20th-century history Shalalth

1 20th-century history

1.1 bridge river townsite (south shalalth)
1.2 japanese internment
1.3 post-war bridge river townsite
1.4 building of mission mountain road
1.5 ohin
1.6 along lake lillooet

20th-century history

shalalth during late 1940s. buildings on farther point train station , offices , warehouses of various shipping companies, few small hostelries , private cabins

survey , construction of pacific great eastern railway along lakes, completed 1915, promulgated shalalth port bridge river goldfields beyond pass, , variety of cartage services , hostelries sprung @ base of road, around point mission , core village-area of shalalth.

seton house @ shalalth, 1946

the traffic of professionals visiting mines included geoffrey downton, hydroelectric engineer first notice hydroelectric potential resulting 1600 difference in elevation between bridge river , seton lake, narrowly separated mission ridge.

bridge river townsite (south shalalth)

bridge river townsite @ south shalalth during powerhouse no. 1 construction, c. 1947

development of electrical potential in full swing mid-1920s, model village erected around west side of bay shalalth located, , 1 of tunnels piercing mountainside above completed, construction came halt onset of great depression , collapse of finances backing project, , work ground halt in 1929. townsite remained largely empty during 1930s, although steady traffic mines in bridge river country on mountain kept hotels busy.

japanese internment

when world war ii came, semi-abandoned village built hydro project @ rail stop of south shalalth, had gone dormant @ start of great depression , colloquially known bridge river, chosen 1 of several relocation centres japanese-canadians coast in lillooet area. 1 of relocatees @ shalalth dr. masajiro miyazaki, us-trained osteopathic physician stayed on after war , became 1 of lillooet s 2 companions of order of canada.

post-war bridge river townsite

bridge river townsite @ south shalalth - closeup of hotel , residential area, 1940s

after war, construction of hydroelectric project resumed vengeance, , along new boom in traffic mines came surge in equipment finish power project. next twenty or twenty-five years, shalalth became main transportation hub surrounding region, 24-hour heavy traffic on pass, either , mines or new, expanded damsite on pass @ head of bridge river canyon. in addition lakeside hostelries such seton house , shalalth lodge @ shalalth itself, large hotel built above hydro townsite s railway station, adjacent managers houses , semicircle of barracks built workmen (which had been used japanese relocation, had empty houses in townsite itself). hotel s guests included not project-related visitors businessmen , investors en route on mission mountain visit bridge river mines. hotel sadly burned down around 1949.

during 1950s, population of bridge river townsite on seton lake , seton portage area mushroomed thousands, single men typical of construction booms enough families boost schools population hundreds. other hydro townsites located @ terzaghi dam in bridge river canyon, @ lajoie, below site of lajoie dam 35 miles upriver, , caused building boom in lillooet, filling in formerly empty land between old main street , train station.

building of mission mountain road

a medical crisis in bralorne, important of bridge river gold towns, @ far upper end of valley, prompted community efforts build road via bridge river canyon directly lillooet, after hydro project finished had effect of reducing importance of mission mountain road , therefore of shalalth, once hydro project completed in 1962.

ohin

in recent history, seton lake indian band built new residential subdivision named ohin, further east traditional shalalth rancherie area (beginning @ base of mission mountain road few coves east). name ohin, pronounced oo(kh)win means frostbite , reminder of bitter cold of seton valley in winter. beyond ohin roads peter out towards lillooet, , travel foot of lake possible rail or water (although fragments of old cliffside catwalks of lillooet cattle trail remain in places). there private recreational property before first point, , 2 isolated reserves on debris fans farther along lake, of accessible water or rail.

along lake lillooet

the distance end of roads in shalalth , ohin roads out of lillooet 10 miles along lake, cliffside of lake severe allow road construction because of railway - built on trestles. locals walk line, disapproval of railway company. sections of old lillooet trail catwalks still exist on cliffs above rail line not safe use. mountain goats , sheep remain common on slopes of mission ridge above shalalth, , particularly along bluffs around retaskit , @ seton beach, @ lillooet end of lake.

seton lake mission mountain, c. 1950 shalalth , ohin on points @ left. looking west towards mount brew , lillooet

because of obstacle posed lakeshore, mission mountain road remains valley s official road contact outside world, although high line road d arcy/n quatqua serviceable vehicles (but not recognized official roadway insurance purposes). water taxi service available on seton lake, has no formal schedule or licensed service. pleasure craft on lake lillooet end.