The Real Story Behind the Cariboo’s Greatest Legend

(Conclusion)

As we saw in last week’s Chronicles, John A. ‘Cariboo’ Cameron pickled his dead wife then then set out to haul her body 400 miles over the snow and ice by sled to take her, first to Victoria, then back home to Upper Canada.

Why? Because he’d promised her, as she was dying, he’d take her home.

It goes without saying that this was easier said than done!

If it weren’t for his faithful friend and mining partner Robert Stevenson, and author W.W. Walkem, that’s as much as we’d know about this incredible epic of devotion and physical stamina.

But, years later, Walkem interviewed Stevenson at length for his book, Stories of British Columbia. It’s now extremely rare, not only out of print but most copies were lost in a warehouse fire. Historically, those survivors are priceless.

We conclude the Cariboo Cameron saga next week.

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PHOTO: John A. ‘Cariboo’ Cameron. —Wikipedia