[5] In 1858, during the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush, dozens placer mined the bar, which was one of the largest and richest on the east side of the river.

[10] In 1862, Joseph Trutch completed the Chapmans Bar–Boston Bar leg of the Cariboo Road along the east shore.

[11] During construction in the early 1880s, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) installed ferries at Chapmans Bar and Camp 13,[12] which was just south of Hells Gate.

The cyclist-activated warning lights,[16][17] which currently require the pressing of a button,[18] may be upgraded to a camera detection system.

In 1858, to serve the river trail, William L. Alexander established a restaurant and store in a small log building.

[22] In 1864, Louis Waigland, who had purchased 13 hectares (32 acres), built in partnership with Alexander a large, two-storey frame roadhouse.

The highways department moved the lodge back six feet from the road in 1952 and placed it upon a concrete foundation.

[23] Believing the building included key elements of the 1864 structure, the province assigned a heritage designation in the early 1970s, which was withdrawn a decade later after clarifying its true date.