Lightning Hotel

The Lightning Hotel, also known as the Stanley Hotel, has historic and aesthetic value for its connection to the gold rush era and its road-house style design.

The building has historic value for its connection to the Cariboo Gold Rush and Cariboo Waggon Road. The history of the Lightning Hotel goes back to the original Cariboo Gold Rush when in 1873, the first proprietor William Houseman, known as the Duke of York, renamed his Yorkville Saloon "The Lightning Hotel". It is the last building standing in what was the gold rush town of Stanley. The present Lightning Hotel dates back to the era of stage coach service (pre-automobile) and is the last remaining building from the La Fontaine/Eleven of England Mine. It is also valued for its location on the original Cariboo Waggon Road.

The Lightning Hotel has aesthetic value for its road-house style design and "butt and pass" log construction. The road-house style design is significant for being reminiscent of the Cariboo Waggon Road and gold rush era. It is also valued for being built with logs squared on three sides as it is the only known building in the area that was built with logs milled in this fashion.