Jan 14, 2017 — GREENWOOD, BC (BG)

Today we present another of Greenwood's early personalities of note — Leslie C. Hill (1847-1916). One of the most important men in the mining industry, Hill is best known not for his residence here, or his social presence, but for his prominence in the mining profession. Leslie Hill spent long spans of time working out of Greenwood, which served as a hub for his travel to mining sites, and to his home bases in Vancouver, Nelson and Osoyoos.

Like our previous person of note, Kenneth C. B. Frith, Leslie Hill also had an interest in growing fruit. While Frith was involved with oranges in far-away Florida, Hill put down roots as the first commercial orchardist in Osoyoos, B.C., and his fruit helped to feed the mining camps in Greenwood and the Boundary.

Leslie C. Hill's biographical sketch appears in the book, A History of British Columbia by R. Edward Gosnell:_[1]

LESLIE HILL

"Leslie Hill, general manager for a mining syndicate of British Columbia with residence in Nelson, is classed today with the energetic and progressive business men of his locality. It is impossible to clearly determine what would be the condition of the province were it not for its splendid mining resources. Imbedded beneath the earth's surface are the rich mineral products awaiting the efforts of those who can convert these products into a marketable commodity for use in the commercial world. With this important task Mr. Hill has been closely associated for a number of years, having a thorough knowledge of the great scientific principles which underlie mining processes as well as the practical work of spreading the ore and placing it in condition where it may be used in manufactures.

Born in England, Mr. Hill prepared for the profession of civil engineering. He worked with Thomas J. Bewick in Northumberland county, England, in the lead mining districts, going there to perfect his knowledge of his chosen calling. Crossing the Atlantic to the new world he was manager of the Capleton Copper Company, of Quebec, in 1876. In 1878 he accepted a position as engineer and manager of the San Pete Coal & Coke Company, of Utah, and in 1880 he went to Montana, where he became a consulting engineer, acting in that capacity until 1890.

Two years later he went to Golden, British Columbia, and as a consulting engineer made the first report on the North Star mine. In 1893 the mine was shut down and he then joined the Prospecting Syndicate of British Columbia as engineer and purchased the Jewell mine for the syndicate near Greenwood. He took the first hoist into that country and did the first regular work there. He was with the syndicate some years and also did consulting work.

Until 1902 his headquarters were in Vancouver, but in that year he joined the Hastings Syndicate and came to Nelson, being now general manager of the properties controlled by that syndicate. His intimate knowledge of civil engineering and of mining makes him well qualified for the important duties which devolve upon him and his efforts are of direct benefit to the locality as well as a source of individual profit from the fact that every new and successful enterprise adds to the commercial and industrial activity of a community and it is upon such activity that the welfare and upbuilding of each district depends. He has good business ability and executive efforts, is far-sighted and enterprising and his labors have enabled him to win a prominent position in connection with the mining interests of the great northwest."

One of the most prominent members of the mining community in the Boundary region, Leslie C. Hill's professional bona fides as a Civil Engineer are noted in many historic publications. His name typically appears with the "C.E." designation, and sometimes with "M.E." (Masters Engineering). In various mining records, including Henderson's Gazetteer_[2], Hill is also recognized as an Attorney and a manager of mining affairs.

Leslie Hill's importance in south-central B.C.'s emerging mining industry is evidenced by the many mentions his name received in local newspapers. So many, in fact, that the list merits inclusion. In addition to numerous mining reports and our own local newspapers, Boundary Creek Times, Greenwood Miner and The Greenwood Ledge, Hill's professional activities have been reported in:

Phoenix Pioneer and Boundary Mining Journal (Phoenix)
Grand Forks Miner
The Prospector (Lillooet)
Lardeau Mining Review (Trout Lake)
The Golden Era (Golden)
Prince Rupert Journal
The Silvertonian (Silverton)
Daily Canadian, The Miner & The Tribune (Nelson)
The Advance (Midway)
Hedley Gazette
The Paystreak & The Mining Review (Sandon)
The Ledge (Nakusp)
Evening World (Rossland)
Cranbrook Herald
The Record (Kelowna)
The Slocan Drill
Ymir Herald
The Kootenay Mail (Revelstoke)
Moyie City Leader (Moyie & E. Kootenay)

