Ghost towns--British Columbia

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Ghost towns--British Columbia

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Ghost towns--British Columbia

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Ghost towns--British Columbia

43 Archival description results for Ghost towns--British Columbia

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Alexander and Elizabeth Ritchie interview

CALL NUMBER: T0883:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-11-02 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Alexander Ritchie describes how he came from Calgary in 1896; drove a stage between Fort Steele and Windermere for a few months; went back to Calgary, but returned to Windermere in 1898; worked on ranches and mined until 1910; was part owner of CVI [Columbia Valley Irrigated Fruit Lands, Limited] with [R.R.] Bruce for five years; broke up with Bruce and eventually owned the whole company and site; CPR board of directors were the driving force behind CVI; KCRR [Kootenay Central Railway] reached Athalmer in 1912; the Paradise Mine and some anecdotes. TRACK 2: Mr. Ritchie continue;s by discussing Fort Steele as a "wide open town" in the 1890s and the stage run from Fort Steele to Windermere. He then discusses democrats (i.e., type of wagon).

CALL NUMBER: T0883:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1964-11-02 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Ritchie continues his description of the Fort Steele to Windermere stage run; more anecdotes; Windermere as the earliest settlement in the area; Mr. Ritchie's several trips across the Rockies and taking horses east to sell in Alberta. TRACK 2: Mr. Ritchie describes an incident at Banff with Indians and selling horses as far north as Grande Prairie. Then Mrs. Lizzie Ritchie describes how she came from London to Winnipeg in 1904; her first husband was Charles Burgess, who was bookkeeper for a lumber company; Waldo as the first ghost town; and some anecdotes about the lumber industry.

Alexander Harris, Eugene Petersen and Hal Wright : [Sandon interviews]

CALL NUMBER: T1147:0002 [and T2744:0001]
RECORDED: Sandon (B.C.), 1972
SUMMARY: TRACK 1: (1) ALEXANDER (SANDY) HARRIS of New Denver discusses the town of Sandon. His father came to Sandon in 1897 to mine silver/lead. Harris discusses the area's geology; Eli Carpenter, who pioneered mining in the area; and a dispute between Carpenter and his partner, Jack Seaton. He discusses the geography around Sandon; life there after the First World War; a murder; the town's organization; and why Sandon was abandoned in 1955, after a flood. There was no gold at Sandon, but there was a boom in mining silver and lead there. He discusses Gene Peterson, the only resident of Sandon as of 1972. Harris claims that organized ice hockey originated there in 1904.
TRACK 2: Mr. Harris discusses the Japanese people who lived in Sandon. During World War II, there was a heavy demand for the mine's resources. The government's role in moving the Japanese to the Slocan, and the character of the Japanese. After the war, the Japanese were moved east by the government. He discusses the effects of the 1955 flood. He discusses his life in the area; he eventually became the owner of the New Denver water works and power plant. The Sandon hydro plant was built in 1898 by Johnny Harris, a major contributor to the town's development. He describes the layout of Sandon, including its opera house and entertainments. (2) EUGENE (GENE) PETERSEN is interviewed. Peterson is one of the few people still living in Sandon. He discusses the other people who live there; the population of 5000 who lived there in the late 1800s; a fire which caused the town to be rebuilt; Sandon's founding in 1892, and the staking rush shortly thereafter. He discusses his father (who came from Norway to Sandon in 1923) and describes life in Sandon in the 1920s. He recalls the town being well organized, but with no highway connection; its dependence on the railway; the orderly conduct of its residents; and the local prostitutes, known for helping out miners who were broke. [Interview continued on next tape.]

CALL NUMBER: T1147:0001 [and T2744:0002]
RECORDED: Sandon (B.C.), 1972
SUMMARY: TRACK 1: EUGENE PETERSEN recalls the history of Sandon through various mining booms, up until its present condition as a ghost town. He discusses the 1929 murder of miner Sigvald Myklebost [Petersen says "1927"]; the killer was never convicted. An anecdote about how little law-breaking there was in Sandon. The “exodus” started during the depression in the 1930s. In the 1940s there were only 40 people. There was a slight increase in population in the 1950s, when 700 people lived in the town. The town emptied out again in the fall of 1953, when the population went down to 100. The flood of June 1955, in which half of the town was destroyed. The local power plant, built in 1896. He discusses what would be involved in the preservation of Sandon. He describes the silver-lead ore found at Sandon. Petersen still finds ore in the area, but it is not a big money maker. He plans on staying in Sandon until he works out his mining claim. (4) HAL WRIGHT, formerly of Saltspring Island, discusses his efforts to establish a museum at Sandon in the summer of 1972, working under an OFY grant. The museum displays local relics, along with photographs he acquired from the BC Archives. Wright is staying in Sandon through the winter. He plans on working for a carpenter and finishing school by correspondence. (5) EUGENE PETERSEN then discusses ghosts in the town. One of the remaining houses caught on fire, and he heard knocking on his door; no one was there, but there was a fire down the street.
[TRACK 2 is described separately; see AAAB1272.]

