Searching for The French Mine

If the Mascot Mine hangs “up there” clinging to the mountainside like a distant but visual beacon begging for exploration, then the French Mine seems to be a whole other world away. The French Mine could be considered the lesser known step-sister, quietly churning out that most lusted after commodity as her more famous sibling basked in the glory of that time. As the crow fly’s, the two are separated by no more than a mile, yet the French Mine is hidden, tucked into the bosom of the mountains, yearning for only the more adventurous and curious to seek her history out.

Locating the French mine would be first foray into the local wilderness for the combination of my Wife, the pooch, and our recently acquired “search and expedition” vehicle….the little red Jeep.
Armed with my trusty gps, a well abused map book, and recently gleaned knowledge from the ever-informative “world wide web”, we set out on a perfect October morning to find, explore, and examine what the French Mine had to offer. On this inaugural trip I decided to bring along Brent and Jodie, good friends of ours who jumped at the chance to accompany us on this episode of our search for the unexpected. Unaware that I had absolutely no real clue where we were headed, exactly how we were going to “get there”, what if anything of interest we would actually find, and most importantly..... if we would complete our exploration with a safe return home……they followed along willingly, smiles in hand.

As it turns out, locating the mine site herself was relatively easy and straightforward process. Fortunately though, not easy and straightforward enough to encourage the rest of society to venture off the paved path to locate, explore, and as so often witnessed before..…to destroy. We ascended from the Similkameen Valley below; following what can only be described as a paper thin road cut along the path of a mountain goat with obvious attention deficit tendencies. Once we located the mine site we eagerly geared up (gearing up meaning grabbing a flashlight, the camera, and attaching the bear bell to the dog) and headed for the nearest willing and accessible portal.

The French Mine was laboured upon between 1950 and 1960 and in total she yielded 77000 tonnes of ore. Approximately 21 grams of gold per tonne of ore was recovered from the underground workings. I have conversed with a gentleman who like me is burdened with this sickness to search out and explore places like the French Mine. Both his experiance and experiences have allowed him to navigate the many miles of tunnels, portals, and shafts all branching off from the few remaining entrances to this fantastic and complex subterranean structure. For now, my cravings for exploration seem to be satisfied with forays of no more than a few hundred feet through the open portal and into the darkness of the Mine’s belly herself.

Sensory depravation is a strange beast. With a few solitary steps one can be transported from the brightness of the real world, back into a pitch blackness that holds the past. A flashlight is your best friend in times like these, and a simple flick of the switch leaves you standing there in a vast solitude, suffering the temporary and absolute blindness that can not be experienced above ground. While hovering as little as 50 feet from the safety of the light and warmth of the sun, you can almost feel as if you have been taken to a nether world, and that at any moment Gollum himself will tug on the rear of your jacket and pull you into the depths of the mountain…….never to be heard from or seen again.

Our adventure was completed with a well deserved picnic at the French Mine. We perched ourselves atop the boulders, rocks, and rubble that were once part of the body of the mountain…all excavated in search of that elusive 21 grams of preciousness per tonne.
We dined on fresh made sandwiches with aged white cheddar, devilled egg, and roasted red peppers, and snacked on homemade apple pie with whipped cream. We sat and devoured, and conversed of the destination for the next chapter in this journey….all while looking down at the Similkameen River winding through the Valley far below, a perfection of a picture postcard view if one their ever was.

The Mascot Mine

I had wanted to visit…. scratch that…. explore the Mascot Mine for as long as I can remember. Its remains sit perched precariously on the side of a rock faced mountain a thousand meters above the village of Hedley in the Valley below. It is as if someone grabbed a handful of history, threw it at the side of a mountain, and it just stuck like pasta to a wall. Ore was pulled from the Mascot Mine from 1936 until 1939, and in all over 7 tons of gold was removed by the miners that lived and worked on the side of a vertical mountainside. Once the ore was removed from mountain, it demanded to be transported down to the town of Hedley (one full kilometer below) for processing. An ingenious, if not somewhat unbelievable, method of moving the ore was devised. An aerial tram line was strung from the mine all the way down to the valley floor below, and ore was moved in giant buckets attached to steel cables. Occasionally, miners would also hitch a ride up or down in these suspended ore carts…..though the practice was frowned upon by the mine owners. Imagine that exhilarating journey, sitting in a metal bucket strung to a cable being transported into the clouds and beyond……..a true magic carpet ride if there ever was one.

