To what extent did the Cariboo Gold Rush positively and negatively impact the development of British Columbia?

The Cariboo Gold Rush started in what is now British Columbia in the 1860s (though gold was first discovered in 1858). This gold rush followed the earlier gold rush in the Fraser Canyon of 1858. The gold rush resulted in the development of several towns, such as Barkerville, which was situated near many of the Cariboo mining camps. The gold rush was positive in that it resulted in the development of local infrastructure such as the Cariboo Wagon Road built by the Royal Engineers. This road provided the Canadian government with access to the gold fields so that wealth was kept in Canada rather than being transported to the United States. However, the negative part of the development stemming from the gold rush was that the expense of building the road, given the vast engineering challenges involved, resulted in the near bankruptcy of the Mainland Colony. As a result, the Mainland Colony was forced to join the Island Colony to form the Colony of British Columbia in 1866.