B.X., but in 1897 the mail contract was lost to a Toronto syndicate headed by Charles Millar. The B.X. remained the most important transportation company of the Interior, and even launched steamboats in 1910 and 1912 to extend its services north to Fort George (now Prince George). The B. X. was eventually made redundant by the railways. The company, having lost the mail contract for good in 1913, was wound up in 1921.
