Wells, British Columbia

Wells is a small mining and tourist town in the Cariboo District of central British Columbia, located on BC Highway 26, 74 km (46 mi) from Quesnel and 8 km (5 mi) before the highway's terminus at Barkerville. It gains much of its revenue and jobs from tourists who pass through on their way to the Bowron Lake Provincial Park and to the historic museum town of Barkerville.

Wells
District municipality
District of Wells[1]
Wells is located in British Columbia
Wells
Wells
Location of Wells in British Columbia
Coordinates: 53°06′06″N 121°34′32″W
CountryCanada
ProvinceBritish Columbia
RegionCariboo
Regional districtCariboo Regional District
Incorporated1998
Government
 • Governing bodyWells Council
Area
 • Total158.28 km2 (61.11 sq mi)
Elevation
1,200 m (3,900 ft)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total217
 • Density1.5/km2 (4/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
Highways26
Websitewww.wells.ca

History

Originally a company town,[2] it was managed by Cariboo Gold Quartz Mine. Fred M. Wells, for whom the town was named, prospected in the area for 10 years before finding the minerals that built the company.[3]: 292  At its heyday of the 1930s, Wells sported 4500 people.[4] In 1942 it had a greater population than Quesnel or Prince George.[5] The closure of the gold and other mineral mines in 1967 took its toll on the town and most of the population moved away. Today it has a listed population of just 250 which doubles during the summer months.

Between May and September, Wells sees over 100,000 tourists pass through on their way to Barkerville. Some visitors stay or camp overnight in Wells, which has an active arts and outdoor entertainment sector. During the winter months, visitors come for the cross-country ski trails, snowmobiling, and artistic and study retreats.

Commercial buildings on Main Street, Sunset Theatre at right

Climate

Wells doesn't have a weather station, but Barkerville does (located 7 km (4.3 mi) away). Wells has a subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc), resulting in long, cold and snowy winters, accompanied by short and cool summers due to its high altitude and latitude. Its growing season averages only 66 days.[6] It is located at the mouth of Jack of Clubs Creek, and defined as the source of the Willow River at the outflow of the Jack of Clubs Lake.[7]

Climate data for Barkerville
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.0
(50.0)		 15.0
(59.0)		 17.2
(63.0)		 27.8
(82.0)		 31.5
(88.7)		 33.0
(91.4)		 35.6
(96.1)		 33.9
(93.0)		 32.5
(90.5)		 26.7
(80.1)		 18.9
(66.0)		 14.4
(57.9)		 35.6
(96.1)
Average high °C (°F) −2.9
(26.8)		 −0.5
(31.1)		 3.0
(37.4)		 7.2
(45.0)		 12.5
(54.5)		 16.2
(61.2)		 18.8
(65.8)		 19.0
(66.2)		 14.0
(57.2)		 7.2
(45.0)		 −0.3
(31.5)		 −3.5
(25.7)		 7.6
(45.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) −7.5
(18.5)		 −5.9
(21.4)		 −2.8
(27.0)		 1.4
(34.5)		 6.2
(43.2)		 10.0
(50.0)		 12.3
(54.1)		 12.1
(53.8)		 8.0
(46.4)		 2.4
(36.3)		 −4.3
(24.3)		 −7.8
(18.0)		 2.0
(35.6)
Average low °C (°F) −12.1
(10.2)		 −11.2
(11.8)		 −8.5
(16.7)		 −4.4
(24.1)		 0.0
(32.0)		 3.8
(38.8)		 5.8
(42.4)		 5.3
(41.5)		 2.1
(35.8)		 −2.3
(27.9)		 −8.3
(17.1)		 −12.0
(10.4)		 −3.5
(25.7)
Record low °C (°F) −46.7
(−52.1)		 −43.3
(−45.9)		 −37.2
(−35.0)		 −26.1
(−15.0)		 −15.0
(5.0)		 −6.7
(19.9)		 −3.9
(25.0)		 −7.8
(18.0)		 −13.3
(8.1)		 −30.5
(−22.9)		 −42.0
(−43.6)		 −41.7
(−43.1)		 −46.7
(−52.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 96.0
(3.78)		 60.7
(2.39)		 66.4
(2.61)		 58.2
(2.29)		 77.7
(3.06)		 101.9
(4.01)		 100.0
(3.94)		 80.6
(3.17)		 81.7
(3.22)		 92.3
(3.63)		 111.2
(4.38)		 95.0
(3.74)		 1,021.7
(40.22)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 8.2
(0.32)		 3.4
(0.13)		 8.6
(0.34)		 25.6
(1.01)		 66.0
(2.60)		 101.1
(3.98)		 100.0
(3.94)		 80.6
(3.17)		 80.4
(3.17)		 64.6
(2.54)		 19.3
(0.76)		 2.5
(0.10)		 560.3
(22.06)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 87.8
(34.6)		 57.3
(22.6)		 57.8
(22.8)		 32.6
(12.8)		 11.7
(4.6)		 0.8
(0.3)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 1.3
(0.5)		 27.7
(10.9)		 91.9
(36.2)		 92.6
(36.5)		 461.4
(181.7)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 16.6 12.5 13.8 14.3 18.7 20.6 19.2 16.0 16.3 18.0 18.7 17.1 201.7
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 1.4 1.2 2.9 8.2 17.6 20.5 19.2 16.0 16.2 13.9 3.8 1.0 121.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 15.9 11.8 12.2 8.4 3.0 0.3 0 0 0.6 6.5 16.4 16.6 91.8
Source: [6]

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Wells had a population of 218 living in 113 of its 156 total private dwellings, a change of 0.5% from its 2016 population of 217. With a land area of 158.09 km2 (61.04 sq mi), it had a population density of 1.4/km2 (3.6/sq mi) in 2021.[8]

See also

References
  1. "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  2. Wells
  3. Akrigg, G.P.V.; Akrigg, Helen B. (1986), British Columbia Place Names (3rd, 1997 ed.), Vancouver: UBC Press, ISBN 0-7748-0636-2
  4. WellsBC.com
  5. District of Wells
  6. "Canadian Climate Normals 1981-2010 Station Data". Environment Canada. 2013-09-25. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  7. "Wells, British Columbia". BC Geographical Names.
  8. "Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia". Statistics Canada. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
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