B.C. folio : Bralorne

SUMMARY: "BC Folio" was a weekly program featuring items of interest to BC listeners, including interviews with British Columbians of diverse backgrounds. "BC Folio" was broadcast from 1971 to 1976 on the Paci;fic Network, first on AM and later on FM. This episode is a documentary consisting of interviews and sounds about Bralorne, B.C., a mining town located about an hour's drive away from Hope; it was aff;luent and prosperous from 1932 to 1971, but is now a ghost town. This program looks at what happened to the town, and questions whether it can be revived again.;

Best of B.C. revue : a musical celebration of British Columbia

SUMMARY: Songs performed by Ross Douglas, John Dowler, and Kendra Sprinkling at the B.C. Pavilion's B.C. Revue during Expo 86 (1986-05-02 - 1986-10-13). "Based on tales from the Sound and Moving Division, Provincial Archives of B.C." Program one: Red shirt Bill ; Walhachin ; Kicking Horse Pass ; Doukhobors ; Simon Gun-an-noot. Program two: Devil on the wall ; Lady Aberdeen ; Bedaux expedition ; Fred Tibbs' island ; Brains.;

Betty and Neil Carey interview

CALL NUMBER: T1188:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Neil Carey's trip around the Queen Charlotte Islands (1955) PERIOD COVERED: 1880-1955 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1969 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Neil Carey talks about Haida villages and sites visited on his circumnavigation of the Queen Charlottes including: Skedans totems, Old Cumshewa, graves at Church Creek, Maude Island, Tanu, Anthony Island (Ninstints), the Tian village, Hotsprings Island, Kaisun, Graham Island, the sandy coastline, Cape St. James lighthouse, north island and Langara Island. TRACK 2: Neil Carey continues with recollections of the Queen Charlottes and the family trip from Anacortes to the Queen Charlottes, 1955. He describes a found carving on Bonilla Island, crossing Hecate Strait, Skidegate Narrows, Moresby Island, Tasu, their home at "Puffin Cove", locating supplies, Jedway, Rose Harbour, his two sons, George (12) and Gene (10), Graham Island and the trip from Masset to Prince Rupert.

CALL NUMBER: T1188:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Beachcombing with Neil and Betty Carey PERIOD COVERED: 1954-1955 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1969 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Betty Carey describes: "canoe paths", the Chaatl (T'saahl) Indian village, Anthony Island (Ninstints), beachcombing, Hosu Bay and bottle messages. Neil Carey continues with recollections about found beachcombing treasures and Betty talks about her impressions of the Pacific, "Spotters Cabins", a black sand beach and beachcombing.

Between ourselves : Ghost towns

SUMMARY: "Between Ourselves" was a weekly series of hour-long radio programs that presented Canada to Canadians. It featured aspects of Canadian life in docudramas, plays, music, and interviews, originating fr;om different regions of Canada. The series ran from 1966 to 1979. In this episode, "Ghost Towns", Jurgen Hesse explores three British Columbia ghost towns: Sandon, Quesnel Forks and Bralorne. Recolle;ctions and reminiscences are recounted by former residents of these mining towns.;

Between ourselves : Ghost towns

SUMMARY: "Between Ourselves" was a weekly series of hour-long radio programs that presented Canada to Canadians. It featured aspects of Canadian life in docudramas, plays, music, and interviews, originating fr;om different regions of Canada. The series ran from 1966 to 1979. In this episode, "Ghost Towns", Jurgen Hesse explores three British Columbia ghost towns: Sandon, Quesnel Forks and Bralorne. Recolle;ctions and reminiscences are recounted by former residents of these mining towns.;

Between ourselves : Ghost towns, no. 1 : Bralorne

SUMMARY: "Between Ourselves" was a weekly series of hour-long radio programs that presented Canada to Canadians. It featured aspects of Canadian life in docudramas, plays, music, and interviews, originating fr;om different regions of Canada. The series ran from 1966 to 1979. This episode is a documentary consisting of interviews and sounds about Bralorne, B.C., a mining town located about an hour's drive fr;om Hope. It was affluent and prosperous from 1932 to 1971. but is now a ghost town. This episode looks at what happened to Bralorne, and considers whether the town might be inhabited again. Some ghost; stories are also discussed.;

