Gold Bridge, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Gold Bridge is an unincorporated community in the Bridge River Country
of British Columbia
, Canada
. Although numbering only around 250 inhabitants, Gold Bridge is the service and supply centre for the upper basin of the Bridge River Valley, which includes recreation-residential areas at the Gun Lakes, Tyaughton Lake
, Marshall Creek and the nearby ghost town
s of Brexton, Bralorne
, and Pioneer Mine.
Located at the confluence
of the Bridge River
with its south fork, the Hurley River
, Gold Bridge began as a freewheeling merchandising and services centre supplementary to the company-run gold mining towns, and in its heyday had a large commercial roster ranging from insurance and stockbrokers through to bootlegger
s and "sporting houses".
Gold Bridge can be accessed via Highway 40 from Lillooet
, or via an upgraded backroad from Pemberton
and Whistler
known as the Hurley Main, which uses a pass at the head of the Hurley River to access the valley of the upper Lillooet River
north of Pemberton.
y winters (up to 3 feet) and fairly hot, dry summers in an almost semi-arid subalpine
Pine Forest environment. Its 2000'+ altitude is compensated by open exposure in the broad basin of the upper Bridge River.
(but not currently). Both Gun Lakes are renowned for fishing, as are Tyaughton (Tyax) and Marshall Lakes and the famous Spruce Lake, which is one of the most accessible and some say the most beautiful part of the controversial Southern Chilcotin provincial park, which lies immediately north of Gold Bridge beyond Gun Creek, north of Gun Lake. The Downton Lake and Carpenter Lake reservoirs are not suitable for general recreation, other than campsites and power boating, and they have been stocked, but the best in all areas is at the many smaller lakes in the Bridge River basin - Gold Bridge being no more than 40 minutes to or from anywhere within the Bridge River basin, from Marshall Lake on up. Hunting is fairly active in certain areas at different times of the year, so hikers and other unarmed recreationists should consult game, recreation or forestry offices in Pemberton or Lillooet, or come equipped with a hunting guide for reference.
The biggest tourism attraction near Gold Bridge, other than the area's diverse scenery and many alpine-setting lakes, is the vintage 1930s gold mining ghost town of Bralorne-Pioneer Mine, about 10 miles south-southeast up Cadwallader Creek, beyond the short 10-mile canyon of the Hurley River. At one time not only the largest town in the regional district and one of the few places in British Columbia to prosper during the Great Depression
of the 1930s, Bralorne was also the richest gold mine in Canada's history, and had the third-deepest shaft in the world. Often proposed for a ski area, proposals to develop Bralorne have always failed for the government's ongoing refusal to pave the Hurley Main route from Gold Bridge to Pemberton, currently a backroad, to open up Gold Bridge, Bralorne and the Bridge River lakes and its new provincial park to the Coast via Whistler, British Columbia
and Greater Vancouver
.
Hiking
, mountain biking
, 4x4'ing and backcountry exploration and camping of all kinds are excellent throughout the region surrounding Gold Bridge. The Southern Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park has been famous for its unusual semiarid alpine scenery and rich wildlife for over a hundred years, while the Bendor Range, which Gold Bridge is at the foot of, is a favourite with alpinists and outdoor expiditionists. A trail connects via a tributary of Cadwallader Creek to McGillivray Pass, which connects into the deep valley of Anderson Lake near D'Arcy, but this route like the Hurley has never been developed though proposed both for a highway and a cog railway connecting to the PGE line at the foot of the pass. The cluster of ranges between that pass and Pemberton, 40 miles southwest, is also easily accessible from Gold Bridge and popular with hikers, although access from the Gold Bridge side is not yet promoted.
Gold Bridge school has an attendance(2007-2008) of 13, and is the only school in the Bridge River Valley.
Bridge River Country
The Bridge River Country is a historic geographic region and mining district in the Interior of British Columbia, Canada, lying between the Fraser Canyon and the valley of the Lillooet River, south of the Chilcotin Plateau and north of the Lillooet Ranges...
of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Although numbering only around 250 inhabitants, Gold Bridge is the service and supply centre for the upper basin of the Bridge River Valley, which includes recreation-residential areas at the Gun Lakes, Tyaughton Lake
Tyaughton Creek
Tyaughton Creek, formerly gazetted as the Tyaughton River, also historically known as Tyoax Creek, is a 50 kilometre tributary of British Columbia's Bridge River, flowing generally southeast to enter the main flow of that river about mid-way along the length of Carpenter Lake, a reservoir formed by...
, Marshall Creek and the nearby ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
s of Brexton, Bralorne
Bralorne, British Columbia
Bralorne is an historic underground gold mining community in the Bridge River District, some sixty dirt road miles west of the town of Lillooet.-Background:...
, and Pioneer Mine.
Located at the confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
of the Bridge River
Bridge River
The Bridge River is, or was, a major tributary of British Columbia's Fraser River, entering that stream about six miles upstream from the town of Lillooet.-Name:Its name in the Lillooet language is Xwisten , sometimes spelled Nxwisten or Nxo-isten)...
with its south fork, the Hurley River
Hurley River
The Hurley River is a major tributary of the Bridge River of west-central British Columbia that was earlier known as the South Fork of that larger river. It was for a while known as "Hamilton's River" after Danny Hamilton, an American who was among the first to settle in the goldfields region of...
