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The Cariboo gold rush drew Chinese miners directly from China and from the United States at the end of the California gold rush. They panned for gold on the Fraser, working areas that were considered less productive or had already abandoned by white miners. Discriminatory practices followed them to the Cariboo. Because the Chinese had no choice but to work for lower wages than European miners, owners got away with paying them less and limiting everyone else’s income. Their co-workers resented the Chinese miners and often blamed them for accidents in the mine. When the gold rush ended, many Chinese stayed on to build the CP rail line. Others opened restaurants, laundries and businesses that supported workers and their families in the industrial towns that sprang up throughout the province. |
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