Shirley Marcotte - Royal LePage Interior Properties, 2/25 S. Fourth Avenue, Williams Lake, BC (2026)

08/24/2026

When 21-year-old Lord Martin Cecil arrived in 100 Mile House in 1930, he came from a very different world.

Born in England in 1909, Martin was the son of William Cecil, 5th Marquess of Exeter. His family had been prominent for centuries, with ancestors including William Cecil, Lord Burghley, one of Queen Elizabeth I's most trusted advisers.

Martin grew up at Burghley House, the family's magnificent ancestral home built in the 1500s.

Then came the Cariboo.

His father had purchased about 15,000 acres around 100 Mile House in 1912. After three years with the Royal Navy, Martin came to British Columbia to manage Bridge Creek Ranch.

The population of 100 Mile House was about 12.

With little construction experience, Martin studied building books by oil lamp and, with only a few helpers, built the 100 Mile Lodge. He devised a water system from Bridge Creek and installed a 32-volt electrical system.

The English aristocrat traded formal clothes for jeans and a cowboy hat, managed thousands of cattle and sheep, and became the first president of the Cariboo Cattlemen's Association.

He also served as postmaster, operated the lodge and general store, helped maintain local water and power systems, and built the community's first school.

He even tried bringing a little England to the Cariboo with polo and a golf course!

In 1981, Martin inherited his family's title and became the 7th Marquess of Exeter.

He died in Kamloops on January 12, 1988, after nearly six decades in the Cariboo.

Source and photo: History and Happenings in the Cariboo-Chilcotin: Pioneer Memories, Irene Stangoe, 2000.

📞 Shirley Marcotte, REALTOR®
Royal LePage Interior Properties
Cell: 250-302-2756
Office: 250-398-9889
www.shirleymarcotte.ca
Proudly serving Williams Lake and surrounding areas.

08/23/2026

$265,000

Lot 2 Horse Lake Road, 100 Mile House, BC

MLS® R3120812

Vacant Land | 1.98 Acres | Freehold

Sometimes the best thing about a property is what isn’t there yet.

No one else has chosen where the kitchen goes. No one else has decided where the deck should sit or which window gets the best view.

That part is still yours. 🏡

This beautiful 1.98-acre property on Horse Lake Road offers the chance to start from the beginning and build a home that truly fits the way you want to live.

And some of the not-so-exciting-but-very-important homework has already been done.

There’s a newly drilled well in place, along with a completed septic feasibility study for a four-bedroom home. Power, natural gas, telephone, cable, and internet are available at or near the lot line.

Then there’s the setting.

You’re just minutes from downtown 100 Mile House, yet you can look south across Bridge Creek and the valley beyond. It’s the kind of view that will change with every season and probably make you stop at the window a little longer than you intended.

Maybe there’s a big deck in the plans.

Maybe a garden.

Maybe a fire pit where summer evenings stretch well past bedtime.

Right now, it’s 1.98 acres of possibility.

The rest of the story is yours to build. ❤️

Co-listed with:
Richard Riemersma
Royal LePage Little Oak Realty
604-859-2341

SHIRLEY MARCOTTE – REALTOR®
Cell: 250-398-9889
Royal LePage Interior Properties
shirleymarcotte.ca
Proudly serving Williams Lake and the Cariboo.

08/23/2026

The 150 Mile Little Red Schoolhouse was built during the fall and winter of 1895–96 beside the original Cariboo Wagon Road, at a time when 150 Mile House was an important centre of commerce, transportation and government in the Cariboo-Chilcotin.

It was a classic one-room schoolhouse, built by local builders with local lumber and local funding. Inside was one large, high-ceilinged teaching area, along with an entranceway and cloakroom.

For more than 60 years, from 1896 until 1958, the building was part of everyday community life. It wasn't only where children learned to read, write and do their sums. It also served as a meeting place and social centre for the surrounding community.

The building retains its original porch, large windows, horizontal clapboard siding and tongue-and-groove interior woodwork. Inside you'll find the original wood heater and two original double desks.

Perhaps my favourite detail is underfoot.

The old oiled fir floor survives — ink stains and all.

After the school closed in 1958, the little building began another chapter. It served as a private residence from 1960 until 1978. Then, beginning in 1980, it became a historic display building and heritage classroom.

School District #27 officially designated it a heritage building in 1987.

