August, 2016 — GREENWOOD, BC (BG)

There are hundreds of old mine sites and 'ghost town' relics in and around Greenwood, from the early 1900s mining boom. Most visible to passersby is the tall brick smokestack just off Highway 3, framed against the forested hills at the south end of town.

Visible from many places in town, the 36 meter (118 ft.) smokestack was part of the B.C. Copper Company's smelter operation, which ran from 1901 to 1918. One of the finest in its day, and now one of the last remaining structures of its kind in British Columbia, the smokestack continues to fascinate locals and visitors alike. Read more about the B.C. Copper Company Smelter here.

The industrial site on which the smokestack stands is now known as Lotzkar Memorial Park. Named for a past owner, Leon Lotzkar, the park allows visitors to explore the smelter ruins which sit on a heavy ridge of slag. Scattered around the site are another of Greenwood's most interesting visual attractions -- the "Hell's Bells". The 'bells' are huge black slag cones that were a byproduct of the smelter operation. Transported by bell-shaped rail cars, they were dumped onto the ground, red hot and glowing. Often photographed, the bells lay scattered on a black landscape surrounded by green… an otherworldly environment.

Explore Lotzkar Park at your own risk, and please don't remove artifacts from the site.

Before we continue this series on the many local mining sites available to be explored, a word about safety and private property access, from the brochure, History Still Standing: A Guide to Historical Mine Sites of the Boundary Country by B.C. Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources:

Consideration Counts: Please respect the fact that the old mines are on private property. If you wish to get off the beaten track and explore, please visit the Greenwood Museum to get current conditions, or to plan a guided trip. PLEASE DO NOT VANDALIZE ANY OF THE AREAS.

WARNING! ABANDONED MINES CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS! PLEASE, STAY OUT OF OLD SHAFTS AND TUNNELS! It may be very exciting to explore the areas around old mine sites, but remember that the shafts and tunnels are out-of-bounds. They are privately owned and can also be very dangerous. Why? See list below. Be very careful, respect private property and read the following before embarking on your adventure.

DANGERS LURK IN OLD MINE SHAFTS AND TUNNELS

1 .ROTTEN WOOD! Ladders in old shafts, and timber supports in old tunnels may look safe, but appearances can be deceiving. Timber in abandoned mines is usually decayed, and although it can look very solid, just touching a timber can cause the tunnel to collapse. Ladders are often missing rungs and fragile due to dry rot.

2. POTENTIAL CAVE-INS! Cave-ins are an obvious danger and difficult to predict. Small disturbances such as walking or speaking can cause a tunnel cave-in. The top of a mine shaft is especially dangerous as loose areas cannot be detected. The result is a fall down the shaft as the edges cave in!

3. POOLS OF WATER! Pools of water at the bottom of shafts or in holes in tunnels can be deep enough to drown an explorer.

4. BEWARE OF BAD AIR! Poor air circulation in old mines often allows carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide to accumulate. The motion caused by walking can mix the gases with the good air, creating a lethal-mixture.

5. OLD EXPLOSIVES! Abandoned shafts and mines contain old explosives left by careless workers. Explosives should never be handled. Old dynamite sticks and caps can explode if stepped on, or touched. Even experienced miners hesitate in handling old explosives. Dynamite caps can be scattered around on tunnel floors, then covered with dust, making them impossible to see.

6. RATTLESNAKES! Rattlesnakes love a cool place to hide from the hot summer sun. Old mine shafts and tunnels are perfect shelters. Any hole or ledge, especially near the entrance of a tunnel or shaft, can conceal a snake.

WITH ALL THESE DANGERS TO BE AWARE OF, IT MAKES GOOD SENSE NOT TO PUT YOURSELF AT RISK! THE ONLY SAFE WAY TO DEAL WITH ABANDONED MINES IS TO STAY OUT!

Prepared with the assistance of the Greenwood District Mining Heritage Committee.