Single Tracks: Lights, Camera, Action, and more fun facts

Single Tracks

Squamish is a unique place, and locals are proud of that fact. Here are some “single tracks” or interesting facts that make Squamish special.

Lights, Camera Action!

Squamish has long been a popular spot for movies, TV shows and commercials to be shot.

The district saw an average of 38 film productions per year between 2015 and 2020, with the highest number of film productions in 2016, which saw 61 productions.

Along with many other creative industries, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on filming resulted in an industry shutdown in British Columbia for three months in 2020.

The district did not see any filming activity from March through to mid-July, as travel was limited in B.C. by the Public Health Order.

But, in the end, Squamish saw the same number of productions in 2020 as in 2019 (26) as steps were taken to reduce interaction and impact on the community, including limiting the use of municipal streets for parking and limiting exterior filming in downtown and business hubs during business hours, according to Sarah Dicker, acting manager of arts and culture for the District of Squamish.

According to Creative BC, 246 Squamish residents were employed in film production in 2019.

The reported film production crew wage amount for Squamish in 2019 was more than $8-million (the 2020 figures are not yet available). In addition, the number of film-related businesses located in Squamish has grown to over 25, according to current District business licensing numbers.

Notable productions that have come to Squamish over the years include:

Virgin River (2019-2020)

Riverdale (2017)

Supernatural (Season 11) (2016)

The Man in the High Castle (2015)

Bates Motel (2015)

Flowers in the Attic (2013)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2013)

Twilight (2011)

Fantastic Four (2004-2005)

A strange but true fact about Squamish is that former Hudson’s Bay Company ships were among the first steamers to visit here.

Local historian Eric Andersen tells us that the SS Beaver and SS Otter, brought to this coast by the Hudson’s Bay Co., are among the most noteworthy west coast ‘Personality Ships’ to have visited Squamish harbour.

The Beaver (built 1835) was the first steamer in the Pacific Northwest, and the Otter (built 1852) was the first screw propeller vessel here, Andersen notes.

As Squamish Nation people were in regular contact with Fort Langley (est. 1827) on the Fraser and with rival U.S. traders visiting nearby coastal waters, there was little need for these vessels to visit northern Howe Sound to collect furs.

Visits of these steamers to Squamish came later, when they were no longer HBC-owned vessels but in service as exploration supply ships and as towboats for the early loggers.

The Beaver visited here, probably for the first time, with the construction crew and supplies for building the ‘Howe Sound Trail’ (later ‘Pemberton Trail’) in 1875, and during the 1880s would visit occasionally to deliver oxen and supplies for the local logging camps. The Beaver was the first tugboat to serve Squamish Valley and Howe Sound loggers.

She was famously wrecked off Prospect Point in 1888.

The younger sister ship, the Otter, first visited earlier, in 1868 when it is reported she returned to Victoria with “about 200 tons” of coal from a “promising seam at Squamish.” (Geologists puzzle at this Victoria newspaper story, pointing out that Squamish is not a promising location for finding coal seams!)

She was later hired to tow log booms from northern Howe Sound.

SS BEAVER CARRYING SUPPLIES AND OXEN FOR LOGGING CAMPS IN MARCH 20, 1888 // PHOTO COURTESY LOGGING CAMPS IN MARCH 20, 1888 // PHOTO COURTESY CITY OF VANCOUVER ARCHIVES A08353 CITY OF VANCOUVER ARCHIVES A08353

Mining the Britannia Mine Museum

Speaking of history... the Britannia Mine Museum launched its Terralab Learning Space this spring and introduced special educational programming for families and COVID-19 bubble groups as part of their year of STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art & Math) focus.

The Museum isn’t running at full capacity during COVID, but plans to host special mini educational programming sessions throughout the year.

The Terralab STEAM educational program will explore and learn about microorganisms in our freshwater ecosystems and how they can help us understand human impacts of heavy metals and mining. Benthic macroinvertebrates, or benthos, are microorganisms that live in streams, creeks, rivers and wetlands and are bioindicators that scientists use to monitor freshwater environments. Benthos range in their tolerance to pollution and can help us better understand the health of an aquatic environment.

