1 of 12
Photos courtesy the Greenwood Museum
Copper Avenue - present day.
2 of 12
Photos courtesy the Greenwood Museum
Greenwood Museum.
3 of 12
Photos courtesy the Greenwood Museum
4 of 12
Photos courtesy the Greenwood Museum
5 of 12
Photos courtesy the Greenwood Museum
6 of 12
Photos courtesy the Greenwood Museum
7 of 12
Photos courtesy the Greenwood Museum
8 of 12
Photos courtesy the Greenwood Museum
9 of 12
Photos courtesy the Greenwood Museum
10 of 12
Photos courtesy the Greenwood Museum
11 of 12
Photos courtesy the Greenwood Museum
12 of 12
Photos courtesy the Greenwood Museum
By Perry Mack - Photos courtesy the Greenwood Museum
It’s easy to pass through Greenwood, BC without stopping, but if you do you’ll miss a rich history of personal tragedies, triumphs and mysteries that lie beneath the surface of this peaceful hamlet in the Boundary region of British Columbia. Just two hours drive east of the major centre of Kelowna and 20 minutes north of the US border lies a historical delight and an outdoor lovers paradise.
Although it’s the size of a hamlet, it was incorporated in 1897 as a booming city, the epicenter of the mining and smelting industry in Boundary country with a boisterous population of 3500 souls. The city rose in stature to become the seat of government in the region with over 100 companies in the business district. And although its’ boom and bust cycles have left it with a smaller population than 115 years ago, it proudly retains its ‘city’ status – the “Smallest City in Canada” in fact.
Whenever mining claims are made, mysteries are born and Greenwood is no exception with the legend of Jolly Jacks Lost Mine. Jack Thornton was a prospector in the region at the turn of the century who turned up one spring day in 1900 with coarse, heavy gold nuggets. In a transcript left with the Greenwood Museum, May Jones, one of his daughters, wrote "My mother told me that my father really had found something very rich, but where it was he took to the great beyond with him. It was in the spring of the year. He left home in the morning and was back at night and he had a baking powder can full of nuggets when he came home. He was old and so was his horse so he could not have gone far. She said he told her that they had struck it rich at last, but he never told mother where it was, or anyone else. Many have looked for it but none have ever found the place yet." Jack Thornton died in the spring three years later without ever telling a soul.
By 1931 the gold boom had passed and there was no market for copper so the smelters shut and the people left until by 1931 the population was just 171. Then a tragic event that no one could have foreseen occurred to revitalize the city anew. After the bombing of Pearl Harbour on Dec 7, 1941, thousands of Japanese Canadians had their homes and assets seized and 1200 were forcibly relocated and interned in many of the empty buildings in Greenwood. Many stayed after the war and the population began to rebound to the roughly 700 residents that remain today.
In 1968 Andy Warhol said "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." While perhaps not world-famous, Greenwood has been immortalized in the television series ‘Gold Trails and Ghosts Towns’ and the internationally acclaimed film ‘Snow Falling on Cedars’.
You can see the Victorian past in many of the well-preserved buildings and homes. The Post Office and City Hall are absolute gems. Be sure to stop at the Museum and Visitor Centre. They can also arrange a tour of City Hall and a walking tour, well worth your time – don’t miss the early 1900’s jail in the basement.
The City has become a destination for retirees and people who want a slower friendlier pace. Many people comment it reminds them of growing up in a small town. This one just happens to have the best drinking water in the world – literally. In 2012, the 22nd Annual Berkley Springs International Water Tasting Competition awarded Greenwood top honours, declaring it the Best Municipal Water in the World. It was Greenwood Mayor Nipper Kettle who sent the sample to the competition. "I know the quality of the water. When I first moved here I used to buy bottled water and I thought, 'Why am I wasting my time buying bottled water when we have the best water?'" said Kettle.
Main Street is a potpourri of shops and coffee houses. Be sure to stop at the Yellow Door, Copper Eagle Cappuccino and the Deadwood Junction Coffee and Bakery. There is even a saddle shop. The Pacific Grill was voted the best restaurant in Boundary country, it’s a great place for great food, don’t miss it. Doreen Maclean from the Museum and Visitor Centre also recommends the old Windsor Hotel – now the Greenwood Inn – as an excellent stop for a meal and a brew.
If you want to explore and immerse yourself in all the old mine sites and ghost towns you’ll want to move here. There are hundreds of them: everything from the City of Paris ghost town site to the Tramway Bore tunnel. It is a hiker and ATV’ers dream, hundreds of miles of trails including the Trans Canada Trail and old railway spur lines. Golf? Just down the road. Fishing? Jewell Lake has some of the best trout fishing in the province.
With numerous RV Parks in the region you’re sure to find a great base to explore the nature and history of this amazing region. And there’s always Jolly Jacks Goldmine waiting to be discovered. Although the number of theories of its location, are only exceeded by the number of skeptics who say it never existed, people still search for it to this day – perhaps you could be the one to stumble across it hiking around Greenwood one fine summer day?