Today, the Little Red Schoolhouse is recognized as the oldest functional school building in School District #27 (Cariboo-Chilcotin), one of the few remaining one-room schoolhouses in British Columbia, and one of only seven historic buildings left from the once-important 150 Mile House townsite.

The schoolhouse was formally recognized in 2011 and was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places in 2012.

Source: Canadian Register of Historic Places – 150 Mile Little Red Schoolhouse
Information supplied by the Cariboo Regional District Planning Department

SHIRLEY MARCOTTE – REALTOR®
Cell: 250-398-9889
Royal LePage Interior Properties
shirleymarcotte.ca
Proudly serving Williams Lake and the Cariboo.

08/23/2026

🏡 PRICE UPDATE — NOW $459,500

📍 130 Midnight Drive, Williams Lake, BC
💰 $459,500
🏡 MLS® R3145217
🛏️ 3 Bedrooms
🛁 3 Bathrooms
📐 2,120 sq. ft.

There are houses you walk through and think, “This could work.”

And then there are houses where you can already picture yourself living there.

I think 130 Midnight Drive is one of those. 😊

The kitchen is bright and roomy, with doors leading right out to the deck. I can picture coffee out there in the morning, supper on the barbecue in the evening, and keeping an eye on the kids or the dog in the fully fenced backyard.

All three bedrooms are on the main floor, including the primary with its own two-piece ensuite.

And downstairs? There’s a whole lot more house.

The basement is fully finished, giving you plenty of options for a family room, games room, home office, hobby space — or that wonderful extra room where everybody’s stuff can migrate when company is coming. 😄

There’s also a single-car garage, a spacious corner lot, and a central Williams Lake location that keeps schools, shopping, parks and everyday errands close by.

It’s been very well cared for, it’s move-in ready, and now it has a new price:

🏡 $459,500

If you’ve been watching this one, maybe it’s time for another look. Give me a call and I’d be happy to show you around.

SHIRLEY MARCOTTE – REALTOR®
Cell: 250-398-9889
Royal LePage Interior Properties
shirleymarcotte.ca
Proudly serving Williams Lake and the Cariboo.

08/22/2026

After the First World War, local volunteers and families fought hard for a hospital of our own. Fundraising dances filled the old Fraser and Mackenzie store with music and laughter — and every nickel went toward the dream. By 1923, the Williams Lake War Memorial Hospital opened on the hill above town, built to honour those who served and to care for the families carving out new lives in the Cariboo. Those early decades were far from easy.
When money ran tight, the community created “Pound Days”: residents brought eggs, garden potatoes, sides of beef, hand-sewn gowns, linens — even cribs — anything to help keep the hospital running. There were so few staff that business owners and neighbours sometimes stepped into the kitchen to cook supper for patients. No ambulance existed yet. If someone was badly hurt, they were bundled into the back of a wagon or a station wagon and rushed in over bumpy ranch roads — sometimes in snowstorms — because it was their only chance.
And when the maternity ward overflowed in the ’50s, newborns were tucked into dresser drawers to ensure every baby had a warm place to rest. Through it all, dedicated physicians like Dr. Hugh Atwood became the backbone of local care. Arriving in 1922, he served the Cariboo for more than 30 years — delivering babies, fixing broken bones, and sitting up through long nights because the next knock at the door was never far away. He praised the nurses who held everything together in those “primitive years” with fierce determination and compassion. As Williams Lake grew, so did its heart.
On August 24, 1952, a proud crowd gathered to open the new Cariboo Memorial Hospital — a moment that signalled a strong, future-focused town ready to care for its own.
Today, thousands of families have celebrated first breaths, stitched up scraped knees, and said tender goodbyes within those walls. Generations have been shaped by the care found here — care that began with neighbours helping neighbours.
Call or text me anytime at 250-398-9889
SHIRLEY MARCOTTE - REALTOR®
Royal LePage Interior Properties
https://shirleymarcotte.ca/

08/22/2026

🏡 NEW LISTING IN WESTRIDGE

📍 #3 – 25 Westridge Drive, Williams Lake
💰 $325,000
🛏️ 3 Bedrooms
🛁 2 Bathrooms
📐 1,200 sq. ft.
🏡 MLS® R3156005

There’s something rather nice about a home that doesn’t ask you to spend every Saturday fixing something. 😊

This bright, move-in-ready townhouse in the desirable Westridge subdivision offers comfortable, low-maintenance living all on one level.

