History

From the 1930s to the 2020s

How the land was acquired (as told by Ted Carpenter)

Harry Parks had seen the location on his trips from Prince George to Vancouver from 1927 to 1930. He often stopped at the Silver Creek Rock Bluff near the present highway bridge.

Enquiry at the land office revealed that timber companies held all the land except ‘a small portion.’ This proved to be about 3 acres which we bought from the BC Government. This is where we built the log lodge [on the west side of Silver Creek].

We gradually acquired 90 acres. Some was purchased after being logged, and some we bought from neighbours. At one point we were offered the entire Silver Creek Basin, 1000 acres for $1000, after it was logged. I wish I had a second chance at that decision.

Building the log cabins (as told by Ted Carpenter)

We arrived at the site in February 1933 and pitched a tent on a foot of trampled down snow. A lumber truck from Valley Lumber in New Westminster unloaded 6000 feet of cedar 1x12 lumber, nails, windows, roofing paper, and some finishing lumber—total price was $105.

Craig’s sawmill operated in 1934 and 1935. They were sawing only railroad ties so we hauled a ton of wood every night, as well as large quantities of boards, planks, and slabs which were just what we needed to build a rustic log cabin campground.

Exterior and interior of the Lodge—Silver Creek Log Cabin Camp.

We built the lodge in 1933 followed by ‘Hemlock’ and ‘Pine’ in 1934. A 30-foot diameter water wheel was put up in 1934. It was built for a tourist attraction as well as pumping our water and making electricity.

The water wheel pumped water and provided electricity.

The start of Silver Creek Log Cabin Camp

Harry Parks and Joe St. Pierre formed a partnership in the 1930s. Harry had dreams of building a lodge and log cabins that could be rented to tourists, guests, or anyone traveling the Cariboo Highway. Joe was a woodsman, carver, and artist, and was looking for a full-time job with room and board. Harry and Joe, along with Ted Carpenter and his sister Dorothy, started erecting the first cabins on the west side of Silver Creek in 1933. They built 4 cabins, and the large one was referred to as the lodge (pictured above).

A suspension bridge was built across the creek in 1935. The total number of cabins built around that time was 21 on both the west and east sides of the creek. Visitors to the cabins would check in at the lodge and go across the suspension bridge to the cabins on the east side of the creek.

The bridge was taken down in 1945 when the property on the west side of the creek was sold to L.E. Williams. Over the years, the cabins on the west side of Silver Creek have sadly met their demise and are no longer there. Ted Carpenter and his mother Helen sold their remaining property to Roy Foster in 1953.

Silver Creek Log Cabins

From 1953 to 1974, Roy rented out the cabins to guests and ran it like a motel. A new lodge was built on the Cariboo Highway (now Flood Hope Road), and you may recall seeing the water-wheel-driven sculpture out front with two men sawing a log.

The 18-acre holiday camp consisted of 13 log cabins (each named after a native tree, shrub, or flower) plus the new lodge where the Creekside subdivision is now. The cabins were rented to vacationers, and many families have great memories of staying there. Each cabin had a hand pump for running water, but otherwise the camp then looked much like it does today.

Salal cabin then and now.

The beginning of Silver Creek Holdings Ltd.

As Roy approached retirement, he decided to sell the property. He approached some of his long-time guests to see if they would be interested in purchasing a share of the company called Silver Creek Holdings Ltd. (SCH). The company was formed in 1974.

Roy wanted to preserve the camp the way it was, rather than create a subdivision with paved roads and street lights. So he transferred the 18-acre parcel with the holiday camp (Lot 3) to SCH. All the cabins were sold, with each cabin owner issued a share in SCH.

There are 8 original cabins still on the property and 4 cabins that were built in the 1970s and '80s. Very few of these cabins have since been sold by the original shareholders. Most have remained in the same family for two generations already.

A warm and inviting community

SCH now includes 12 cabins, each being enjoyed by the cabin owner together with their families and friends. As a community, we maintain the natural surroundings, make decisions about the property, get together annually for the AGM/potluck and a forest cleanup, and we celebrate milestones—2024 is SCH’s 50th anniversary!

Deciding to develop

When the property on the north boundary (Lot 1, now Creekside subdivision) was purchased by a developer, SCH became concerned about the possibility of further development along the east boundary as well (Lot 2). As a result, the shareholders voted to purchase Lot 2 and did so in 2014.

Lot 3 had originally been zoned under Holiday Campground, and later the zoning was changed to Limited Use. Neither of these zonings allowed for any new cabins to be built, any existing cabins to be replaced in the event of loss or damage, and no more than one permanent resident at a time (a ‘camp caretaker’).

Because the property is so unique, SCH worked closely with the District of Hope to create Comprehensive Development Zoning. Lots 2 and 3 were combined into one new lot (Parcel A). The new CD-8 zoning allows for building a limited number of new cabins, the repair and restoration of old cabins and, perhaps most importantly, it ensures the rustic nature of the land will remain intact for future generations.

Salmon spawning channel

Collum Creek is a salmon spawning channel that runs north-south through the property. It was previously a ‘dry channel,’ meaning that it was only fed by groundwater and the freshet in spring. There were many times during the year when the channel was completely dry.

One of SCH’s original shareholders, Bob Collum, contacted the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to see if anything could be done to get the water flowing year round for the salmon. A DFO officer came to inspect the channel and, on that particular day, the creek bed was dry except for some remaining puddles that happened to contain a lot of fish fry. That’s how SCH’s partnership with DFO started.

Work on the spawning channel began in 2001, but DFO had to wait until 2002 to start the water flowing in the channel because by September 2001 salmon were already coming up the creek to spawn.

Together we’ve created and continue to maintain a beautiful habitat that sees thousands of salmon returning to spawn every fall.

And now here we are…

In 2024 we’re celebrating SCH’s 50th anniversary, and we’re hoping to build our community by adding a few more cabin owners to our group. We’ve been working toward this for years, and now the time is right. Will you join us?