Between ourselves : Ghost towns, no. 2 : Quesnel Forks

SUMMARY: "Between Ourselves" was a weekly series of hour-long radio programs that presented Canada to Canadians. It featured aspects of Canadian life in docudramas, plays, music, and interviews, originating fr;om different regions of Canada. The series ran from 1966 to 1979. This episode is a documentary consisting of interviews and sounds about Quesnel Forks, B.C., a farming and mining town in the Cariboo ;which was active in the the 19th century. The town was re-established in the fall of 1959 as a gold mining town, but has since been abandoned.;

Between ourselves : Ghost towns, no. 3 : Sandon

SUMMARY: "Between Ourselves" was a weekly series of hour-long radio programs that presented Canada to Canadians. It featured aspects of Canadian life in docudramas, plays, music, and interviews, originating fr;om different regions of Canada. The series ran from 1966 to 1979. This episode is a documentary consisting of interviews and sounds about Sandon, B.C. -- once an active mining town in the Slocan, toda;y a ghost town.;

City of Phoenix fonds

  • PR-1431
  • Fonds
  • 1900-1921

The fonds consists of letters patent; correspondence, bylaws and minutes of the Phoenix City Council; vouchers, cashbooks, daybooks and other financial records; assessment rolls and related correspondence; police board minutes, police court proceedings and register; and, minutes of the licence commission and the court of revision.

Cliff Lyon interview : [re: Quesnel Forks]

CALL NUMBER: T1147:0001 track 2 [and T2744:0002 track 2]
RECORDED: Likely (B.C.), [1972?]
SUMMARY: TRACK 2: CLIFF LYON of Likely describes what his father did in Quesnel Forks. He discusses things his father told him about Quesnel Forks, including the massive Chinese population that once lived there; specific characters; a woman named Mrs. MacKenzie at a "place of ill repute" in Quesnel Forks; etc. He tells the story of John Likely, a well-known prospector and gold miner (and a friend of Lyon's father), and his gold strike at Cedar Creek in 1920-21. Lyon offers details on his father's life and placer mining. [End of interview]

Columbia River project : selected footage

The item consists of five reels of original reversal film footage and outs. The footage shows aspects of the Columbia River project other than dam or powerhouse construction. It includes: people and scenery along the Columbia, abandoned homes and communities on the Arrow Lakes, burning/demolition of old buildings, flooding on the Columbia and in the Arrow Lake villages, flood at Trail (June 1967), Dept. of Highways ferries serving the area, the Gates of St. Leon Hotel, the burning of the derelict stern wheeler S.S. "Minto" and winter recreation/festivities and other scenes at the town of Mica.

Did you know that?

The item is a newsreel. Includes items about: Churchill, Manitoba; a BC ghost town (Phoenix); Toronto mounted military band; Quebec City narrow street; New Brunswick "Magnetic Hill"; Ontario Mennonites (horses and buggies); British Columbia/Washington international border; Bay of Fundy tides.

Dwyer Brown interview

RECORDED: [location unknown], [196-?] SUMMARY: In an oral history interview with Imbert Orchard, Dwyer Brown of Skidegate discusses Copper River [i.e., Copper Bay?]; how to make a traditional cedar canoe, using axe, adze and steam; the seasons of ;the "Indian year"; camping in the abandoned Haida villages of Cumshewa and Skedans; totem poles in the old villages; etc. The last tape ends with 5-6 minutes of recorded sounds, including: a ferry or fishing boat, approaching and in the distance; footsteps on a dock; boat engine sounds; distant explosion. [Note: This summary is based on incomplete notes in the file.]

Edith Ivatt and Frank Ivatt interview

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Walhachin RECORDED: Victoria (B.C.), 1975-07-14 SUMMARY: Ruth Chambers interviews Miss Edith Ivatt and her brother Frank, who lived at Walhachin in the years when it was still a recognized settlement. They discuss the joys and difficulties of life there, and possible reasons for the settlement's failure.

Everett Laycock, Rob Black, [Frank, John or Jerry] Whiting, Ron Kreller, and Edith Garrick : [Bralorne interviews]

RECORDED: Bralorne (B.C.), 1972
SUMMARY: TRACK 1: EVERETT LAYCOCK, owner of the Mines Hotel in Bralorne, discusses running the hotel; Bralorne's future; nicknames of several characters; reasons for Bralorne's closure in 1971. Then ROB BLACK recalls living in Bralorne during its prime mining years in the 1940s and 1950s; the possible future of Bralorne as a retirement or recreation center; the climate; vandalism; how Rob spends his time. Interviewer JURGEN HESSE recalls the history of Quesnel Forks, including quotes from a plaque and from magazines. TRACK 2: One of the WHITING brothers (Frank, John or Jerry) discusses Bralorne's possible future as a retirement home or recreation ski resort. RON KRELLER recalls living and growing up in Bralorne in the 1960s. EDITH GARRICK recalls her life in Bralorne.

