Jean Jacque “Cataline” Caux (1830- 1922)

Cataline was born in the Bearn region of southern France. He started a packing business in British Columbia with only one mule, packing from Yale to Barkerville during the Cariboo Gold Rush. In the 1880s, his partner was Joe Castillou who is commemorated in the Nicola Valley Museum in Merritt, British Columbia. Cataline moved to Ashcroft with the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway where he became a Canadian citizen. In 1897, he led a pack train from Ashcroft into the Yukon Territory. When the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway was announced he moved his headquarters to Quesnel and packed through the Cariboo, central interior British Columbia, and the Skeena River district. He was the most famous mule packer of the Canadian west.¹⁾

Cataline was one of the packers hired by the Yukon Field Force to haul tons of supplies to their camp on Teslin Lake. Colonel Evans was in charge of the Force and he was a pompous, by-the-book officer. He and Cataline did not work well together especially when Cataline called him “boy,” as he did everyone when he could not remember their name. Cataline complained when the military blew their bugles in the morning when he was trying to pack his mules.²⁾ Cataline took over Charlie Barrett’s packing business to supply the Yukon Telegraph cabins out of Quesnel and Hazelton. He worked until 1913 and then sold out to George Beirnes. The Quesnel section had to be supplied by May 15, the Hazelton section by July 1, and the Telegraph Creek section by July 10. Cataline was in his 70s when he took over the contract and 83 when he sold out to Beirnes.³⁾ He retired to Hazelton and in 1920 moved to the Dominion Hotel in Victoria for the winter. He returned to Hazelton where he lived out the rest of his days.⁴⁾