Dennis Begin
Hedley Museum Heritage Park and location of the Mascot Mine.
Words by Dennis Begin
At the turn of the 20th Century, Hedley was destined to become a major city. It was located in the beautiful Similkameen River Valley, had a damned river for power, possessed prime agricultural land, and welcomed the arrival of the Great Northern Railroad in 1909. More importantly, the mountains surrounding the region were rich in gold, silver, and copper.
Hedley History
Hedley became popular when gold was first discovered at Twenty Mile Creek of the old Dewdney Trail in 1898. Its name was derived from Robert R. Hedley of Nelson who grubstaked prospectors in Southern British Columbia. The local Indian Band was called Snaza’ist, meaning ‘striped rock place.’ The striped rock referred to the different layers of coloured rocks in the surrounding mountains.
With the discovery of gold and the arrival of the railroad, Hedley became a boomtown and its population grew to 1,000 residents. The village included a bank, school, general store, church, hospital, plus five hotels and an equal number of brothels. They even had a golf course and semi-professional baseball and hockey teams.
Today, Hedley is an unincorporated village located along Crowsnest Highway 3 with a population of approximately 250 and is located 38 km (24 mi) east of Princeton. Many of the homes resemble those of a typical mining town dating from 1898 to 1930. Stroll around the village and check out the few remaining businesses including The Trading Post, Strayhorse Station, and the Hedley Country Market. Fires have always plagued the village and the Hitching Post Restaurant became the latest victim in October 2018.
Brian Craig
The remains of the old Aerial Tram.
Nickel Plate Mine
Gold was first discovered by prospector Peter Scott in 1903 who staked a 40-acre claim on Nickel Plate Mountain just 3 km (about 2 mi) northeast of Hedley. The mine was operated by The Daily Reduction Company until 1909 when it was acquired by the Hedley Gold Mining Company. Ore cars transported the ore to the stamp mill where the igneous rock was crushed and chemicals were added. It was then shipped to a smelter facility in Tacoma, WA, to process the gold, silver, and copper.
By 1955 the ore ran out, but The Nickel Plate Mine had yielded $47,000,000 in gold. It became active again from 1986 to 1996 with open-pit mining, which produced another million ounces of gold. The mine is now owned by the Barrick Gold Corporation of Toronto, but mining has been ceased.
Mascot Mine
When prospector Duncan Woods filed a claim on Nickel Plate Mountain in 1903, his claim would become the Mascot Fraction Mine. Woods eventually sold his claim for $150,000 in 1932. Despite the Great Depression and legal problems, the Mascot Mine produced 7.1 tons of gold between 1936 and 1949 for the John Mercer Exploration Company.
What’s interesting is The Mascot Mine site was situated on a narrow mountain ridge, 1,524 m (5,000 ft) above Hedley. It was an engineering marvel as the buildings were perched on the side of the mountain, which seemed to defy gravity. The site was often described as the most terrifying in the province and once employed 130 miners who lived on the edge of a cliff and were nicknamed ‘cliffhangers.’ The buildings included a cookhouse, bunkhouse, tool shop, aerial tram, and mine offices. There was even a bowling alley.
Gerry Thomasen
The Hedley Trading Post.
Connecting the buildings were a series of stairs, catwalks, and platforms, which are reminiscent of the popular childhood board game ‘Snakes and Ladders.’ The view of the Similkameen Valley and Hedley is breathtaking. However, if exposure is a concern stay at the lower elevation in Hedley and take a virtual tour on YouTube.
To mine the Mascot back then, approximately 74 km (46 mi) of tunnels had to be dug into the mountain. Entry was via the main portal that ran 1 km (.6 mi) straight into the mountain, before branching off into secondary tunnels, chutes, raises, and connecting ladders. This was hard rock mining that involved drillers, blasters, and muckers. Workers were paid $4.75 a day.
Since the Nickel Plate and Mascot mines were close to each other, 127 km (80 mi) of combined tunnels ran parallel and even crossed paths underground. In total, the two mines from 1898 to 1995 produced 77 tons of gold, 18 tons of silver, and two tons of copper, which made investors extremely wealthy – and happy.
To reach the Mascot Mine, follow Nickel Plate Road to the top of the ridge and then walk the 583 steps down to the main platform, the center of the mining tours. In 1995, the Mascot Mine became a Provincial Heritage Resource, but the abandoned mine needed restoration and preservation. That would be left to the Snaza’ist.
Dennis Begin
The Hedley Mining Museum.
Snaza’ist [sna-za-ee-st] Discovery Centre
Hedley is located on the First Nations land of the Upper Similkameen Indian Band [U.S.I.B.]. The large red building along the highway is a former school that’s now known as the Snaza’ist Discovery Centre. It showcases the history of the First Nations and local culture – from its origin to the growth of Hedley and the surrounding mines. There are also self-guided tours and interactive exhibits.
The Snaza’ist operated tours of the Mascot Mine from 2004 to 2017, taking visitors into the mine with a light and sound show to duplicate mining operations. Tours have been discontinued, but there are alternate ways to reach the mine.
The village has also been the location for movie and television sets featuring actors such as Burt Reynolds in Malone and Jack Nicholson in The Pledge. The television show, Gold Trails and Ghost Towns was also filmed at the Hedley mines.
Visitors can also visit the Hedley Museum and Tourist Booth, the Mascot Mine, and the Discovery Centre in Hedley. The Hedley Museum has a gift shop and tea room, while across the street is Heritage Park that displays mining paraphernalia. As for Hedley itself, it’s a town that refuses to perish. As businesses have come and gone, along with the impact of various natural disasters, the current residents remain optimistic about their historic mining village.