Overlanders of 1862 National Historic Event

Jasper National Park of Canada, Alberta
View of the location of the rock mounted HSMBC plaque. (© Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, 2002 (Steve Dale))
HSMBC plaque
(© Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, 2002 (Steve Dale))
Address : At pull off approx 8.5 km N of Jasper on Hwy 16, Jasper, Jasper National Park of Canada, Alberta

Recognition Statute: Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date: 1938-05-19

Other Name(s):
  • Overlanders of 1862  (Designation Name)
  • The Overlanders of 1862  (Plaque name)

Importance: Epic journey from Edmonton to the Cariboo Gold Fields

Plaque(s)


Existing plaque: on a rock on the side of the road At pull off approx 8.5 km north of Jasper on Highway 16, Jasper National Park of Canada, Alberta

In 1862, the Overlanders, numbering about 250, left their homes in Canada for the Cariboo gold fields. They journeyed via Fort Garry and Edmonton, and thence, guided by Indians to the mountains and westward by the Yellowhead Pass to the Fraser River. The majority rafted downstream to the gold-fields, others followed the North Thompson to Kamloops. The hardships they experienced and the perils they encountered, particularly between Jasper and Tète Jaune Cache and in the canyons and rapids of the Fraser and North Thompson, make their journey one of the epics of Canadian travel and adventure.