Inside, you’ll find a spacious open layout, three generous bedrooms and two beautifully renovated bathrooms. The kitchen, dining and living areas flow together nicely, making the home feel welcoming without wasting space.

And then there are those little practical things that matter more than we sometimes admit — a dedicated laundry room, no basement stairs to worry about, and two designated parking spaces.

Built in 1996, the home offers 1,200 sq. ft. of finished living space with municipal water, natural gas radiant/infra-red heating and all the everyday appliances already included.

I can see this one working for a first-time buyer who wants to stop paying someone else’s mortgage, a family looking for three bedrooms at an approachable price, or someone ready to downsize without downsizing quite so much that the grandchildren have nowhere to sleep. 😉

Sometimes easy living really is the luxury.

If you’d like to have a look, give me a call. I’d be happy to show you around.

SHIRLEY MARCOTTE – REALTOR®
Cell: 250-398-9889
Royal LePage Interior Properties
shirleymarcotte.ca
Proudly serving Williams Lake and the Cariboo.

08/21/2026

🎬 Remember the Alston Theatre?

There’s Cunningham’s Drugstore on the corner, the Alston Theatre just a few doors down, a parade making its way along the street, and sidewalks absolutely packed with people.

But the story of the Alston actually begins decades earlier.

In 1921, Arthur Hiller built a service garage at the corner of Oliver Street and Second Avenue. By 1924, he had converted the garage into the Oliver Theatre.

Movie night was a little different then.

The theatre reportedly had a flat floor with about 100 wooden kitchen chairs. Silent movies were shown, and Tissie Sutton played piano while the film reels were being changed.

In 1926, William Sydney “Sid” Western bought the Oliver Theatre. By 1931, he had renovated it, added a stage and installed equipment for the new “talking pictures.”

Then came a much bigger change.

In 1951, Western built a new 320-seat theatre beside the old Oliver.

For Williams Lake, it must have been quite something.

There were wine-coloured upholstered seats, green carpeting, rose-coloured walls, natural woodwork and a turquoise silk curtain. There was even a special “crying room” where parents could take a noisy youngster and still watch the movie.

In 1956, the theatre became the Alston Theatre.

And here’s something that makes this particular photograph even more interesting.

The old Oliver Theatre remained beside the Alston until 1966, when Joe Borkowski purchased it, demolished the old building and constructed the Borkowski Block.

One of its first tenants?

Cunningham’s Drugstore.

So when this photograph was taken in 1968, Cunningham’s was standing on the site where Williams Lake residents had once gathered to watch silent movies on wooden chairs.

The Alston continued showing movies for decades, passing through several owners before eventually closing as a theatre in the 1990s.

Sometimes an old photograph isn’t really about the buildings.

Photo: Williams Lake, 1968 prarietowns.com

SHIRLEY MARCOTTE – REALTOR®
Cell: 250-398-9889
Royal LePage Interior Properties
shirleymarcotte.ca
Proudly serving Williams Lake and the Cariboo.

08/20/2026

Freight Team, 150 Mile Ho., Cariboo Rd. 1903.”

Before Highway 97. Before transport trucks. Before a trip into Williams Lake was something you measured in minutes.

You might have heard this team coming before you saw it — horses working together, harnesses jingling, wagon wheels turning and a driver who knew every hill, rough patch and stopping place along the road.

Freight teams were part of what kept the Cariboo moving.

Food, equipment, mail and other supplies had to travel somehow, and 150 Mile House's location on the historic Cariboo Wagon Road made it an important stopping point along the way.

But here's something I especially love about this photograph.

While freight was still travelling through 150 Mile House behind teams of horses in 1903, messages were travelling by telegraph.

Government records from that period refer to telegraph lines connecting 150 Mile House with places including Quesnel Forks and Horsefly.

Think about that for a moment.

Outside, a team of horses might be slowly hauling a wagon along the Cariboo Road.

Nearby, a message could be clicking its way down a wire.

Two very different eras meeting in one little Cariboo community.

I keep looking at the wagon in this photograph and wondering what was under those canvas covers.

Where were they headed?

How long would the journey take?

And was this simply another day's work for the person holding the reins?

More than 120 years later, we can cover these distances without thinking much about them.

