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Two independent reconstructions of maximum May–August temperatures are developed from a new network of Engelmann spruce tree-ring chronologies at treeline sites across Interior British Columbia (IBC). The IBC reconstruction (ad 1600–1997) uses the longest three ring-width (RW) and two maximum latewood density (MXD) chronologies from the region. The shorter (regional) reconstruction (REG, 1845–1997) is based on an independent, more broadly based network of chronologies (12 RW and 5 MXD) and verifies the regional signal in the parsimoniously sampled IBC reconstruction. Both models explain 53% of the regional temperature variance (1912–1995) and correlate strongly (r = 0.92) over their common period. The IBC reconstruction indicates two prolonged cooler intervals, c. 1620–1710 and 1775–1880 …