Dunlevey
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| Peter Curran Dunlevey |
Dunlevey did lots of mining all over the Cariboo - on the Fraser River, Quesnelle River, Butler Creek, and Williams Creek. But he was also an accomplished businessman, who saw the need to provision hungry miners as an opportunity. He opened trading posts at Beaver Lake, Soda Creek, and eventually nine posts throughout the Cariboo - a frontier department store chain! At his trading posts Dunlevey bought furs from the First Nations people and sold provisions to the miners. He operated roadhouses for travelling miners to stay at. He also bought land at Soda Creek, eventually one thousand acres of it, using half to grow crops and half to raise cattle.
Dunlevey was a community leader in many ways. He supported the building of roads and later of railways - he knew well how important they were as supply-lines for miners and everybody else in the Cariboo. He avoided violence most of the time but was capable of surprising people, as shown in the following story of a priest in Dunlevey's roadhouse at Beaver Lake:
"Grandidier knelt to say his prayers, which immediately prompted gales of laughter from the miners. Hearing the disturbance, Peter Dunlevey rushed in from the kitchen, revolver in hand. Recognizing the problem immediately, he threatened to put a bullet through the next man who dared to mock the priest. Known to be a man of his word, Dunlevey was not challenged, and peace reigned all night."
(Patenaude)
In 1875 Dunlevey married Jennie Huston of Victoria, and lived for the rest
of his life at Soda Creek with his family, which eventually included five
children.
