One of the first settlers in 100 Mile House is commemorated in a mural located just off Birch Avenue.
Located on the side of the building that now houses the Swinstones Granite Shop and Sinister Subs, the mural depicts a man beside a herd of longhorn cattle. That man's name is John Jeffries who first came to Canada in the late 1850s from Alabama and was the builder of the Bridge Lake House.
Information on Jeffries is scarce with one of the best sources publically available coming from a 2013 article penned by Ken Mather, a historian of Western Canadian History. In his article entitled RANCH TALES: First settlers at 100 Mile Mather said Jeffries first came to the area with his brother Oliver Jeffries during the initial Cariboo Gold Rush from 1861 to 1871. Like many men of the time they were looking for gold until Jeffries learned of the potential for ranching in the 100 Mile House area.
"After holding the cattle in the Bonaparte River area until they were needed, Jeffries was able to sell them all at a reasonable profit. Encouraged by the prospects of the following year, he returned to Oregon to buy another large herd the following spring," wrote Mather.
In the summer of 1861, Jeffries and his brother Oliver drove a herd of cattle from Oregon up as far as Bridge Creek, now known as 100 Mile House, and established a ranch after seeing the advantages of pasturing their cattle on the abundant grasslands in the area. The brothers built a log structure called Bridge Creek House that same year.
"The small building was the first constructed on the site that was to become the modern city of 100 Mile House," wrote Mather.
"They provided meat and supplies to fur traders and Cariboo Gold Rush miners," states Ruth Peterson, the former president of the 100 Mile House Mural Society who commissioned the town's murals, said.
Jeffries however, was not merely known for his transportation of cattle, he was also considered to be very clever in dissuading the competition. According to an 1863 letter to John Carmichael Haynes, who at the time was a customs agent in Osoyoos Lake, to a colonial secretary, "several cattle dealers having herds for this country were prevented from starting owing to reports circulated by Mr. Jeffries and other interested persons to the effect that all livestock intended for this country would be stopped on the frontier by officers of the United States government placed there for that purpose."
This is something which Mather considered clever in his profile of Jeffries, as the American government had passed an embargo on all livestock leaving the country in late 1862. The only problem: it was never enforced in the Pacific Northwest - meaning the rumour could actively harm other competitors while Jeffries could transport his meat.
In 1865, Jeffries returned to the state of Alabama, never to return to the South Cariboo as far as we know. It is unknown when he died, or where.
In 2006, Jeffries' legacy in 100 Mile House was immortalized in his mural. Unlike many of the other murals in 100 Mile House, the mural was not painted by Williams Lake-based artist Dwayne Davis. Rather, it was been painted by Michelle Loughery, alongside local artist Michelle Hedges. Peterson says that she chose Loughery because she was well-known for her murals in other B.C. communities.
"Michelle Loughery had extensive experience with murals from her work in Vernon and Merritt and we were very confident in her ability," Peterson explained. "Loughery chose the subject matter for the mural after reading a historical article on John Jeffries."
As for the mural, it remains a source of enjoyment for Peterson.
"I love how vibrant the mural is and the fact that it can be enjoyed by those travelling through 100 Mile House. It has a style different from the other murals, so it adds a lot of visual interest," Peterson remarked.
With files from Ken Mather.