The first mention we find announces Mr. Hill's arrival in the region, when he landed at Greenwood:

"Mr. Leslie Hill, representing the Vancouver Prospecting Syndicate, arrived in Greenwood on Thursday, and will remain for some time superintending development work about to be commenced on the claims bonded to his company in Long Lake camp." (Boundary Creek Times, Jan 9, 1897)_[3]

His success in exploration for the syndicate was immediate, as reported in the April 3rd edition of the Times:_[4]

"The Jewel Improving. After passing through eighty feet of barren rock and quartz good ore was struck at a depth of 120 feet in the shaft of the Jewel this week. In a few days time when the station is cut a force of six more miners will be employed at the mine, the Syndicate's engineer, Mr. Leslie Hill, intending to thoroughly prove the property. The probability of the Jewel becoming as valuable as anticipated from the rich surface indicates is much greater at present than for some time past."

In that same edition of the Times is a Certificate of Improvements Hill filed for the Long Lake camp mining project's Jewel Mineral Claim. A few weeks later, he filed on behalf of Denero Grande._[5]

By July 3rd further progress was reported. This story indicates the significance of the syndicate's financial support to the mining community infrastructure:_[6]

"A gang of men has been put at work constructing the wagon road from Greenwood to Long Lake. Mr. Cuppage, the road inspector, is anxious that the road shall be completed as speedily as possible. It is understood that Mr. Leslie Hill, of the Jewel mine, has made arrangements to supplement the government appropriation for the road by a donation from his company. There is only a limited amount of money set apart for the road, but Mr. Cuppage is of the opinion that before the funds are exhausted the road will be sufficiently good to haul freight over."

In the Annual Report of the Minister of Mines for December 31, 1897_[7] we find this report:

"The Jewel and Denero Grande, title, Crown grants applied for, lie 2,500 feet from the south end of Long Lake and seven miles by road from Greenwood, at an elevation of about 3,900 feet above sea level.

This property, under the charge of Mr. Leslie Hill, and equipped with a suitable plant, was being vigorously prospected, there being a 6 h.p. hoisting engine and 15 h.p. boiler (Janckes Machine Co.) and steam pump."

The significance of this equipment — hoist, boiler and steam pump — is noted in numerous reports. In the biography of Leslie C. Hill, above, we read "He took the first hoist into that country and did the first regular work there." Another report is found in The Greenwood Miner, May 18, 1901:_[8]

"A small steam hoisting plant, the first brought into the Boundary district, was hauled from Greenwood to the Jewel in January of 1897; and thereafter a lot of underground development work was done, more than sufficient to demonstrate that the Jewel was a valuable property and one that gave much promise of proving a payable mine."

And in the British Columbia Mining Record of December 31, 1903:_[9]

"In January of 1897 a small steam plant, consisting of a vertical boiler and a hoist — the pioneer power plant to be used in mining in the district — was brought in to Greenwood and hauled thence over a snow road to the Jewel; quite an undertaking in those comparatively early days."

The importance of mining operations like the ones Leslie C. Hill was directing, and the thriving town of Greenwood growing up amidst them, is clear in this note from the January 22, 1898 Times:_[10]

"Mr. Leslie Hill, the local manager for the Prospecting Syndicate returned last week from an extensive trip throughout East and West Kootenay, Mr. Hill's visit convinced him that Greenwood is more than holding its own with mining towns of the province. He saw no town that appeared to be growing so rapidly and so substantially as Greenwood."

Leslie Hill's focus on his work at Greenwood area mining sites had begun to shift sometime before 1909, as noted in this report from The Phoenix Pioneer and Boundary Mining Journal:_[11]

[Jewel Mine in Long Lake camp]: "Soon after discovery of the [initial] vein, the owners sold to the Prospecting Syndicate of B.C., an English syndicate represented by Leslie Hill, M.E., who developed the property for a number of years, placing the ore on the dump and exploiting the fine vein of gold-bearing quartz in all directions. Mr. Hill was a busy man, and his numerous other engagements took the greater part of his time, and after outlining the plan of development, the mine was placed in charge of Gilbert Mahon, one of the directors of the Prospecting Syndicate and himself a large shareholder."

