The museum now has a large and eclectic collection of everything and anything one expects to encounter in a Grade A museum, from the tiniest household artefacts to farm wagons and machinery, even a beautifully restored 1911 White roadster, once a 7 passenger touring car used as a stage running between Quesnel and Barkerville in the 1920s. There are rooms of photographs by well known local photographers C.D. Hoy and C.S. Wing, chronicling much of early life on the Cariboo. The various displays document essentially all aspects of life in the early days of the Cariboo, including the domestic life of pioneer women.
Of particular interest in this vein is this wooden butter churn, manufactured in Hamilton, Ontario by the Peerless Manufacturing Company. An iron centre in the wooden lid is embossed
The London Foundry Co. London Ont. Located on King Street in London, and founded in 1880, the London Foundry Co. Ltd. advertised themselves as Iron Founders and Manufacturers. They made, among other things, wheelbarrows, washing machines, portable forges, upright drills, and blacksmith tools. This was obviously just a single part made for Peerless for this butter churn. The churn itself is quite crude as compared to more recent churns, having a crank handle on one side with which one simply tumbled the wood barrel, churning the cream inside into butter.
Here is an old ad from an equally old Hamilton business directory. Details gleaned from the directory certify it to be pre 1912. As for the churn itself, though we can guess it to be a minimum of 100 years old, anything beyond that would be speculation. Churns of this type were first patented in 1890.
The really interesting aspect of this butter churn is that it was once used in Cottonwood House, one of the last of the old British Columbia roadhouses. Following is a bit of the history of Cottonwood House, which still stands a few miles east of Quesnel along the Barkerville Road.
COTTONWOOD HOUSE
Cottonwood House is one of the most famous of the road houses along the Cariboo Wagon Road. It was built in 1864 by John Ryder and Allen Smith. The early years of its operation as a business saw it change owners several times. However, when John Boyd gained title to the house in March of 1874, stability was achieved. The Boyd family operated the house continuously until the fall of 1951.
A landmark, Cottonwood House developed a reputation among travelers as a stopping place of high quality. The barns, fields and Cottonwood River relieved the freight animals of their burden and gave an opportunity to regain their strength. The “hotel” offered fresh wholesome foods as well as a comfortable rest in clean rooms. Both private and dormitory rooms were available and dinner was served in a large dining room.
The hotel was not the only business at Cottonwood. The Boyd farm supplied feed for freight and dairy animals and supplies for the miners were also stocked. Messages could be left here for others travelling or living in the area. News was circulated and a post office was established helping to make the farm a focal point of the community.
In 1909, John Boyd died after a brief illness. John’s wife Janet, continued to run Cottonwood assisted largely by some of her children. In 1951 the property was sold to Vagn and Anna Olrik. The Province of British Columbia bought Cottonwood House in 1963 and designated it as a Provincial Historic Site.
From Cottonwood House