Ghost towns : Bralorne, Quesnel Forks, Sandon

CALL NUMBER: T2566:0001 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1972 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: BC Ghost Towns: Ghosts in Sandon BC, various residents of Bralorne talk about the mining town from 1932 to 1971 and 1975; mines, miners, town life and local characters. TRACK 2: New prospects for Bralorne; Bralorne in the boom days, at present and in the future. [edited program] CALL NUMBER: T2566:0002 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1972 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Ghost Towns; various residents comment on the history of Quesnel Forks as a mining community and ghost town; Quesnel Forks in the 1940s, the 1850s, and the 1920s; buildings; anecdote about Chinese residents; good times past and present; story about Cedar Creek and John Likely; mining methods; derivation of name Quesnel Forks; prospects for the restoration of Quesnel Forks; gold panning today. TRACK 2: Story of original staker at Sandon; appearance of Sandon; present residents recall the history of the town; the silver rush of the 1890s; Sandon in the 1920s; dances; booming town; a rare crime; ownership of Sandon today; Sandon museum OFY project; Sandon in the 1920s; Japanese internment camp at Sandon; the 1955 flood; why the town died; prospects for preserving Sandon's old buildings. [edited program] CALL NUMBER: T2566:0003 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1972 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Original interview material for ghost town programs; Bralorne residents talk about the town in the mining era from 1932 to 1971, and in 1972; mines, miners, town life and local characters, boom days and present prospects. TRACK 2: Original interview material for ghost town programs; Quesnel Forks residents recall mining days in the region in the 1850s and 1920s; future prospects for Quesnel Forks; bits of material on Sandon's original settlers and a museum project. CALL NUMBER: T2566:0004 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1972 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Repeat of Bralorne ghost town program; social life; mining and mining conditions; present activities; anecdotes about nicknames and local characters and of Bralorne as a mining town. TRACK; 2: Sandon material; appearance of the town in 1972; origins of Sandon; social life and crime; flood of 1955; preservation of the town; OFY person on museum project; bits of Quesnel Forks Material; more Bralorne material; town activities; the end of the mine; social life; prospects for renovation of the town. CALL NUMBER: T2566:0005 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1972 SUMMARY: Repeats of Sandon material with a few additional stories: the Sandon fire; a Norwegian immigrant; floods; the town and social life at the turn of the century; A.L. Harris talks about his childhood; Gene Petersen talks about the 1920s boom and a murder; Harris describes an early power plant and the local opera house. CALL NUMBER: T2566:0006 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1972 SUMMARY: Repeats of Sandon material, with some new items: Sandon flood of 1955; preserving buildings and dealing with tourists; discovery of silver lead at Sandon; internment of Japanese at Sandon; ghosts in Sandon today.

Ghost towns in B.C.

SUMMARY: This is presumably another copy or another version of Jurgen Hesse's radio documentary looking at the past and present of three B.C. "ghost towns" -- Bralorne, Quesnel Forks and Sandon.;

Gliding and ghost town footage

The item is a film reel of unedited footage from ca. 1971 to 1973. It contains extensive footage shot from and of gliders, probably in the Fraser Valley near Hope. Includes a hundred-foot segment that probably shows the remnants of the abandoned settlement of Walhachin. The ghost town footage included in this reel resembles the brief "Walhachin" sequence in the travelogue "Mirrors to the Sun", so this reel probably consists of footage shot for that film.

Interviews by Jurgen Hesse

The sub-series consists of interviews recorded by CBC producer Jurgen Hesse, dealing with three B.C. ghost towns (Bralorne, Quesel Forks, and Sandon) and with the operation of the Empress Hotel.

[Kootenay-Boundary area] : [footage and out-takes]

Footage. Shows various communities and activities in southeastern B.C. Several shots of a hydro-electric dam (possibly Bonnington Falls on the Kootenay River). Nakusp lakefront, with the retired sternwheeler "Bonnington" at dock; local residents, streets and buildings (Arrow Lake Hotel, Arrow Lakes Hospital); a sawmill. Brief shot of sternwheeler "Minto" approaching dock. Edgewood General Store. Lake fishing; resort. Parade and sports day in Salmo (joint Dominion Day and Independence Day celebration?), with long sequence showing a performance by a uniformed girls' drill team. Main street of Greenwood, where a baseball team warms up and poses with locals. A nearby mining community (probably Phoenix), with mining operation and many dilapidated buildings; residents and a bearded old timer pose for the camera. Scenery with river and waterfall (possibly Cascade Falls on the Kettle River?). New Denver Fire Hall.