Foremost among "the numerous other engagements" taking Leslie Hill's attention away from mining was his entrance into the orcharding profession, in Osoyoos, 1906. He was the first to experiment with commercial orchards in the area, having purchased over 1100 acres of land on the east side of Osoyoos Lake, alongside Anarchist Mountain, between the Indian reserve and the border. The land included the home buildings of Judge Haynes' estate. In 1907, he planted 30 to 40 acres of fruit trees on the delta of Haynes Creek, intending to develop a model plantation. His orchards became a showpiece, with standing rows of cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, pears, nectarines, and apples.

And from the Penticton Press, February 8, 1908:_[12]

"Leslie Hill, who three years ago bought out the Hayes homestead, last year put out ten or fifteen acres of fruit trees and is getting ready to put out twenty acres more during the coming Spring." … "To give an idea of the climate of Osoyoos, which is said to be the mildest in the interior, Leslie Hill has plowed all winter with the exception of three or four days."

In fact, Leslie Hill had shifted not only his business focus, but his entire family life to Osoyoos by 1908, as described in recent years by Douglas Fraser, an heir to the eventual owner of Hills' property:_[13]

"The house built by Haynes on the lake shore a mile north of the orchard was headquarters for the Hill ranch, and summer residence for Hill and his three daughters. Hill combined supervision of his orchard with the life of an English country gentleman. There was a light team and buggy for trips to Oroville. A boat house protected a motor launch named "Nanoya" and a four-oared clinker-built varnished row boat."

Another anecdote about Hill provided by Fraser gives us insight into the nature of the man as manager of local Greenwood mining operations:

"The following excerpt from my father's Story of Osoyoos shows Leslie Hill as "a man of great determination, self-reliance and stubbornness."

On one of Mr. Hill's visits to the ranch, he found that his foreman, Mr. Helps, had failed to carry out some work according to the instructions given to him. Mr. Helps said, "The way you wanted it done was not the right way, and I am not going to do it the wrong way."

"Mr. Helps," said Mr. Hill, "this is my ranch, and I want things done my way, whether it is the right way or the wrong way," and forthwith Mr. Helps was given thirty days' notice.

The fruit from Leslie Hill's orchards was shipped to towns throughout the Boundary, and helped to feed the population of Greenwood:_[14]

"After a few years the trees yielded enough fruit to be packed and sent to the mining towns farther east, first by horse-back along Dewdney's Trail, then 50 kilometres up to Penticton by waggon when the KVR reached there in October of 1914. The orchard was a real show place, but had not reached profitability by the time World War One cut off Hill's English line of credit."

In a Report of the Okanagan Historical Society (1971) we find an excellent narration of how Leslie Hill happened to arrive in Osoyoos, and at his estate there. It includes a number of interesting details of Hill's life, some from before his arrival in Canada:_[15]

"In 1905, Leslie Hill, a British engineer visited the Okanagan. Mr. Hill was one of a wandering breed, common seventy years ago but mostly extinct now. He was on board the steamship 'Great Eastern' — unmatched in size for many years — in a technical capacity when the second and successful Atlantic cable was laid. There were many other adventures and undertakings in Panama, Salt Lake City, Round-Up Montana, Calgary and Kaslo. At Osoyoos, where he came to inspect mining property, he became aware of the possibilities of fruit growing and he secured an option to buy the entire Ellis estate which at the time extended from Naramata to the Boundary. With the option in his pocket he left for England to raise the necessary capital, but there were delays, the option expired and he reached British Columbia again to find that the Shatford Brothers had bought the land and had organized the Southern Okanagan Land Company.

Naturally Mr. Hill was disappointed to see his engineering and agricultural development of the Southern Okanagan fall through. But there was, however, a smaller block of land on the east side of Osoyoos Lake that had not been included in the Shatford purchase.

This land included the Judge Haynes house and Mr. Hill arranged with Thomas Ellis for its purchase. In 1906 about 40 acres were planted with a variety of fruit trees and this was the first orchard in the Fairview-Osoyoos district.

