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Page last updated August 19, 2005

Jesmond, north of Kelly Lake (it being the third point on a triangle including Kelly Lake and Clinton), is one of those intriguing dots on the Cariboo map that turns out to be just a house, rather than a village or whatever. Historically a roadhouse, it was also the postoffice for the surrounding ranching area. If I have the story correct, the Coldwell family from Jesmond, a suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, originally settled here about 1913. Their original roadhouse, on the righthand side of the road in the picture above, burned down in 1926; the family rebuilt, including a post office which occupied the single-storey annex behind the main house. Today, a green multi-family post box sits on the side of the road, and Clinton is about 30-40 minutes away by well-graded gravel road.

I spent much of a summer evening trying to figure out the best angle to paint this attractive house, eventually settling on a characteristic long view down Jesmond Road, with the low sun casting purple shadows of the pole fence onto the roadway.

Note from Kristy Whitehurst: "I've been travelling through Jesmond to a ranch in the valley every year since I was about 5, and since I haven't been in a few years I've been absolutely dying to go and missing every part of it. (My dad and I are some of the many who've almost run over the Coldwell's infamous border collie numerous times)."

Note from Ivan Moldowan: I spent many of my summers in the late Ô40s and early Ô50s at a working ranch Ð the Circle H, which is still there - down the road a few miles from Jesmond.Yes, you have the history of the place correctly, but hereÕs one thing you may not know: Jesmond had another name; it was Mountain House. My kid brother and I used to ride our horses the approximately eight miles there and back just to get an ice cream cone in the summer. ÊThe family there, whose name I cannot remember, who ran the general store and post office, were very nice to us. ÊI used to write to them in the winters to keep up the friendship. Ê The mail truck went by our ranch once a week, stopping in Jesmond for a pickup and delivery, before going on to Gang Ranch, where the driver stayed overnight. ÊOnce in a while, he would take me along for the two day event; it was sure a great, unforgettable adventure for a ten year old.