Lindsay Carter interview : [Reimer, 1976]

CALL NUMBER: T1802:0001 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Lindsay Carter : Slocan Valley, 1918-1945 RECORDED: [location unknown], 1976 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Mr. Carter discusses his childhood: born in Kimberley, B.C. in 1906; moved to Silverton in 1918 with family; effects of influenza epidemic of 1918 on town of Silverton; father worked in mines; silicosis and other lung problems with mining; Mr. Carter's father affected by silicosis, 1943; poor attitude on the part of companies and Workmen's Compensation Board; anecdote about silicosis; family moved to Summit Lake logging camp, 1920. Details about camp life: housing; school; description of logging operations -- pole cutting, railroad, chutes; description of log chute, logging camp, bunkhouse, cookhouse. Forest fire of July, 1925; reports of major early fire, ca. 1870. Most loggers were Scandinavians. Location of other sawmills in Slocan Valley. TRACK 2: Moved to Sandon, 1922. Train and boat schedules, ca. 1925. Railroad accident near Sandon. CPR operated boats on Slocan Lake. Description of S.S. "Slocan", S.S. "Sandon", S.S. "Roseberry". Transportation into Sandon. Stores in Sandon. Trip down Slocan Lake in winter of 1929. Carter ended formal education after grade 8. Mining and mines near Sandon in 1920s and 1930s. Depression in Sandon: Carter on relief during Depression. Origin of miners: eastern Canada, Norway, Italy, Finland and others. Anti-Orientalism in Sandon. Japanese lived in Sandon during WW II. Bunkhouse conditions and anecdotes; cookhouse work and anecdotes.

CALL NUMBER: T1802:0002 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Slocan Mines, 1920s and 1930s RECORDED: [location unknown], 1976-01-10 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Carter's work history, 1920s: description of a concentrator and its operation especially the Noble Five concentrator, Cody, B.C; the jobs in a concentrator plant; shifts and hours of work; a major breakdown described, 1930; more on hours of work. TRACK 2: More on Carter's work history: attitudes towards work in a concentrator mill; unpleasant and unhealthy environment in concentrator mill and mines; more on work attitudes; long hours and lack of holidays; social life of miners -- drinking, prostitutes, pool halls, movies, fraternal orders, clubs; Carter a member of Orange Lodge in Sandon; operation of Orange Lodge; role of churches in Sandon; differences between miners and merchants; local government in Sandon; 1929 murder [of miner Sigvald Myklebost] described.

CALL NUMBER: T1802:0003 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): The Great Depression of the 1930s RECORDED: [location unknown], 1976-01-30 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: Sandon continues the story about the 1929 [Myklebost] murder. Describes Johnny Harris: businessman, character of Sandon. Anecdotes about Johnny Harris. White family described. Silversmith Mine. Sandon prospectors described. Grub stake arrangements. Prospecting. Permanence of Sandon. TRACK 2: Demise of the Sandon Hospital in the 1930s. Questionable practices of the B.C. Security Commission during WW II. The Depression in Sandon and Carter's experiences on relief. "On the tramp" in southeastern B.C.

CALL NUMBER: T1802:0004 SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Mining in the West Kootenays and the Great Depression of the 1930s RECORDED: [location unknown], 1976-02-04 SUMMARY: TRACK 1: The Great Depression of the 1930s and its effect on Sandon, B.C. The sluggish economic recovery of Sandon during and after WW II. Description of poor working conditions underground. Sandon's hotels. Prostitutes in Sandon. Anecdote about "Big Al" Holmquist. Problems with alcohol among miners. Economic problems of living in Sandon. [TRACK 2: blank; end of interview.]

Nancy Barton interview

SUPPLIED TITLE OF TAPE(S): Recollections of Walhachin RECORDED: Walhachin (B.C.), 1975-07-21 SUMMARY: Ruth Chambers interviews Mrs. Nancy Barton, whose recollections of Walhachin reveal the types of settlers; the recreation; the departure of the local men for World War I service; the desolation of those who returned [from the war] and found the irrigation flumes in disrepair and no water for irrigation. Also: how the Marquis of Anglesey tried to interest the BC government in paying for flume repairs, etc. (At that time, Richard McBride had been replaced as Premier by John Oliver.) When they received no help, the settlement was finished.

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