Richfield Courthouse

 museum, courthouse, ghost town, historical building

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In 1861, a group of miners led by William Dietz found gold on this site. The town that sprang up near their claim became known as Richfield. Soon there were several saloons, and to balance them a jail, a courthouse, and St. Patrick's Roman Catholic church. Richfield also boasted branches of the Bank of British Columbia and the Bank of British North America, a French hotel, an express office, a post office, and various stores. The gold commissioner, Thomas Elwyn, was stationed at Richfield. There was even a slaughterhouse for the cattle driven up from the ranches in the Kamloops area - an important source of food for hungry miners.

The local gold diggings proved to be shallow, and most soon gave out (though Walkers Gulch was still being mined as late as 1922). In the end not many miners got rich in Richfield, and they soon left for more promising places - like nearby Barkerville. The banks and many of the shopkeepers and government people followed.

The historic courthouse, all that is left of Richfield, has been restored. Operated as part of Barkerville Historic Town, the building hosts re-enactments of the life and times of the famous "hanging judge", Matthew Begbie. Visitors can walk the mile from Barkerville or ride the Barnard's Express wagon ( www.barkerville.ca/images/StageCoachAd/Wagonette.html ) and take a short loop trail through the historic cemetery.