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Page 6 WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY September 1996 FEATURE PRESENTATION REPORT Britannia: The Story of a B.C. Mine Reported by: Anne Vernon Guest Speaker - Marilyn Mullan, Former Executive Director, Britannia Beach Historical Society Marilyn Mullan, originally a Bluenose geology graduate from Nova Scotia, was the speaker for June. Marilyn has been involved with mining for much of her life, eventually came to BC because of it, and has resided with her family in West Vancouver for over 26 years. Her interest in mining never waned and, among other things, she was a founding Vice President of the Greater Vancouver Women’s Mining Association. Through her involvement with them she became interested in the Britannia Beach Mine Museum and, as a result, has won many awards - one of the most recent being the 1991 Mining Industry Person of the Year Award. A long-time member of the West Vancouver Historical Society, Marilyn, executive director of the Britannia Museum for 10 years, told us that her presentation to us was her last duty before she retired to Hornby Island with her husband. Marilyn began by congratulating our members about the good work our Society has carried out in the important task of preserving much of West Vancouver’s history for future generations. A little further north of us, due to the determined efforts of many people who have been involved in preserving the history and artifacts of the Britaimia Beach Mine, the mine site containing the museum has been declared a National Historic Site by the federal government (the only mine in C!anada to be so honoured). In 1991, the provincial government named it as a B.C. Historic Landmark. An excellent video, Britannia: The Story of a B. C. Mine, was shown to us and we watched in fascination as the years passed before our eyes. In the beginning a few prospectors found ore traces on the rocky surfaces uphill from the present township. Most of them were unable to raise the necessary funding to exploit the discovery and claims frequently passed from hand to hand until 19(X) when American mining interests eventually took charge. With large coital investment things happened quickly and in short order the mine, roads, mine buildings and a small but vibrant township came into being. In fact there were two townships - one at the 2200 foot level on Mount Sheer (aptly named) - where many of the miners* families lived - and a second one on the beach - the small town you see today when driving the Sea to Sky Highway. Of course at the beginning neither road nor rail was in existence and all people and supplies arrived by boat. Britannia was essentially a copper mine and in its glory days it was the largest one in the British Empire. However copper depends upon world prices which frequently fluctuate and this, of course, had an effect upon the mine and its workers. There were also several natural disasters which took their toll, among them an avalanche which wiped out much of the top township, killing 50 and injuring 22 people, a fire which destroyed No. 2 Mill and a flood which engulfed the pretty Beach conununity leaving a tangled mess of mud, rock and smashed houses and gardens killing 37 people and leaving 15 seriously injured. But Britannia was above all a community where everyone rallied round with support for those most in need and families soon returned to normal. There was always much to do - hiking the back trails, swimming, fishing, hunting and the annual Copper Queen Day - May 24th of course. Two world wars and the depression took its toll but somehow the mine struggled on. When copper prices crashed they shipped out zinc and gold. The company changed hands again, en^g up being part of the giant Anaconda Company which wished to use the mine as a base for their Western Canadian exploration. Eventually (in November 1974) the mine closed for mining operations. During its 70 years it had employed over 60,000 people, most of whom brought their families with them, produced and smelted incredible amounts of ore and played a great part in the development of British Columbia. It saddens many to know that its working life is no more; however, as long as the museum exists and is visited and supported by you and me and our families Britannia Mine will never die. Marilyn concluded her presentation with a plea to the community at large to help the Museum in any way possible. All visitors, from near or far, are assured of an enthusiastic welcome, for mining research or just viewing the Museum. Their main concern is to solve the long standing environmental problems. She made a special request to former mine employees or friends or relations of former employees to register with the Museum. These contacts are being filed in a data base to assist mining researchers in their projects. On page 4 you may already have read Laureen Jones’ description of the Society’s visit to Britannia Mine on July 5. If you were unable to go on that day do make an effort to visit soon - you will find a vibrant and enthusiastic group and your tour down the mine will fascinate. Let us help Marilyn and all the Britannia volunteers make Britannia Beach as important to our community as it was in years gone by. For information about the BC Museum of Mining at Britannia Mines or to provide information for the research data. Phone (604) 688-8735 or (604) 896-2233. The Museum is open September through October 14, Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00am - 4:30pm. the postal address is BC Museum of Mining, PO Box 188, Britannia Beach, B.C. VON IJO