Bridge of the 23 Camels (Lillooet ,British Columbia)

 bridge, road bridge

Following the discovering of gold in the Cariboo in 1858 and the completion of the first wagon road to Lillooet, horses, mules and oxen were used to haul the heavy loads to the gold fields. Then one entrepreneur had the bright idea that camels would be ideal pack animals, and so 23 two humped Bactrian camels were imported from Asia to BC. But the bright idea soon turned into a nightmare as the high-strung beasts ate miners clothing, kicked at anything or anyone who came close, frightened other animals with their pungent odour, and had their soft feet cut to ribbons on the rocky mountainous roads. So they were abandoned by their owners and left to roam in the wild. Some were killed for food, some died in winter storms, while others were kept as curiosities. The lone surviving Bactrian camel, “The Lady” as she was called, died around 1896 on a farm in Grande Prairie, BC (now known as Westwold).

Before the bridge officially opened in 1981, a contest was held to select a name. Local resident, Renee Chipman submitted the winning name: "Bridge of the 23 Camels" in honour of those original camels.

BC Highway 99 crosses the Fraser River here.