Stephen Tingley

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Stephen Tingley
Stephen Tingley
Born	September 13, 1839
Died	October 9, 1915 Vancover, British Columbia
Occupation	stagecoach driver, entrepreneur

Stephen Tingley was a stagecoach driver and one of the original owners of the pioneer transportation company BC Express that served the Cariboo region in British Columbia, Canada for 60 years, from 1860, when it was first founded as Barnard's Express, until 1920, when it ceased its sternwheeler service.

For twenty years Stephen Tingley was known as the "Whip of the Cariboo" and drove the BC Express stagecoaches between Yale and Cache Creek, over what was then one of the most hazardous roads in North America.

1 Early years
2 Barnard's Express
3 The Hat Creek Ranch
4 The North British Columbia Navigation Company
5 Later years
6 Notes
7 Further reading
8 External links

[edit] Early years

Stephen Tingley came to British Columbia in 1861, and tried his luck at mining during the Cariboo Gold Rush before returning to Yale in 1864 and starting a harness shop.^[1] In 1864, he hired on as a driver for Francis Jones Barnard.

[edit] Barnard's Express

The British Columbia Express Company was incorporated in 1871 with original owner, Francis Jones Barnard, holding one half interest, and Stephen Tingley and James Hamilton each holding one quarter interest. In 1886, Hamilton died and Barnard sold out to Tingley, who thus became sole owner. Tingley ran the company for ten years before selling out to Charles Vance Millar.^[2]

[edit] The Hat Creek Ranch

In 1894 Tingley bought the Hat Creek Ranch where he built the BX Barn and a large stables for the draft horses that were used to pull the stagecoaches along the Cariboo Road.^[3]

[edit] The North British Columbia Navigation Company

In 1896, Tingley partnered with Captain John Irving of Victoria and Senator James Reid of Quesnel and formed the North British Columbia Navigation Company. The partners hired Alexander Watson to build a sternwheeler to work on the upper Fraser River, the Charlotte. The Charlotte ran from Soda Creek to Quesnel and was the only sternwheeler on the upper Fraser until 1909.