By: Amelia Robertson
Boo! There are ghost towns all over the world, but there are many ghost towns in BC. They are abandoned because there were not enough natural resources and not enough food or water. Some ghost towns include Barkerville, Anyox, and Britannia Mine; the places I will mostly be talking about are Britannia Mine and Anyox.
Britannia
After Britannia closed in 1974, the community of Britannia Beach faced the prospect of becoming a ghost town due to the end of the company’s operations. However, Britannia has been turned into a mining museum. The Britannia mine was established to preserve the history of the Britannia Copper Mine, which started from 1904, becoming the largest copper mine in British Columbia and an important producer of other minerals. After its closure, the site faced environmental challenges like acid mine drainage. It is now home to the Britannia Mine Museum, which was established in 1975 to preserve the history of the mine and the community that supported it. The museum’s historic Mill No. 3 is a National Historic Site. Britannia mine has so many fun attractions, including a guided underground mine tour on a train, the multi-sensory “BOOM!” exhibit in Mill No. 3, and the Gold Panning Pavilion where visitors can keep the gemstones they find. Other attractions include interactive museum exhibits, historical buildings, a kids’ play area, and various indoor and outdoor displays. Here are some things about the town of Britannia. Britannia was really high up the mountain so travel from the Britannia Beach mining site up to the townsite of Mount Sheer was a steep, thirty-minute journey, predominantly via a specialized incline railway known as “The Skip”. The Skip (Incline Railway): For most of the mine’s early life, this was the primary, daily transport method. It was a narrow-gauge railway that travelled at a 30-degree angle up the mountain, often taking 30 minutes to ascend.The 347 Steps: For pedestrians, a staircase of 347 steps ran alongside the incline railway to the upper townsite.
Britannia is 51.8 km and approximately a 45 minute drive from Vancouver depending on traffic. At VTT, the fifth graders go to Britannia Mine in November. It was so amazing. In conclusion for Britannia Mine, it is so educational but also tons of fun. I love Britannia mine so much and you should really go there. Here are some things about the town of Britannia.
Anyox
Anyox, BC. It is 145 km north of Prince Rupert near Alice Arm. Because Anyox is a remote, abandoned mining site in Northwestern British Columbia, and is only accessible by boat, helicopter, or floatplane. Anyox was a thriving, self-sufficient, company-owned copper mining town located in remote Northwestern BC on Observatory Inlet, booming from 1914 until it was abandoned in 1935 because of the Great Depression. It was unsafe because the dam was breaking after the town was abandoned and the town was hit by a devastating fire. The mine was founded by Granby Consolidated Mining, Smelting and Power Co. ItCo. It produced massive amounts of copper, gold, and silver before failing. Anyox was once proud to have a population of 3,000, with advanced infrastructure including a hydroelectric dam, schools, and a hospital. Following a 1935 closure due to the Depression, a devastating fire in 1943, and abandonment, it now features ruins, rusted machinery, and a historic cemetery. In conclusion Anyox is a beautiful place to visit with so many awesome things to do.
