Wells, British Columbia
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| District Municipality of Wells | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country |  Canada |
| Province |  British Columbia |
| Region | Cariboo |
| Regional district | Cariboo Regional District |
| Incorporated | 1998 |
| Government | |
| - Governing body | Wells Council |
| Area | |
| - Total | 159.15 km² (61.4 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,200 m (3,937 ft) |
| Population (2006) | |
| - Total | 236 |
| Time zone | PST (UTC-8) |
| Highways | 26 |
Wells is a small mining and tourist town in the Cariboo District of central British Columbia, located 74 km from Quesnel. 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 destination of Barkerville.
[edit] History
Originally a company town, Wells was managed by Cariboo Gold Quartz Mine. At its heyday of the 1930s, Wellssported 4500 people. In 1942 it had a greater population than Quesnel or Prince George [1]. 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 237 which triples during the summer months, and dwindles to below 100 during the winter.
Between May and September, Wells sees over 100,000 tourists pass through on their way to Barkerville. Most visitors stay or camp overnight in Wells, which has an active arts and outdoor adventure life of its own.
[edit] Festivities
The "ArtsWELLS Festival of All Things Art", initiated in 2003 by Island Mountain Arts, brings together Canadian talent of all kinds. It has evolved into a three or four day long event, with special emphasis placed on fostering a community of creative artists, as well as providing a high-quality but charming rural festival experience for the audience.
ArtsWELLS presents a wide variety of musical acts, from cutting-edge experimental theatrics to traditional folk music. While the majority of talent hails from British Columbia or Canada, international artists can and do perform.
While some choose to stay in local motels or private homes, ArtsWELLS is predominantly a camping event, with festivalgoers and most performers housed in a tent city on the large field of the community school. The tent city is child-friendly, and includes a small number of food and craft vendors. Nearby campgrounds are also used, with some owners donating or reducing site fees for performers.
The ArtsWELLS dining room, in the kitchen of the Wells Barkerville School, is known for its excellent vegetarian meals and comfortable atmosphere. Artists and volunteers who have accumulated enough hours eat free. The dining room serves as the performer's lounge and information station, with rideshare boards and all-day snacks, and between meal rushes is a quiet place to talk, think, write or even jam.
Creative Community:
ArtsWELLS has differentiated itself as an event for artists to reconnect with one another, trade information and form new collaborations. With a wide variety of workshops each day, artists and audience members are able to share skills and experience. The ArtWALK feature of the festival, which displays visual art in many different commercial venues in Wells, brings the whole community into the scope of the festival.
Economic Impact:
ArtsWELLS is held during the August Long Weekend, also known as B.C. Day. This places the festival well within the British Columbia Festival Circuit, including the Prince George Folk Fest, the Edge of the World Music Festival, Shambala, the Dunster Music Festival and others. Many summer travellers move down the province, visiting a different music festival each week of July and August. In this way, ArtsWELLS contributes to both the local and regional efforts towards the summer tourism economy, as well as putting the Cariboo on the creative map.
As with all small-community festivals, the ArtsWELLS festival contributes to the local economy of Wells in the short term by increasing the use of local campsites, motels and hotels, restaurants, grocery stores and more. In the longer term, festival-goers often remain in Wells after the festival. Several visitors, having been introduced to the area, have remained as year-round residents.
| Northeast: Bowron Lake Provincial Park | ||
| West: Quesnel, British Columbia | Wells | |
| South: Likely, British Columbia | Southeast: Barkerville, British Columbia |
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