For years I drove through Hedley heading to points beyond, but as always my eyes and thoughts we pulled upwards focusing the mine as it taunted my desires. One day, I thought, one day I will have to find a way to satisfy both my curiosity and appease that sickness and find the means to make my way up to the ruins of the Mascot Mine.

During my late teens or early twenties (my failing memory fails me at the most inopportune time) a cousin and I concocted a hair-brained scheme to scale that imposing mountain and explore once and for all the skeleton of what was once one of the highest producing gold mines in this Country. Sir Edmond Hillary had nothing on the ambition of two young men it seems, yearning to explore the unknown. We went so far in our plot as to attend a rock climbing course on more than one occasion. You see, we were most certain we would require these lifesaving and worthwhile skills if our dreams of ascent and exploration were to come to fruition. As with many well laid plans that flow from the minds of young men, we never saw our scheme through to completion. My cousin was unceremoniously recalled from his “unauthorized leave” of the military and I returned to my continued relationship of worshiping the Mascot from afar.

Fast forward one life chapter later; I met Tracy as we were both walking through the exit doors of failed relationships. We “clicked” right away and I realized that she was truly the partner in crime I had been waiting for all these desperate years. She was looking for the opportunity to experience life, and I was all too willing to drag her, kicking and screaming if need be, into my quest to search for the unexpected.

Coincidentally, the local First Nations Band was taking it upon themselves to diligently resurrect the long since abandoned Mascot Mine to her former glory. Their plan was to restore the site and offer limited groups guided access to the mine camp, buildings, and even into the mine shafts as well. A jackpot, if there ever was one for the likes of me, was won for the paltry admission price of thirty five dollars, a 45 minute ride in an off-road bus with my Wife in tow, and a hike down the infamous 600 steps to the Mascot Mine.

Exploring the Mascot was equal to strolling into the shallow end of the community swimming pool for the first time. It offered us the chance to see, touch, smell, and experience the working of an actual piece of mining history without offering up our safety and/or well-being as collateral. I spent the next two hours in an unadulterated mining heaven, soaking up the history and stories as they were relayed by our most knowledgeable tour guide. The climax of our trip and experience lay inside the mountain herself. We were led into the frigid hard rock via a mine tunnel, where we were given an example of the conditions miners tolled in, as they tried to eek out a living wage. A new uber-version of “dark” was learned that day, as the guide flicked the switch and we stood there…. stood there in 110% complete darkness, void of any light whatsoever. A candle was then lit, a solitary flickering flame, to illustrate the meek luminescence that would have existed inside a working mine shaft many years ago.

As we were led out of the shaft, and away from the Mascot Mine I was both grateful and thankful for the experience. Grateful to the Upper Similkameen Indian Band for providing this once in a lifetime peek into a forgotten part of our history. And thankful to my Wife, my willing companion, in this introductory foray into my search for the unexpected. (If she only knew what lay around the corner…….)

Modus Operandi

Our preferred modes of operation when searching for the unexpected are both the Jeep and our motorcycles.


Traveling by motorcycle is enlightening to say the least. The journey to the destination unknown somehow becomes a larger percentage of the whole. Riding a motorcycle filters all of the fluff and chatter of life out, leaving only the purest of experiences to be realized by the senses. Removing two wheels from the equation has a strange multiplication effect, akin to movement squared. There is a saying, “that you never see a motorcycle parked in front of a therapist’s office”, and it is seemingly poignant and true. When I saddle up and head out on a ride the journey is enhanced, I am able to see, smell, and sense things that are out there just beyond the reach of populated society. When I ride with my wife, even though she is rolling along on her own two wheels, we somehow seem more connected than if we were sitting side by side in the cage.

