Hedley is a well known Canadian pop-rock band with such hits as “Never Too Late” and “Cha-Ching”. The band decided on the name after hearing about the unincorporated town of Hedley, BC being put on sale for $346 000. Now with this abrupt segue, we move to the real reason of this article: to explore Hedley, British Columbia.
We continue our journey into Western Canada, where you can find the smallest unincorporated town in southern British Columbia, Hedley. It is a town with a population of only approximately 400 people after peaking in the 1900s with 1000 people due to the gold mining industry. Hedley offers many tourist attractions and lodging options such as campgrounds and hotels. The visitors also have the chance to tube on the Silmilkameen River, view wildlife in many of the surrounding provincial parks, and dive into the history of gold mining in the region.
The Hedley Museum is located on a beautiful treed site across the street from its new park where you will find picnic tables set amongst the mining artifacts. Inside is an extensive collection of historical photos showing snapshots of the gold mining community in the 1900s. You can tour through the Mascot Mine, a former gold mine site, perched high above the tiny Similkameen community.
The Hedley Mascot mine operated between 1936 and 1949 and was one of the most unusual mining operations in the world, being built entirely on the side of a mountain. Though it had a relatively short life, the Mascot Mine was very productive, supplying 1.5 million ounces of gold and in excess of four million pounds of copper over its entire operation. In the 1990s, the British Columbia government was going to burn the site down because its posed a serious safety risk, but the Minister of Tourism intervened and preserved this Provincial Heritage site. The building was rehabilitated over an eight year period and in 2004, the site was open for tours as the Mascot Gold mine.
This small town boasts a vibrant gold mining past and is not longer an endangerment to human life. Explore the mining projects and operations and learn about the railways built in 1909 like the V.V. & E. Railroad, which hauled gold out at the incredible rate of more than 50 000 ounces a year. Hedley’s history reaches further back than just its gold mining boom. People have lived in the Similkameen River valley for 7000 years. First nations people mined and traded ochre and chert. The site was made famous by the discovery of gold in 1897, and Hedley became one of the great names in Canadian gold mining history. The town is named after Robert R. Hedley, manager of the Hall Smelter in Nelson. Though Hedley has fallen from its 1900s 1000-person peak due to floods, rock falls, and fires which consumed parts of the town, much remains to be explored.
This small town provides a glimpse into Canada’s vibrant gold mining history and has something for all visitors. In the summer, Hedley is home to farmer’s markets and the Meadowlark Nature Festival, which has enjoyable activities led by prominent naturalists, educators, artists, experienced guides and scientists.
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