Chapter TWO

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EARLY USE and SETTLEMENT    Traditionally, Indigenous peoples from the Secwe’pemc Nation hunted, fished, gathered food and medicine, and held ceremonies in the area. Apparently, the area around Tod Mountain was considered a prime location for these activities.  With the arrival of settlers in the 1800’s, the area started to transform. Prior to the dam being built at the west end of the lake in about 1920, there were two bodies of water now separated by “the narrows”. The dam, built and maintained by the Heffley Irrigation District meant the lake was designated as a reservoir.   

Around 1930, a dike was built at the east end of the lake to prevent water flowing east out of the lake and into Christian Creek.  By the 1880’s and into the early 1900’s, ranches and homesteads were established from the Heffley Creek community (formerly known as Fourteen Mile) toward the lake and beyond. Some of the prominent landholders were the Heffleys, Edwards, Sullivans, Knouffs, Bedards, Devicks, Urchits, Whites, and the Shaws.   These properties were strung between Heffley Creek to beyond the Shaw Ranch (Whitecroft), located at the foot of Tod Mountain (known then as Mt. Baldy).  Along with settlement came the need for schools. Built primarily by volunteers using local materials, schools were built at Heffley Creek, Heffley Lake, Sullivan Valley, Upper Heffley and McGillivray Creek. Six to eight students were required before a school was built. The schools, built mostly of logs served a multitude of functions such as meeting halls, church services and social events.  The school at Heffley Lake opened in 1915. It was located at the west end of Shaw Road, where the old corrals are located. The school was tiny, the roof so low there was barely room for an adult to stand upright. The small size did not stop dignitaries, speakers, entertainers, and guests (totaling more than 50 people) from showing up for the Thanksgiving official opening. Local women provided the feast following the ceremonies.    

Rhoda Shaw was the first teacher for the school at Heffley Lake. She was eighteen years old when she started teaching. She rode her horse, or horse and sleigh in winter, nearly twenty kilometers per day as she commuted between the Shaw ranch where she lived to the school at the lake. Occasionally, she stayed at the McDonald homestead near the lake.  It was a requirement at the time for teachers to be unmarried females. This was well known among the young men in the area, and somehow, they found excuses to meet the new teachers.  As a result, there was a significant turnover of teachers. After the Heffley Lake School burnt down Rhoda taught at the McGillivray Creek School. She married Frank White Senior and they had two children. In 1942, Rhoda and Frank took over the running of the Shaw ranch. When her husband died in a horse-riding accident, Rhoda continued running the ranch but renamed it ‘Whitecroft’ in honor of her late husband. She was allowed to continue teaching due to the shortage of single women, particularly during the war years. Her daughter also became a teacher, and her son Rob became a rancher, logger, and school bus driver. He is the author of the booklet, ‘A look at Heffley Creek and the Upper Valley.’    

POST OFFICE DELIVERY  With the establishment of the post office in 1905, once a week delivery commenced. As settlement spread, service expanded all the way up to Fadear Creek, a grueling round trip of 56 km (35miles) During the winter, horse drawn sleighs were used. The first postmaster was Mr. Timson. The post office operated out of the Heffley Creek store, owned by W.R. Austin. Mr. Austin was a very strong prohibitionist, preaching the evils of alcohol. During the opening ceremonies of the Heffley Lake School, he proposed a motion that Heffley Lake join Heffley Creek in becoming a dry community. The motion was passed. The first courier to deliver mail was Amedee Bedard. Later he became postmaster, a position held by three generations of Bedards.    

MINERAL EXPLORATION  In June of 1915, three prospectors pitched their tents at the base of a mountain, (Embleton), featuring limestone bluffs. They scaled the cliffs and took samples. When assayed, the samples revealed copper and traces of silver and gold valued at $15.65. Thus began the mining interests at Heffley Lake. By August of 1915, the Granby Smelter Company purchased some of the claims. Shortly thereafter, the Kamloops Sentinel Newspaper wrote: “The quiet air of rural simplicity so long familiar to the residents of lovely Heffley Lake is sadly shattered, the ever-resounding roar of rending rock awakens echoes far off in the distant hills as blast after blast eats into the rich copper ore of Mount McDonald. (Embleton) A number of new claims were staked this week and interest in the new industry is ever on the increase. At least eighteen claims were being pursued at this time.”  Later, another article written by C. F. Lawrence was printed in the local paper. “If Heffley Lake becomes a mining center with concentrator and smelter to reduce this mountain (Mt. McDonald) of ore to 15 cent copper, Kamloops may well consider itself fortunate to be well below and away from its sulfurous fumes.”    