We tour on our bikes religiously, somewhat. During the past five years, riding has been our predominant method of travel, seeking out many of the abandoned places that call to me on a most frequent basis. We have laid tracks down across the southern half of this Province, as well as dipping regularly into the North Western States to the South. It seems apparent, as we hug the corners of the twisty and winding roads in search of these obscure places that somewhere there is a correlation between the quality and fluidity of the paved path and what lies along the roads periphery and beyond.

I should note, that it matters little exactly what you ride……as long as you attempt to ride at least once in your life. I have owned and ridden an assortment of motorcycles in my time, all of which had the necessary goods in common… two wheels, and the ability to allow me to exist in the open air. From the previous incarnation of laid back freedom that were our chrome clad cruisers, to the newest evolution of our riding experience: the ever so sleek and technologically advanced sporty bikes, they have all taken us down the pavement to where we desired in a manner that is unparalleled by any other motorized vehicle.

 

 

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Where the motorcycles find their limitations in the traversing gravel back roads that branch off the paved surfaces they dine on, our newest addition relish’s the off road paths that we seek out. The Jeep has allowed us to venture further into the vast wilderness than ever before, while doing so in a manner that still provides a level of excitement and fun that we crave. The Jeep itself is a beast created to explore, its internal guidance system seems pre-programmed to search and navigate the roughest and most overgrown of back roads. These roads, if you can call them that, exist as little more than a small dotted line on any given map.

Minerals, ironically, bury themselves in the hearts and bellies of mountain ranges, and deep into the dark valleys that lay between. Prospectors and miners would willingly trek into these inhospitable places for weeks and months by foot alone, shadowed by their pack mules looking for the tell tale signs that inform them hopefully there is indeed ”gold is in them thar hills”. I am fortunate that we are able to safely and effectively trace their routes in our little red 4x4. We can locate, witness, and explore the remnants of their dream for a better life left behind, and still return home in the evening to enjoy a hot dinner, cold beverage, and a warm bed.

The Jeep is the definition of utilitarian. There are no power windows, power door locks, or thick sound proofing to quash the noises that emanate from below. Every input is met with an immediate output, accompanied by mechanical voices from within. It is purpose built for my needs. I am able to remove both the roof and doors within 15 minutes, and with the carpet removed the entire floor can be hosed down for a quick and effective cleaning. (Try that with an Escalade) It will climb to the heavens, and forge a path thru a river like a salmon returning home to spawn. Its short wheelbase seems a forethought of genius, as it allows us to effortlessly snake up the hairpin turn laden routes cut into the sides of mountains a century ago by the hands of men as hard as the rock they mined.

While the vehicles we use are in reality inert objects, manufactured of steel, rubber, and plastic, what they offer is a catalyst between my obsessive desires to search out the unexpected and the hidden gems of time passed by itself.

Introduction

I grew up with a healthy curiosity for what laid beyond the well travelled road. Even at a young age, while my Mother attempted to reinforce the rules of staying on the marked path, my Father believed that there was both something of interest to see on the other side of that gate, or fence….and that in no uncertain terms “no trespassing” signs were for other people.

I have many a memory of dragging my young frame under a lifted barbed wire fence, or past a “no entry” sign as my Father repeated the obvious fact that the sign and or fence where to keep everyone else out. My Dad has always had a way with people, so searching around on what would otherwise seem like private property not only satisfied our sense of curiosity but many time provided my Father with the chance to meet and befriend yet another stranger. Growing up, my Dad worked for a large hotel chain and I spent many an hour wandering beyond the stage that the hotel guests were made to temporarily live and act on. “Employee Only” signs were like the beginning of the adventure for a curious 5 year old, let loose upon the workings, hallways, and empty banquet rooms of a very large hotel.

