Book tells story of bankers’ April 1910 journey

Lougheed says she started her research with photographs. Rod Duncan let her scan his collection, and she copied both sides of each photo to keep the information that came with them.

“Rod gave me all the photos that he had, and I scanned them, scanned front and back so I would know what I had and give it back to him.”

She says the photographs helped her look more closely at the places along the route and what the men experienced on their journey.

The book description tells of a two-week trip covering 280 miles along the Cariboo Road, passing through roadhouses, crossing rivers, and dealing with mud and snow.

Lougheed says the bank expected the area to grow with the new railway and wanted to open before the Traders Bank did.

She says the bankers went from Ashcroft by horse and buggy, planning to go north from Quesnel by boat. But river ice stopped them, so they travelled from Quesnel to Prince George along the Blackwater River instead.

Lougheed says they brought hay since there wasn’t enough grass for their horses. They also hid a sack with $50,000 in Bank of British North America cash under their wagon seat.

She estimates that would be about $1 million today. Lougheed says Prince George had 33 men and no women living there at the time.

The book description says the bankers arrived 23 hours before the Traders Bank. Lougheed says their first bank building was still unfinished when they started doing business.

“It didn’t have a finished roof yet. And there we are. We’re ready to do business.”

The book goes on after the journey and the bank’s opening. It also talks about rival townsites, the railway, the war, and how the Bank of British North America became part of the Bank of Montreal.

Another part of the story is Munro’s choice to stay in the area. Lougheed says he got married, raised a family, and stayed in the community.

For the author, what stood out during her research was how much effort it took to get there and then decide to settle in the area.

“Well, I don’t know what other people would get out of it, but for me, I was amazed that these young people would come up that road working that hard, you know, for a job.”

by Dave Branco

Book tells story of bankers’ April 1910 journey

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