The original building on the site was the
Post House, built on the north side of the highway in 1867 and moved to its present site in 1892. From 1875 until June of 1885 the building was operated as the "108 Hotel" by Agnus MacVee, Jim MacVee, and her brother-in-law Al Riley. Also in 1867 a log shed was built on the north side of the highway and moved to the present site in 1880, becoming the
Store & Telegraph office. Further additions in 1880 were the
Ice House and a Blacksmith Shop. The
Small Log Barn was added in 1892, as was the wood framed
Blacksmith Shop and the
Bunkhouse. In 1903 the site was bought by Captain Geoffrey Lancelot Watson and in 1904 this ceased to be a Roadhouse and stopping place when Captain Watson turned it into a ranch, raising purebred Clydesdale horses and Highland Cattle. In 1908 the large
Clydesdale Barn was erected. This log barn is valued as the largest log barn left in Canada.
Since becoming a Heritage Site more heritage buildings have been added to the site including:
The
105 Mile McNeil Roadhouse, built in 1905, moved to the site in 1979, once another roadhouse, now the 105 Mile Ranch Museum, filled with artefacts, photos and documents from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s
The 133 Mile Schoolhouse, built in 1938 and donated to the site about 2003.
The
Game Warden's Cabin, built Sept. 25, 1941, officially opened on site August 1, 1916
The
Trapper's Cabin, built in the 1930s and moved onto the heritage site.
This one room log school was built at 133 Mile, which would be 25 miles up the Cariboo Highway, now Highway 97, from the 108 Mile House Heritage Site, where it rests today. It was built by local ranchers Ernie Wright and Bud Felker to enable local schoolchildren from nearby ranches, including 130, 132 and 134 Mile, the opportunity to attend school near their homes. In 1997 it was dismantled with the intention of reassembling it in a local farmyard. Instead it was reassembled in the yard of Pioneer Log Homes. Later it was again disassembled, hauled to the 108 Mile Heritage Site and reassembled. Following is more detail on the school.
108 Heritage Site
welcomes schoolhouse
...With the help of their teams of horses, Wright and Felker hauled logs in to the build the structure. Using a lot of volunteer and manual labour, the pair worked hard to get the school finished for the 15 students to attend their new school. Using a broad axe, they cut all the logs by hand. And apparently, they donated all their time and the materials and were not funded in any way by the government for this project.
Miss Laura Crystal, the first teacher at the then named Enterprise School, lived with Enid and Ernie Wright at the 132 Mile Ranch, as did many of the teachers over the years. Students walked to school or rode their horses. Water was hauled in from a nearby spring on the Wright's ranch two miles away. A little pot-bellied wood stove provided the heating in the small school room and the washroom was of course an outhouse.
After her husband died, Enid Wright, then a school trustee, had the name of the school changed to San Jose, after the meandering river that ran nearby the school. The school closed in 1956.
It sat on the side of Hwy. 97 for many years for many passing by to enjoy. Then in May 1997 it was necessary for the schoolhouse to be dismantled. Andre Chevigny acquired the structure and his first idea was to restore and rebuild the school house on his property just down the way. He then rebuilt the landmark at the Pioneer Log Home building site and he and his crew spent 11 weeks redoing the little one-roomed school house. They replaced 15 pieces and redid all the other log pieces. "We tried to do this without changing the old timers' craftsmanship," explained Chevigny.
Then about one-and- a-half years ago, Chevigny decided to donate the building to the 100 Mile and District Historical Society, to be re-erected at the 108 Heritage Site. The group was ecstatic to be able to acquire the great little building. "It's just like a dream come true," said Maryann Rutledge, director and bookkeeper of the historical society. "It makes me feel good inside to see history saved."
The San Jose School House is the 11th building to be restored on the site. They include the McNeil ranch/road house, ice house, bunk house, telegraph office, blacksmith shop, BX barn,Watson barn, outhouse, trapper's cabin and now the San Jose schoolhouse.
The old logs, all numbered and restored were hauled in, this time by truck, and set up on July 7, 2000 -- a process which took only a few hours to complete. A roof, windows, doors and chinking will be added, hopefully within a month's time.
The Society is now looking for artifacts to fill the schoolhouse, including pointers, black boards, desks, inkwells, pens, slates, etc. As well they would love to hear from past students and teachers.
From the 108 Mile Heritage Site