Barkerville: Part II

More Barkerville! This post is mostly pictures, some of them are from when I went during the summer, and some were taken by my parents on their previous visits. It'll help you get a better idea of what it looks like there. Here is a view of the town:  

The first building on the right is the St. George Hotel Bed & Breakfast, which you can actually stay in. Beside that is the Nicol Hotel Museum. It's full of neat old garments, jewellery, bottles and many guns. In one of the hotels you can wander through upstairs and look into the old rooms, most of which have been refurbished, some were still in the process of being restored, so we got to see what they start out looking like, which is pretty much how they found the building to begin with: dirty wallpaper peeling off the walls, stained threadbare rugs, rusty bed frames, papers and plaster on the floor...get the idea? It then turns into this:

Here is a photo of some of the belongings they found in one of the rooms. Isn't it funny that there was still a cup of sugar? If it doesn't get wet it doesn't go bad, so I like to think this is some really old sugar!

So quickly going back to the first picture:

Still on the right, just past the museum, you can see Wake Up Jake's restaurant. It's one of a number of places to eat, and of course they do breakfast. The brown building you see at the end is the St. Saviour's Anglican Church (if you open the photo in a new window you can zoom in to see better!). The previous church is still standing near it, if I remember correctly, although you couldn't go in that one. The Williams Creek Schoolhouse is on the left side of the church. You can sit in on a lesson there which children can participate in. There's also a costume shop in town where you can rent a period costume to wear for the day, or to have your photo taken by the photographer next door. That isn't seen in this photo, but I thought I should mention it since there were lots of girls dressed like Holly Hobby, and little boys dressed like cowboys, complete with holster. On the left-hand side though, is the Goldfield Bakery, and if you ever do visit Barkerville, you absolutely can't leave without having something to eat there! Seriously, the smell will draw you in if you're doubting whether or not to go inside. The ground squirrels really like the smell of the bread too:

They might chase you if you have a baked treat. Also serious. 

Beside the bakery you can buy a stagecoach ticket at Barnard's Express Office. Here is a photo of one of the coaches:

There are a few different kinds. Some are more open. They take you through town to the courthouse in Richfield and back. You also have the option to walk,  although it's recommended to go in groups if you're walking as there are Grizzlies in the area. Not an animal you want to run into. On the way to the courthouse you can see the old schoolhouse, which is mostly fallen down now, waterfalls and gopher holes; they're mostly shallow cave-like holes where the miners have blasted into the rock. Some run deeper. There are little plaques along the way to describe different places and events. The river is on the left side on your way, and there is a little plaque telling about a townswoman who either committed suicide by jumping off the cliff into the river, or she was simply drunk and fell in! 

The next pictures were taken outside the Theatre Royal:

My dad was manning the camera, and actually took it upon himself to get pictures of the performer's dresses. I didn't even ask! My parents know me pretty well I think :) 

You can see real shows here (I'll have to do that on the next visit), and the Hurdy Gurdy girls may have worked there too? I can't remember if that was at the theatre or a different building that used to be in the town before the fire. Hurdy Gurdy dancing girls are named after a really awful instrument that I unfortunately don't have a picture of. It's a box with a crank on one side, and you crank it and press the keys on the front at the same time. It sounds like a combination of bagpipes and something dying a horrible death. Maybe a newer one wouldn't sound so bad? The poor performer was also only just learning to play it...

More performers:

I  can't recall the exact story they were telling here, but it was about ghosts in the graveyard, and the actor on the right was very "drunk." He ends up "puking" and kind of tumbling off the walk by the side of the house. The actress rushes over in concern and he accidently? looks up her dress. That stifles her compassion and she abruptly exits in a huff. 

There are many many interesting headstones in the cemetary. There's a trail you can take if you're walking, or alternately you can drive up, it's not too far from the campsite. There's also a guided walking tour so you can hear all the good stories.  

They're open on Hallowe'en for ghost tours, which I would love to do! And looking a little ahead (although it does tend to sneak up) Barkerville is open for a weekend in December. They have horse-drawn sleigh rides! And since it's up North there's certainly snow! My mom would like to do Christmas shopping there one year, which I think is a great idea. There would of course have to be a trip to the bakery to try the Victorian Christmas treats :)