A former simplymastery columnist has taken his first foray into the realm of historical fiction with The Cariboo Trek of Callum McBay.
Colin Campbell, who wrote his column Light Bites for the simplymastery in the early 2000s, has penned a humorous historical tale about a young Scotsman named Callum McBay's quest to save his family's sheep farm by striking it rich in the Cariboo Gold Rush. He said he was directly inspired by his time living in the South Cariboo to write this book.
"I had lived in 100 Mile House for 31 years and you can't live there without being totally immersed in the Gold Rush. I was really interested in the history and I wrote a trail book for hiking and biking in the area," Campbell said. "I really got quite in touch with the remnants of the Gold Rush.
"When I did start to write, I thought so much has been written about the Fraser Gold Rush, so it's time for something new. I found out about this other trail that existed up through Harrison, through the lakes to Lillooet. I started researching that and I thought 'that's a different look at it' and I went from there."
Campbell said he wrote the first draft of what would eventually become The Cariboo Trek of Callum McBay almost five years ago and originally intended it as a historical fiction novel aimed at adults. He noted he conducted extensive research before and after this original draft on the Cariboo Gold Rush and the various routes miners took to the goldfields.
When he began sending out that rough draft to different publishers in 2020, Campbell said he didn't receive much initial feedback. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, however, he was able to connect with the editor of Tradewind Books on Granville Island, whom he had worked with in the past, who advised him to try turning the story into a young adult novel.
"At that time, I thought, wait a minute, there were no teenagers in the Gold Rush. It was mainly hardened American miners from the U.S. gold rush," Campbell said. "But (the editor) said 'ah, we can do it if you make him around 17 years of age. It is fiction so why don't you give it a try'?"
Campbell said initially he wasn't too keen on the idea, but agreed to try his hand at it and with some encouragement, he was able to do just that.
The book begins with the titular Callum McBay working on his family's sheep farm in Scotland when a disease strikes and wipes out most of their flock. In desperation, Callum travels to the Colony of British Columbia after hearing about the Cariboo Goldrush.
From there, the novel follows Callum's adventures as he makes his way to Barkerville, sailing from Scotland to New York, then on to San Francisco via Cape Horn to join the "hoard of miners" heading north to Victoria. Along the way, he meets two miners who are gentler than the other miners and decides to go off with them on a safer and easier route up the Harrison River.
"The Fraser was just too dangerous. There were Indian Wars, and naturally the First Nations were trying to protect their territories. Then there was the river itself, which at certain times of the year is just a boiling flood," Campbell explained. "A lot of miners died trying to get up the Fraser."
Campbell said Callum hikes his way through the wilds of Canada to catch several steamers before eventually getting the chance to ride one of the camels imported to the province to be used as pack animals. He remarked Callum has a "bit of an adventure" trying to manage that animal before he finally arrives in Barkerville to seek his fortune.
Research was Campbell's favourite part of the writing process, noting he enjoyed digging up information on the Harrison route. Unlike the Cariboo Waggon Road, which runs through 100 Mile House, the Harrison route wasn't as well documented.
"It was hard work, but enjoyable," Campbell said, noting he had to do some digging in the archives of the Vancouver Public Library. "I was writing for young people, so I didn't want to make it too heavy with the history of things."
To celebrate the launch of his new book, Campbell will be coming to Parkside Art Gallery on Saturday, June 7, from 1 to 3 p.m. to do a book signing. He welcomes anyone with an interest in his writing to come and get their own copy. After this event, Campbell said his book will be available to purchase at Parkside and Nuthatch Books in town, or online via tradewindbooks.com.
"I think even though people up there know a great deal about the Cariboo Gold Rush, this is another take on it they may not know about," Campbell remarked.
