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Golden Country: Past, Present, and Beyond: Ghosts of Walhachin part two

Would-be settlers to the new settlement were encouraged to bring strong boots and woollen underwear to their new homes.
79860ashcroftWalhachinHotel1910
The hotel at Walhachin in 1910

Part two of a series looking at the history of Walhachin.

In 1908 a company called The British Columbia Horticultural Estates Limited (BCHEL) was formed, to deal with agricultural development at Walhachin. In order to achieve this, settlers had to be attracted to the area, and in 1909 the BCHEL produced an advertising pamphlet designed to attract people to the area. Entitled “Walhachin British Columbia: In the Heart of the Dry Belt—For Commercial Fruit Growing”, it had the object of “giving such information as is necessary for the prospective fruit grower who contemplates settling at Walhachin.”

The pamphlet states that “Walhachin (formerly Pennys) is situated almost in the centre of the famous dry belt of British Columbia at an altitude of 1,300 feet above sea level, 219 miles east of Vancouver and 35 miles west of Kamloops. The nearest town of importance is Ashcroft, 16 miles west by rail. Its climate for fruit culture is ideal, and to quote the words of the Ex-Deputy Minister of Agriculture, ‘The location is one of the finest in the province for commercial fruit growing purposes’.

“The Canadian Pacific Railway main line runs through the estate, with a station at Walhachin, in addition to which the Canadian Northern main line will also pass through the property and have a station on the estate. It is impossible to over-estimate the importance of these railway facilities which renders Walhachin unique among fruit growing properties in the dry belt.”

The pamphlet manages (just about) to gloss over the dryness of the area by turning it into a virtue: “Walhachin, lying as it does between the Coast and Selkirk Ranges of mountains, escapes the excessive rainfalls of spring and summer peculiar to the wet belt, the actual precipitation being 5 to 6 inches… . The winter cold and the hottest days of summer are made pleasant from the fact that the air is so intensely dry.

“The coldest days of winter are always accompanied by brilliant sun, and the hottest days in summer are always followed by cool nights. Fog and damp are unknown, and no greater recommendation may be given here beyond mentioning the fact that the provincial government thought so highly of Walhachin that it was their original intention to erect there their sanatorium for consumptives. In consequence of The British Columbia Horticultural Estates Limited having already acquired the property, the sanatorium was subsequently erected at Tranquille, 16 miles further east.”

The soil in the area is described as being “generally free from stone and rubble patches” (which must have been news to the Nlaka’pamux people), although it was noted that the town site itself was “well off for stone boulders: they are a valuable building asset for house foundations. No artificial manure of any description is necessary, water only being needed to render the land abnormally productive. The best varieties of apples, pears, plums, cherries, small fruits, and all garden and farm crops which flourish in the temperate zone can be grown to perfection.”

One would think that warning bells might have been sounded by the statement in the pamphlet that “the water for the northern portion of the estate is conveyed from a reservoir through a canal 10.5 miles in length,” which is a very long way, and quite a system to maintain. On the plus side, the pamphlet extolled the services available. Walhachin boasted a hotel with “the usual public rooms, providing accommodation for visitors and settlers who wish to remain in the district while their homes are being erected. The grounds are being laid out with lawns, and shade trees planted. The company have gone to considerable trouble and expense to make this establishment as comfortable and commodious as possible, and visitors will find it equal to, or better than, any hotel in the upper country of British Columbia.” It was also noted that a company store and a post office were located in the townsite.

There were grand plans for the future, as well. A packing house was to be established in a “centrally located position”, and a golf course and tennis courts were being planned. There were also plans for a futuristic-sounding monorail system throughout the estate, which would connect the various plots with the packing house, warehouses, and railway stations. This would ensure to the settlers in all parts of the estate “rapid and cheap transportation of their produce to the shipping point on the railways.” Opportunities for hunting and fishing were detailed; it was noted that “trout abound in the Thompson River, running from four to 20 pounds in weight.” Houses, containing four rooms and a bath, could be erected by or for settlers at a cost of $1,100, with the price including plumbing and painting. Larger houses could also be erected by arrangement, at an additional cost of $125 per extra room.

Planted land was offered at a cost of $350 per acre (according to the location, and the age of the trees), while unplanted land was $300 per acre. A helpful table of fares stated what would-be settlers would expect to pay to get from the U.K. to Walhachin. Steamship rates from Liverpool to Montreal ranged from £18 (first class) to £5 (third class), and rail fare from Montreal to Walhachin ranged from £16 (first class) to £7 (third class). Settlers’ effects, it was noted, were admitted to Canada duty free, so “settlers may therefore find it cheaper to take their own furniture than to purchase it in Canada.”

The pamphlet also gave advice about clothing. “Settlers from England are recommended to take out all the clothes possible, both new and old, especially strong tweeds and serges of a good quality, as the price for this class of goods is much higher in Canada. Strong boots and woollen underwear are also recommended.”

How well did this advertising succeed? Find out in the next installment.