A second major gold rush in the Cariboo region of the Colonial British Columbia had occurred in 1861-64, in the midst of a smaller ones, notably in the Omenica, Big Bend and on the Stikine.

The influx of gold miners into British Columbia's economy led to the creation of basic infrastructure in British Columbia, most notably, the creation of the Cariboo Wagon Road which linked the Lower Mainland to the rich gold fields of Barkerville.

However, the enormous costs of the road, and its predecessor the Douglas Road and services such as the Gold Escort, had left British Columbia in debt by the mid-1860s.

In 1866, because of the massive debt leftover from the gold rush, the mainland and Vancouver Island becomes one colony named British Columbia, with its capital in Victoria.