Mr. Hill divided his time between his engineering practice at Nelson and his estate at Osoyoos but he left the care of the trees to more experienced hands. During the summer his three daughters enjoyed the waters of Osoyoos Lake and the horseback rides over the rolling, open Okanagan range land. But for the most part others took care of the old Haynes house."

Today, Leslie Hill's desk in the Haynes house is still used by its occupants: "Under the window, facing the orchard, a large desk, the size of an old fashioned dining room table" which belonged to Leslie Hill…" In its drawers were found a number of books, "leather bound, in the highest tradition of the art, embossed with the Arms of the College of London and presented to Leslie Hill nearly 85 years ago for proficiency in engineering studies."

While most of Leslie Hill's activities took place out in the mining fields around Greenwood and the Boundary, or later in Osoyoos, we do have two interesting references to his presence in Greenwood. The Boundary Creek Times reported on August 7, 1897_[16] (seven months after his arrival here), that "Mr. Leslie Hill is building a large barn on Government street."

Even before erecting his first building, Hill got embroiled in a Greenwood drama, just three short months after arriving here. It was the accidental shooting of Reginald J. Hood by Greenwood's Chief Constable, William McMynn._[17] Although new to the community, Leslie Hill came forward as Secretary of the Citizens' Committee that pushed to have the shooting investigated by the Attorney General.

In the same edition of the Times that told this story there was an announcement that Mr. Hill would be travelling from Greenwood to Vernon to look at a hydraulic property the syndicate owned there.

Leslie C. Hill died in 1916. His orchard property was leased the following year by George J. Fraser, who later formed a consortium that bought it. The orchards went to ruin, and the land became part of a real estate development project.

An 'in memorium' was published by The Mining, Engineering and Electrical Record on December 31, 1916:_[18]

"Leslie Hill, who died April 25th at Penticton, was a prominent mining engineer in the earlier days of the Province. Up to a short time before his death he was manager of the Arlington Mine, representing the Hastings Exploration Company, of London, which was interested in gold and coal mining here. At one time he had an option for an English company on the Lorne Mine, at Lillooet, and took in the present stamp mill. He reported on the St. Eugene Mine in 1898."

FOOTNOTES:

[1] A History of British Columbia by R. Edward Gosnell (1906)

[2] Henderson's British Columbia Gazetteer and Directory, December 31, 1903, p. 383
https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcbooks/items/1.0308106

[3] Boundary Creek Times, January 9, 1897, p. 7

[4] Boundary Creek Times, April 3, 1897, p. 6 & 13
https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcnewspapers/xboundarycr/items/1.0170210

[5] Boundary Creek Times, April 24, 1897

[6] Boundary Creek Times, July 3, 1897, p. 10
https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcnewspapers/xboundarycr/items/1.0170398

[7] Annual Report of the Minister of Mines, December 31, 1897, p. 153
http://tinyurl.com/gmnmcow

[8] The Greenwood Miner, Vol. III, No. 20 — May 18, 1901, p. 1
http://tinyurl.com/h4jd8wq

[9] British Columbia Mining Record, December 31, 1903, p. 274
http://tinyurl.com/jz8w57u

[10] The Boundary Creek Times, January 22, 1898

[11] The Phoenix Pioneer and Boundary Mining Journal, July 17, 1909, p. 1
https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcnewspapers/xphoenix/items/1.0185717

[12] The Penticton Press, February 8, 1908, p. 1
https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/bcnewspapers/penpress/items/1.0211889

[13] Osoyoos and District Museum and Archives - Statement by Douglas Fraser
http://tinyurl.com/jnvduob

[14] Osoyoos, B.C. History by D. M. Wilson
http://www.crowsnest-highway.ca/cgi-bin/citypage.pl?city=osoyoos

[15] Thirty-fifth Annual Report of the Okanagan Historical Society, November 1, 1971, p. 96-98 https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/ohs/items/1.0132211

[16] Boundary Creek Times, August 7, 1897

[17] Greenwood Persons of Note — William G. McMynn
http://beautifulgreenwood.com/features/10-16/feature20.html

[18] The Mining, Engineering and Electrical Record, December 31, 1916, p. 97
http://tinyurl.com/jd92e5p