The Princeton region is rich in heritage that extends into the ancient traditions of the local Aboriginal people and includes a host of colourful characters – prospectors, pioneers, railway builders and even a notorious bank robber.
Some historic sites to check out include the Princeton Museum (which houses the Joe Pollard rock collection), the Kettle Valley Railway, Ochre Bluffs, the Snaza'ist Discovery Centre and Mascot Gold Mine in Hedley, and the Joe Pollard rock collection. There are also opportunities for gold panning or rock hounding.
Princeton boasts one of the best small town museums anywhere. Discover First Nations heritage and learn about fur traders and intrepid pioneers like Susan Allison. Follow the mining history of boom, bust and ghost towns throughout the region, and see a 1900s stagecoach and a 1934 fire engine.
The museum is open from April through October and by appointment year round. The Princeton Visitor Centre, 105 Hwy 3 East, stocks brochures and staff can provide information on heritage sites including the town's historic walk.
Joe Pollard Rock Collection
The Princeton Museum boasts a highlight found nowhere else: the renowned Joe Pollard rock collection. Ask museum staff to dim the lights to showcase the brilliant fluorescent colours of the mineral collection and don't miss the outstanding relics of plants and insects preserved in remarkable fossils.
Kettle Valley Railway
The Great Northern Railway reached Princeton in 1909 followed by the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) in 1915. Explore this railway history via the Trans Canada Trail, which runs through the region on the old KVR railbed. Hike or mountain bike across trestles and through tunnels that showcase the engineering skill it took to build a railway through the mountains.
Ochre Bluffs
The Similkameen people harvested ochre pigment from local red striped mountainsides and traded it as far south as Navajo territory and as far east as the lands of the Blackfoot on the Prairies. Locally, they used it to make the paint for artful pictographs (rock paintings), still visible in many places around the region.
Hike or mountain bike to the Ochre Bluff cliffs that stand right beside the Trans Canada Trail just west of Princeton.
Snaza'ist Discovery Centre
At Hedley , 33.7km/21mi east of Princeton, there are even larger deposits of ochre. The Similkameen people called the area Snaza'ist (sna-za-ee-st), which translates as "striped rock place."
The Upper Similkameen Indian Band operates the Snaza'ist Discovery Centre in the former Hedley schoolhouse (1939 to 2004). Exhibits explain the death-defying mining practices required to extract precious ochre from the cliff faces along with chert for arrowheads and products like opals, quartz crystals and even gold for trade and personal use.
The video From Ochre to Gold chronicles the area's history through the transition to early 20th century mining town.
Mascot Gold Mine
The Snaza'ist Centre serves as home base for a unique heritage experience. From mid-May to mid-October, guided tours depart from the centre via bus, climb up through the mountains to 1,620m/5,400ft elevation and drop people at the Mascot Gold Mine staging area. From here, descend 598 steps down the cliff face on a timber switchback catwalk to the mine buildings. Don hard hats with headlamps and enter the gold mine.
Gold Panning
Follow in the steps of 19th century prospectors and pan the rivers and creeks for gold and platinum that still washes down from the mountains every spring. To avoid jumping anybody's claim, stop by the Visitor Centre at 105 Hwy 3 East for directions and to borrow equipment.
Rock Hounding
Check out the Tulameen River for porphyry, seam agate, jasper, opalite shales and petrified wood. Coalmont is known for finds of amber and the old Blakeburn ghost town yields honey onyx. Near Whipshaw Creek look for selenite crystals as well as leaf and insect fossils. Fossils are protected under the BC Heritage Conservation Act; contact the Princeton Government Agent's office for information.
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