Here are some other interesting facts from the Britannia Mine Museum: • Seaweed from Britannia Beach was taken by researchers to the Canadian Light Source in Saskatoon, where it was studied using a synchrotron, which is a technology the size of a football field that shines light millions of times brighter than the sun onto an object. In doing this to the seaweed, the researchers were able to map where in the plant different metals were found. This was being used as a way to look for more sustainable methods of mineral exploration. • In the early years of the mine, an aerial tramway carried ore from the top of the mountain to the mill at Britannia Beach, and was used in mines all around the world. Two companies that constructed these tramways were Riblet and Doppelmayr, the same companies that branched out to make ski lifts. • Ten years ago, researchers noticed salmon returning to Britannia Creek and began recording its numbers. It was the first time since the mine’s remediation program had begun, that fish were noted in the creek. Having been heavily polluted for decades, to see salmon in the creek again was a cause for celebration. A decade later in 2021, marine life at Britannia is continuing to show solid signs of improvement, including sights of whales, dolphins, crustaceans and sea life in Howe Sound.

PHOTO BY JENNIFER THUNCHER

Booking it in Squamish

The Squamish Public Library has been the hub of our community since 1956. Located downtown, it is conveniently close to parks, shops and other important amenities. In honour of the library turning 65 this year, here are some little-known fun facts. *The library has been featured in a number of movies and TV shows over the years, most often as the setting for the Aurora Teagarden mystery series about a librarian (played by Candace Cameron Bure), but also in an episode of Supernatural that featured zombies! *The library has hosted several unexpected guests over the years, including many birds that fly in through an obscure opening in the ceiling (it took years to solve the mystery of how they were getting in), and even a garter snake. *The library is a key location to access and celebrate arts and culture in Squamish, housing the impressive Foyer Gallery in its lobby with rotating displays of works by Sea to Sky artists. *The library has over 120 board games and puzzles, over 260 video games and is home to Squamish Climate Action Network’s seed library. *The library offers mobile printing and mobile payment services, allowing patrons to send and pay for print jobs from their own electronic devices using the Princh app and the library’s free public WiFi. *The library brings in and sends back materials for our patrons from over 70 other B.C. public library systems and academic institutions. *The library has extra speedy and direct borrowing capabilities between the three Sea to Sky libraries — Squamish, Whistler and Pemberton — thanks to a shared library computer system and courier service. If all goes according to plan, the Sea to Sky Gondola should be open as you read this after been shut in September of 2020, due to sabotage.

At the time of this publication, the gondola was anticipating a late spring opening.

The gondola is a local and tourist favourite, offering access to stunning views, walks and hikes high above Howe Sound.

The attraction follows strict COVID-19 protocols: guests travel in a private gondola cabin with their “bubble.”

Gondola cabins are wheelchair and stroller-accessible.

Other activities include daily interpretive tours, music nights (as allowed ) and selfguided scavenger hunts for children on Alpine Alley, a family-friendly trail accessed from the Backyard Plaza.

The Sea to Sky Gondola app provides access to a GPS-enabled trailmap including updated information about lookout points on popular walking trails and links to daily updates and conditions.

After venturing out to the viewpoints and trails, hungry guests have various food and beverage options to choose from at the summit.

Guests can browse and shop the new retail line that will showcase Squamish locals. For details visit www.seatoskygondola. com. PHOTO BY VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS / GETTYIMAGES.CA

Final kiting summer at the Spit

This summer marks the last for the Squamish Spit in its current form.

The Spit has been a premier location for kiteboarders for years. The site’s optimal access to winds has led it to play host to the KiteClash Canadian National Championships each August.

But the berm that juts out into Howe Sound, which was initially built as a road to a coal port that never materialized, has been an obstacle for chinook salmon. The fish’s numbers have plummeted since the Spit’s creation.

The Central Estuary Restoration Project will see the Spit dismantled after this summer to help the chance of survival for chinook. The Squamish River Watershed Society leads the multi-agency and multi-year project in partnership with the Squamish Nation and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

It has also involved many stakeholders, including Squamish Terminals, the District of Squamish, the provincial government, and other interested parties like the Squamish Windsports Society.

Many windsports enthusiasts want to see the berm realigned, rather than removed without a replacement, however.

Kiteboarders and their supporters continue to look for a way to create a berm that would jut out from Third Avenue so that kiteboarders can continue to access the best winds. Stay tuned.

PHOTO BY NOEL HENDRICKSON / GETTYIMAGES.CA