William Pinchbeck
William Pinchbeck | |
---|---|
Lincolnshire, England | |
Died | July 1893 |
Occupation(s) | Provincial Police Constable, entrepreneur |
Spouses | Chulminick (m. 1863–1881)Alice Kilham (m. 1884–1893) |
Children | 5 |
William Pinchbeck (1831 – July 1893) was one of the original settlers in the
Early years
Pinchbeck was born in
Williams Lake
In 1860, during the
Like many provincial policemen of the era, Pinchbeck had to fulfill a variety of duties including
Throughout 1861-1863, Pincheck, in partnership with Thomas Meldrum and William Lyne, formed Pinchbeck and Company and built a roadhouse, a general store, a
Although the Cariboo Road bypassed Williams Lake in 1863, Pinchbeck stayed on in the area and continued to prosper and his roadhouse suffered no lack of business, particularly in the winter when it catered to local miners who stayed there until they could return to the goldfields in the spring.
Pinchbeck's company eventually owned most of the Williams Lake Valley and his roadhouse prospered and became famous for its "White Wheat Whiskey" which came from Pinchbeck's own distillery and sold for 25 cents a shot.
Domestic life
In 1863, Pinchbeck began a
In 1884, after returning to England, Pinchbeck married Alice Elizabeth Kilham and returned to Williams Lake where he built his new bride a ranch house on the lake, which they called the "Lake House" and was one of the finest homes in the Cariboo.
The couple had three sons: Robert in 1885, Fredrick in 1887, and Cyril in 1889.
By the late 1880s both William Lyne and Thomas Meldrum had left the partnership and Pinchbeck had sole ownership of the entire valley. However, the Cariboo region's economy was by then beginning to decline. The initial excitement over the gold rush was long past and with no major roads running near Williams Lake, Pinchbeck's ranch and businesses were no longer profitable.
Pinchbeck died on July 30[1] or 31st,[5] 1893, and was buried in a plot overlooking Williams Lake.
Notes
- ^ a b The Pinchbeck Family
- ISBN 1-895811-12-0.
- ISBN 1-895811-12-0.
- ISBN 1-895811-12-0.
- ISBN 1-895811-12-0.
Further reading
- Cariboo Chilcotin People and Places Irene Stangoe ISBN 1-895811-12-0