Back then, getting there was half the story.

Does anyone recognize more about this photograph, or have family stories about the old freight teams and 150 Mile House? I would love to hear them.

Photo source: Prairie-Towns.com, Historical Photos of 150 Mile House. Photograph labelled “Freight Team, 150 Mile Ho., Cariboo Rd. 1903.” Original photographer/collection not identified on the source page.

SHIRLEY MARCOTTE – REALTOR®
Cell: 250-398-9889
Royal LePage Interior Properties
shirleymarcotte.ca
Proudly serving Williams Lake and the Cariboo.

08/20/2026

🏡 $459,500
📍 130 Midnight Drive, Williams Lake, BC
MLS® R3145217
🛏 3 Bedrooms
🛁 3 Bathrooms
📐 2,120 sq. ft.
🌳 0.21-acre corner lot

There’s something reassuring about walking into a home that has simply been cared for.

You notice it in the little things. The way everything has been maintained. The feeling that somebody has loved this home, looked after it, and made plenty of memories here along the way.

130 Midnight Drive is that kind of home.

All three bedrooms are together on the main floor, including the primary bedroom with its own 2-piece ensuite. It’s a practical family layout — especially when you’d rather have everyone reasonably close instead of wondering what’s happening two floors away. 😊

The spacious kitchen opens onto a lovely deck overlooking the fully fenced backyard. I can picture morning coffee out there, summer dinners, kids playing in the yard, or the dog doing its daily inspection of absolutely everything.

And because this is a corner lot, there’s a little extra feeling of space around you.

Downstairs, the fully finished basement adds a large family room and plenty of additional living space. Movie room? Games room? Teenager territory? A place for the grandkids to spread out? There are lots of possibilities.

There’s also a single-car garage, carport, natural gas forced-air heating and a fireplace.

Built in 1980 and sitting in a convenient central Williams Lake neighbourhood, you’re close to schools and the everyday amenities that make life a little easier.

Sometimes you aren’t looking for flashy.

You’re looking for solid.
You’re looking for comfortable.
You’re looking for a home that feels like you could settle in and stay awhile.

And with a new price of $459,500, this one deserves another look. 🏡❤️

SHIRLEY MARCOTTE – REALTOR®
Cell: 250-398-9889
Royal LePage Interior Properties
shirleymarcotte.ca
Proudly serving Williams Lake and the Cariboo.

08/19/2026

🏡 $1,150,000
📍 3136 Pigeon Road, 150 Mile House, BC
MLS® R3141063
🛏 5 Bedrooms
🛁 3 Bathrooms
📐 3,238 sq. ft.
🌲 2.96 Acres
🔨 42' × 42' Shop
🚜 38' × 42' Equipment Shed

This beautiful 150 Mile House acreage is definitely the second kind.

Sitting on nearly three acres of fully fenced, park-like property, this home offers the space of country living without giving up the comforts that make everyday life a little easier.

Inside, there are five bedrooms, three bathrooms and 3,238 square feet of finished living space over two levels.

The main floor brings much of the everyday living together, with the kitchen, dining room and living room along with the primary bedroom, two additional bedrooms and laundry.

Downstairs, there’s even more room to spread out with a large recreation and games room, two more bedrooms and plenty of possibilities for a growing family, teenagers, guests, hobbies or simply having a little breathing room.

And yes, we need to talk about that shop. 😉

At 42' × 42', it offers serious space for vehicles, projects, hobbies, storage or potentially a home-based business. Then there’s an additional 38' × 42' equipment shed because, apparently, this property believes you can never have too much storage.

Built in 2012, the home also features central air conditioning, natural gas forced-air heating, a fireplace, a finished basement and a drilled well.

But what I really like is the combination.

A big family home.
Nearly three acres.
A beautiful fenced yard.
A substantial shop.
An equipment shed.
And the peaceful feeling of being a little farther away from the hustle and bustle.

It’s the sort of property where there’s room for the kids to grow, room for the dog to run, room for the toys to have their own home…and maybe even enough room that you finally get your garage back. 😊

If acreage living around 150 Mile House has been on your wish list, this one deserves a look.

SHIRLEY MARCOTTE – REALTOR®
Cell: 250-398-9889
Royal LePage Interior Properties
shirleymarcotte.ca
Proudly serving Williams Lake and the Cariboo.

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