, Gold Bridge began as a freewheeling merchandising and services centre supplementary to the company-run gold mining towns, and in its heyday had a large commercial roster ranging from insurance and stockbrokers through to bootlegger
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
s and "sporting houses".
Gold Bridge can be accessed via Highway 40 from Lillooet
Lillooet, British Columbia
Lillooet is a community on the Fraser River in western Canada, about up the British Columbia Railway line from Vancouver. Situated at an intersection of deep gorges in the lee of the Coast Mountains, it has a dry climate- of precipitation is recorded annually at the town's weather station,...
, or via an upgraded backroad from Pemberton
Pemberton, British Columbia
Pemberton is a village north of Whistler in the Pemberton Valley of British Columbia in Canada, with a population of 2,192. Until the 1960s the village could be accessed only by train but that changed when Highway 99 was built through Whistler and Pemberton.-Climate:The climate of Pemberton is...
and Whistler
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
known as the Hurley Main, which uses a pass at the head of the Hurley River to access the valley of the upper Lillooet River
Lillooet River
The Lillooet River is a major river of the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. It begins at Silt Lake, on the southern edge of the Lillooet Crown Icecap about 80 kilometres northwest of Pemberton and about 85 kilometres northwest of Whistler...
north of Pemberton.
Climate and terrain
Gold Bridge enjoys relatively dry, sunny, and snowSnow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
y winters (up to 3 feet) and fairly hot, dry summers in an almost semi-arid subalpine
Subalpine
The subalpine zone is the biotic zone immediately below tree line around the world. Species that occur in this zone depend on the location of the zone on the Earth, for example, Snow Gum in Australia, or Subalpine Larch, Mountain Hemlock and Subalpine Fir in western North America.Trees in the...
Pine Forest environment. Its 2000'+ altitude is compensated by open exposure in the broad basin of the upper Bridge River.
Tourism and recreation
Nearby Big Gun Lake, three kilometers away, has been a recreation retreat since the glory days of the Bridge River mines in the 1930s. Nearby Little Gun Lake is home the a private lodge of the same name, built by promoters of the Bralorne Mine to house dignitaries visiting the valley, which at times has operated as a boutique hotelBoutique hotel
Boutique hotel is a term popularized in North America and the United Kingdom to describe intimate, usually luxurious or unique hotel environments. Boutique hotels differentiate themselves from larger chain/branded hotels and motels by providing personalized accommodation and services / facilities...
(but not currently). Both Gun Lakes are renowned for fishing, as are Tyaughton (Tyax) and Marshall Lakes and the famous Spruce Lake, which is one of the most accessible and some say the most beautiful part of the controversial Southern Chilcotin provincial park, which lies immediately north of Gold Bridge beyond Gun Creek, north of Gun Lake. The Downton Lake and Carpenter Lake reservoirs are not suitable for general recreation, other than campsites and power boating, and they have been stocked, but the best in all areas is at the many smaller lakes in the Bridge River basin - Gold Bridge being no more than 40 minutes to or from anywhere within the Bridge River basin, from Marshall Lake on up. Hunting is fairly active in certain areas at different times of the year, so hikers and other unarmed recreationists should consult game, recreation or forestry offices in Pemberton or Lillooet, or come equipped with a hunting guide for reference.
The biggest tourism attraction near Gold Bridge, other than the area's diverse scenery and many alpine-setting lakes, is the vintage 1930s gold mining ghost town of Bralorne-Pioneer Mine, about 10 miles south-southeast up Cadwallader Creek, beyond the short 10-mile canyon of the Hurley River. At one time not only the largest town in the regional district and one of the few places in British Columbia to prosper during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
of the 1930s, Bralorne was also the richest gold mine in Canada's history, and had the third-deepest shaft in the world. Often proposed for a ski area, proposals to develop Bralorne have always failed for the government's ongoing refusal to pave the Hurley Main route from Gold Bridge to Pemberton, currently a backroad, to open up Gold Bridge, Bralorne and the Bridge River lakes and its new provincial park to the Coast via Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
and Greater Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
.
Hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
, 4x4'ing and backcountry exploration and camping of all kinds are excellent throughout the region surrounding Gold Bridge. The Southern Chilcotin Mountains Provincial Park has been famous for its unusual semiarid alpine scenery and rich wildlife for over a hundred years, while the Bendor Range, which Gold Bridge is at the foot of, is a favourite with alpinists and outdoor expiditionists. A trail connects via a tributary of Cadwallader Creek to McGillivray Pass, which connects into the deep valley of Anderson Lake near D'Arcy, but this route like the Hurley has never been developed though proposed both for a highway and a cog railway connecting to the PGE line at the foot of the pass. The cluster of ranges between that pass and Pemberton, 40 miles southwest, is also easily accessible from Gold Bridge and popular with hikers, although access from the Gold Bridge side is not yet promoted.
Gold Bridge school has an attendance(2007-2008) of 13, and is the only school in the Bridge River Valley.