My need to explore was (and is) not limited to physical places and locations. The rusted and abandoned machinery used to build society also seemed to call to me. To this day, I find it near impossible to pass by any rusted hulk of any former construction equipment, or long since demolished buildings, grown over rail bed, or sole concrete foundations. My wife is testament to this as I pull off the road to view yet another in a line of seemingly nondescript broken down outbuildings or manmade holes in the earth that look like, yes, every other nondescript broken down outbuilding or manmade hole in the earth I have forced her to stop and wait while I explore.

As a child visiting the annual logging and heavy equipment convention with my Father (which coincidentally was always held in the parking lot of the hotel that he worked, and I explored, at) provided me with the chance to, with permission, climb on under around, and explore every piece of hulking, massive logging and construction equipment available. From skidders to trucks to cranes, it was all hands on and socially accepted for a youngster one weekend a year. Occasionally, as youths we would happen upon a logging or construction operation in the “back 40” surrounding our neighborhood. It was a little known fact to the outsider, that even though these metal monsters slept, they were sometimes left with enough “life” in their hydraulics that allowed us to operate their appendages for just a second. We would sneak in to these areas, find a suitable entrance into the operating area of the behemoth’s and move every knob, lever, pedal, and switch until the desired response in the form of any movement was had.

Our first trip back to my Fathers’ homeland, Italy, was one of great excitement. You see, I knew very well that Italy possessed something special, something that we in Canada did not…….castles. And as a youth visiting Italy, any ancient (or not so ancient) stone fortification could be considered a former castle and required exploration. Again, my Father was all too happy to fulfill my need to “see what is in there”. In exploring many of the old ruins around my Fathers’ village I not only satisfied my craving of searching for the unexpected, I learned that I was interested in more than just the physical structures themselves. As my Dad informed me of the local history of the different places we searched I realized that seeking out and learning the history of these long since used places, was almost as satisfying a goal as sneaking past the “non oltrepassare” sign itself.

This need, obviously sewn into my genes, has stayed with me and grown even, into my adult years. I have long believed in the time honored adage that “just because one is grown up, does not mean you must act like one”. I still to this day find myself (again, confirmation with my Wife is readily available if necessary) curiously attracted to searching out and exploring the unexpected places in my world. I now not only have the benefit of being the required age to travel by motor vehicle (the two predominant means of exploration being our Jeep and our motorcycles, both vehicles so obviously designed for the road less travelled) to find the places that attract me, but am fortunate to live in a time where I have this fantastic search tool know as the internet to help facilitate my desire to search these places out.



If searching for the unexpected is my Major, then I have a Minor in the strange curiosity of seeking out abandoned mines and mining camps. I am very fortunate to reside in a Province with an obscenely rich history of men trying to carve a living from extracting mineral from earth. I have always had this strange magnetic connection to the history and workings of old mines. In the past 5 years or so, this fascination has amplified, and I find myself spending easily as much time searching the online virtual world for locations of long since abandoned mines and plotting them into my gps and onto maps, as I (we) do searching them out physically. Technology can be a wonderful tool. It has allowed me to search out others with this odd sickness and trade stories and locations of these wonderful and interesting yet rarely seen places in our own backyard that have forged our history. A gps and a good detailed map are a necessity if one is to succumb to this urge to seek out and explore the unexpected. The vast majority of places I have felt the need to find, especially the abandoned mine sites, have long since been re-carpeted by the forest and would prove near impossible to locate if not for a well placed red dot on my map, or waypoint plotted into my gps.

It is also worth mentioning that aside from the technology, having a willing (or somewhat willing) exploration partner is a must if one is to really give in to this need and desire to seek these places out. I am ever so fortunate to have a partner in the form of my beautiful wifeTracy. Whether it is my frantic waving to pull over because I have yet again noticed another oddity worth exploring as we cruise on our motorcycles down a twisty back road, to her holding frantically on the “holy shit” grab bar in the Jeep as I attempt to traverse another steep mountainside goat path in order to locate that missing mineshaft that is just around the next corner………she has always been there beside me.