According to Waddington, it would reduce land travel from 359 miles (578 km) to 185 miles (298 km) and the total days consumed in packing freight from 37 days to 22 compared to the route through Yale and the Fraser Canyon known as the Cariboo Road and favoured by Governor Douglas.

The Bute Inlet Wagon Road was to follow the Homathko River valley from its mouth at the head of Bute Inlet, then swing northeast across the Chilcotin Plateau to join the Bentinck Arm Trail at Puntzi Lake and the mouth of the Quesnel River.

[8] Construction had been underway for two years when, on April 29, 1864, a ferryman named Timothy Smith, stationed 30 miles up the river, was killed after refusing a demand from Chief Klattasine (Lhatŝ'aŝʔin: ″Nobody Knows Him″, ″We Do Not Know His Name″), Tellot and other Tsilhqot'in for food.

[4] A pack train led by Alexander McDonald, though warned, continued into the area and three of the drivers were killed in the ensuing ambush.

[12] The next day Chartres Brew and 28 men were sent to Bute Inlet aboard HMS Forward, but they were unable to make their way up the trail from the Homathko valley to the scene of the incident, and returned to New Westminster.

A second party of 50 men under Gold Commissioner William Cox went to the area using an overland route, met an ambush and retreated.

Frederick Whymper, an artist attached to Waddington's crew, attributed the unrest to the provision of firearms to the Chilcotin at a time when they were suffering from lack of food.

As a result of the recommendations in the report, the Attorney General apologized for the hanging of the Chilcotin chiefs and provided funding for an archaeological investigation to locate their graves.

[20] The British Columbia government also installed a commemorative plaque at the site of the hanging of the Tsilhqot'in chiefs.

Premier Christy Clark stated, "We confirm without reservation that these six Tsilhqot'in chiefs are fully exonerated for any crime or wrongdoing.

"[21] This exoneration was reciprocally made by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, on behalf of the Government of Canada, on March 26, 2018, in a speech to Parliament.

[22] During the exoneration speech, the then current Chiefs of the Tŝilhqot’in Nation were invited onto the floor of the House of Commons and provided a drum song.

Trudeau rode into the valley on a black horse, symbolizing the ones ridden by the wrongfully executed chiefs and participated in a smudging ceremony during his time there.