The History of
Cherryville and Cherry Creek
Not many people
know that Cherryville existed up four miles on
Cherry Creek, located in a narrow draw in the
valley. In 1863 Mr. W.C. Young then stationed in
Osoyoos, was instructed by Governor Douglas to
visit Okanagan Gold strikes. Two miles from the
mouth of Cherry Creek, he found a building and as
yet unnamed settlement, consisting of two houses
and another being built. A mile further along the
creek was a cabin and the discovery claim of
partners, Pion and Louis. They reportedly earned
$93.00 in four days with a rocker.
Between 1863 and
1895 the original town, of what we know as
Cherryville, was merely a small mining camp,
located deel within the canyon walls of Cherry
Creek. It boasted a population of nearly 100
people, half of which were Chinese miners. Every
possible method of extraction was tried to get the
gold and silver from the area.
From 1863 to 1930
mining in this area had its ups and downs. Numerous
companies operated in the area. It had been
calculated that over $125,000.00 worth of gold was
extracted from Cherry Creek. Those figures were
calculated when gold was selling at $7.50 an ounce.
By today's prices, the same amount of gold would
bring in over $7,250,000.00. Most of the gold was
less than 720 fine but nuggets of 1/2 or 1 ounce
were quite common.
With more and more
miners heading into Cherry Creek area, a road was
built from Lumby in 1877. According to the BC
Department of Public Works and under supervision of
C.A. Vernon, the route came through Blue Springs
Valley. It was about eight feet wide. With a road
to the area, families began to arrive. Like all
communities in the 1800's, they were known by the
Post Office name. The first known post office in
the area, was listed as the Cherry Creek Post
Office. It ran from Nov. 1, 1895 to Nov. 1, 1899.
It was followed by the Jackman Post Office,
1900-05. The Jackman Post Office changed to the
Hilton Post Office on May 12, 1905. Hilton remained
the name of the Cherryville for many years and is
still used to this day, to identify an area of
Cherryville. The community of Cherryville was
christened when Olava Hanson became post master.
She submitted three names into Ottawa, one being
Cherry Creek, another Cherryville, and the third
one, no one can recall. Ottawa chose Cherryville.
It was always felt that Cherry Creek and
Cherryville were named after the wild Choke
Cherries that grew abundantly, along the banks of
the creek; as there were no cherry trees in the
area.
In the 1900's, the
town site of Hilton, at Richlands Estates, was
located on what is now the corner of Creighton
Valley Rd. and Holmes Rd. It was originally sold to
wealthy Englishmen, as an area with a mild climate
suitable for orchards. The settlement quickly grew
with moneys coming from England. It had a post
office, hotel, livery stable barber shop, grocery
store, hardware store, butcher shop and a
blacksmith shop. While the area was beautiful it
was not the same as the South Okanagan and quick
fortunes failed to materialize. The community
dwindled, when the first world war began and the
money stopped coming from England. Some of the
people remained in the area, finding other ways of
making a living. The original Richlands
Schoolhouse, now used by the Seventh Day Adventist
Church is the only building left at the Hilton
site. There are still two of the old homes
remaining; one at the Burnyeat Ranch, and the other
at Neil place. Neither are habitable.
The Hilton School,
was built in 1907 and kept its name until 1948,
when the new school was built beside it and renamed
Cherryville School.
The area grew.
Ranches sprang up. A mill was built in 1948, on
Sugar Lake Road (Ferguson Mill). Logging remains a
major industry in the community. As of 1998,
Cherryville remains unincorporated and has a
population of 1,000 people. It has two general
stores, both carrying gas and propane. It also has
a Golf Course (River Ridge), three restaurants, a
library, a quilt shop, a campground, and two
churches. It also boasts of some of the most
beautiful scenery in BC.
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