Hedley is an unincorporated community near the mouth of Hedley Creek in the
Similkameen region of southern
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. The former mining town, on
BC Highway 3, is by road about southwest of
Penticton
Penticton ( ) is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration
The ce ...
and southeast of
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...
.
First Nations
The Chuchuwayha Indian Reserve #2 of the
Upper Similkameen Indian Band The Upper Similkameen Indian Band or Upper Smelqmix, is a First Nations band government in the Canadian province of British Columbia, whose head offices are located in town of Hedley in the Similkameen Country. They are a member of the Okanagan ...
borders Hedley, largely to the northwest.
Peter O'Reilly laid out the boundaries in 1870, which were amended by re-adjustments in 1886. To the southeast, the Ashnola Reserve of the Sukwnaqinx extends almost to
Keremeos
Keremeos () is a village in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. The name originated from the Similkameen dialect of the Okanagan language word "Keremeyeus" meaning "creek which cuts its way through the flats" referring to Keremeos ...
. The Snaza'ist Discovery Centre houses the interpretive centre for the
Mascot mine tours and First Nations culture.
Etymology
The name of the town came from Hedley Camp, which was ascribed to the original tent settlement that the
prospector
Prospector may refer to:
Space exploration
* Prospector (spacecraft), a planned lunar probe, canceled in 1962
* '' Lunar Prospector'', a NASA spacecraft
Trains
* Prospector (train), a passenger train operated by the Denver & Rio Grande Western ...
s on
Nickel Plate Mountain used as a base, but more broadly applied to the local mining area. Robert R. Hedley, manager of the Hall Mines smelter at
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
, was the initial owner of the Rollo claim on the mountain.
Mining on Nickel Plate Mountain
Nickel Plate Mine operated 1900–1955,
Hedley Mascot Mine during 1936–1949, and a merged operation 1988–1996.
Early community
In 1900, the Hedley townsite was laid out.
That year, a wagon road to Penticton opened.
[ The next year, David G. Hackney opened a hotel, Wm. Hine & Co. established a general store,] and the Old Hedley Rd was extended to Princeton. In 1902, J.A. Schubert opened a branch general store, and W.E. Welby initiated the Penticton–Hedley–Princeton stage service. At this time, the population peaked at over 1,000.
F. M. Gillespie was the inaugural postmaster 1903–1918, operating from the Schubert store. In 1913, the post office moved to Love's Drug Store, and before the mid-1930s, to the present building. In 1905, the Bank of British North America
The Bank of British North America was founded by Royal Charter issued in 1836 in London, England with offices in Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Saint John, New Brunswick, Halifax and St. John's, Newfoundland. It was the first bank operating in ...
branch that opened was the first bank in the Similkameen Valley. The Hedley Gazette was published 1905–1917. Each destroyed by fire, the early hotels were the Hedley 1901–1956, Grand Union 1902–1920, Commercial 1903–1956, Similkameen 1904–1916, New Zealand 1905–1911, and Great Northern 1905–1957. In January 1957, fire consumed a whole block, razing much of the business district. Coupled with the three hotel fires occurring within months, the context reflected a declining population, which had peaked at 816 in 1943, but plummeted after the railway withdrawal in 1954, and the end of mining in 1955.
Railway
The Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway
The Vancouver, Victoria and Eastern Railway (VV&E) was a railway line proposed to connect Metro Vancouver with the Kootenays, in Canada. After acquisition by the Great Northern Railway (GN), most of the route was built, but a through service, ...
(VV&E) Keremeos–Hedley–Princeton service opened in 1909, providing access to the Great Northern Railway (GN) network.
Hedley station was west of Bradshaw, and east of Corey.
In May 1915, Canadian Pacific Railway inaugurated service on the Kettle Valley Railway
The Kettle Valley Railway was a subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) that operated across southern British Columbia, west of Midway running to Rock Creek, then north to Myra Canyon, down to Penticton over to Princeton, Coalmont, Br ...
from the coast to the Kootenays
The Kootenays or Kootenay ( ) is a region of southeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people.
Boundaries
The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay ...
, with a connection to the GN at Princeton.
Princeton–Hedley was abandoned in 1937, but had been unused since a bridge washout in 1934. Hedley–Kermeos closed in 1954.
Later community
The Hedley Heritage Museum and Tea Room contains artifacts and photographs of the mining era. Some heritage houses are scattered throughout the town. The former Grace Methodist (1903) is the oldest building, having housed the first school in that year. In 2018, fire destroyed the Hitching Post Restaurant (1904). The Hedley Country Market (Motherlode Store) (1905) still operates. The post office hours are six days a week. The population has stabilized, being 252 in 2011, and 242 in 2016.
Filming location
Movies
1987: ''Malone'', starring Burt Reynolds
2001: Part of ''The Pledge'', starring Jack Nicholson and directed by Sean Penn
Television
2008: mini-series "The Andromeda Strain".
Featured on the historical television series Gold Trails and Ghost Towns
''Gold Trails and Ghost Towns'' is a Canadian historical documentary show, created and produced by television station CHBC-TV in Kelowna, British Columbia for Canadian syndication and hosted by Mike Roberts with historian/storyteller Bill Barle ...
Season 3, Episode 10.
Climate
References
{{Authority control
Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia
Populated places in the Similkameen
Mining communities in British Columbia
Designated places in British Columbia