Lewis Campbell (c. 1831–1910) was a pioneer rancher in the

Kamloops Kamloops ( ) is a city in south-central British Columbia, Canada, at the confluence of the North Thompson River, North and South Thompson Rivers, which join to become the Thompson River in Kamloops, and east of Kamloops Lake. The city is the ad ...

area of western Canada. Campbell and James Todd were the first settlers in what is now

Barnhartvale, British Columbia Barnhartvale, originally Barnhart Vale, is located at the southeast end of Kamloops, south of Dallas in British Columbia, Canada. The area includes riding stables, farms, and ranches. There is a local Esso gas station, and a local elementary schoo ...

. Campbell went to British Columbia from the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

during the

Cariboo Gold Rush The Cariboo Gold Rush was a gold rush in the Colony of British Columbia, which later became the Canadian province of British Columbia. The first gold discovery was made at Hills Bar in 1858, followed by more strikes in 1859 on the Horsefly Ri ...

in 1858, but unlike many others he discovered more profit in transporting supplies and food for the miners than in actually prospecting for gold. In 1864 he drove a herd of cattle from

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

to the

Cariboo The Cariboo is an intermontane region of British Columbia, Canada, centered on a plateau stretching from Fraser Canyon to the Cariboo Mountains. The name is a reference to the Caribou (North America), caribou that were once abundant in the reg ...

, selling the beef to the miners. In 1865 he pre-empted a crown grant at the mouth of Campbell Creek on the South

Thompson River The Thompson River is the largest tributary of the Fraser River, flowing through the south-central portion of British Columbia, Canada. The Thompson River has two main branches, the South Thompson River and the North Thompson River. The river ...

. The Campbell Ranch influenced Barnhartvale for many years. Campbell's ranch eventually included 3,000 cattle on a property of , spreading south about to Campbell Lake and the surrounding meadows. Campbell Creek and Campbell Range are both named after him.

Sources

* Balf, Mary, "Kamloops: a History of the District up to 1914" (Kamloops Museum Archives, Kamloops, 1969; pp 123–127) * Favrholdt, Ken, "Lewis Campbell" (''Kamloops Daily News'', Friday, August 19, 1986) * Bulman, Alex T., ''Kamloops Cattlemen: One Hundred Years of Trail Dust!'' (Sono Nis Press, Victoria, 1972; pp 18–21) {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Lewis 1830s births 1910 deaths American emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia Pre-Confederation British Columbia people Canadian ranchers