Lhtako Dene Park

The Park is valued for its social and cultural significance.

The objects within the park speak to the value of industry within the community. There is a steam shovel used by the Cariboo Hydraulic Mining Company for their Bullion Mine in the early 1900s, a replica of a Cornish water wheel that symbolizes the history or mining and the people who came to do it, a telegraph cairn to serve as a reminder of the importance of Quesnel in early northern BC communications, and the boiler of “The Enterprise” which transported miners and supplies signifying the importance of the community as a transportation hub based in industry.

The Park also holds historical value as the location of Alexander Mackenzie’s landing in 1793, Simon Fraser’s landing 1808, and a settlement for First Nations. This site was also the terminus for the horse-drawn transportation route known as the ‘Cariboo Wagon Road’ and the docking point for the sternwheelers carrying passengers and freight.

The park is named for Ceal Tingley, who was a prominent member of the community and the mayor of Quesnel from 1970 to 1976.

The Park is a physical reminder of the people and industries that shaped the development of Quesnel.