Word was out, there were riches to be had at Heffley Lake. One of the early prospectors, an educated man from Nova Scotia, dreaming to strike it rich, was Archibald (Archie) McDonald and his wife Effie Ann. They built a home at the base of the mountain; the remains, of which stand on property owned by Monte and Elizabeth Templeman. He staked four claims, the largest one, he called the Lake View claim. For years, he was convinced the ridge behind his place was volcanic and rich in copper and gold so  continued his dream of striking it rich. So convinced of this, he didn’t farm the one hundred and sixty acres of land he occupied. However, he and Dan McKenzie built the small sawmill located where the boat launch is currently located and did some limited logging before selling the mill.    

Over the years, Archie and Effie had three children; but after fifteen years, Archie’s dream of getting rich had faded. Leaving behind their log home, stove, and some dishes, they moved to Kamloops. Archie died in Royal Inland Hospital in 1956 at the age of 72. Effie lived for another sixteen years, dying at the age of 84.  The mountain behind their property was named Mount McDonald as was the small oval shaped body of water located near Heffley Lake Road. Mostly referred to as ‘The Pond’, the official name is McDonald Pond.  Exploration continued through the 1940’s and 50’s but interest was waning. However, limited work continued into the 1980’s and 90’s. The last known activity was in 2007. For a variety of reasons but primarily because the finds weren’t as rich as hoped for, no major mineral extraction occurred.    

LUMBER  In 1946, Bert Balison and his sons, Alfred (Alf) and David pooled all their money together and purchased the mill from Montgomery and Baily. In addition to the mill, it included a cookhouse, bunkhouse, and a substantial timber license. Logs were dragged to the lake by teams of horses and gathered into ‘bag booms’ using an outboard powered rowboat. It was usually a very slow trip down the lake, but a west wind helped tremendously. Once at the site, the logs were manhandled to a jack ladder, a V shaped trough incline that moved the logs up to the mill site using a continuously rotating chain.    

Over time, suitable timber located near the lake dwindled and the family wished to expand their operation. This led to a decision to log the flanks of Mount McDonald. They dismantled the mill, put it on skids and dragged it to where they needed it. Thus, it was the beginning of their portable mill operation. They went on to establish two more portable mills. Each portable had a four- or five-man crew. The rough-cut lumber was then slowly trucked down the rough road to the railyards at Heffley Creek. They received $34.00-$35.00 for every thousand board feet of lumber. At that time, they were producing six thousand board-feet per day.  When they moved the operation to Heffley Creek in 1950-51, they named the company, Balco Forest Products. It became a very successful saw and planer mill operation.   

In 1987, the operation was sold to the Thorlakson family. They took every second letter from their name to give it the name Tolko. The Tolko-Heffley Division mill continues to operate to this day.  

KAMLOOPS OUTDOOR CLUB (KOC)  In 1936, the club built their first cabin in the Rose Hill area. In 1962, it was vandalized and burnt to the ground. Their search for a new location brought them to Heffley Lake. In 1967 they received a Special Use Permit from the BC government. They built their cabin which still stands and continues to be used. It is one of the oldest original structures still in use on the lake.    

EMBLETON MOUNTAIN TRAILS  Tony and Noni Embleton were active members of the Outdoor Club. Once introduced to the area, they took a liking to it and started the search for their own piece of property. They found a suitable lot by the Tod Mt. Road, west of the Hitch ‘N Rail. They built their home and lived there from 1979 to 1989. Tony was a long-time school administrator in Kamloops. (Norkam, John Peterson, and Sahali Schools.)  In the early 1970’s, the KOC needed a qualifying hike for new members, so Tony flagged a trail (now called the ‘Skyline Trail’) He took advantage of some of the old logging roads built by the Balisons for parts of the trail. The old slab piles, stacked so densely they are slow to rot, are still visible near the trail as are some of the old large stumps.    

In 1982, Tony arranged for a former resident of the east end bay, Ian Mackenzie, a teacher, and well-known chainsaw carver and his forestry students to map the trails. Then crews through the ‘Canada Works Program’ widened the trails, added drainage, steps, stiles and picnic tables. In 1987, the area was designated to be a Mountain Trails Recreational Area. In 1991, it was given legal status and protection through an official gazette.    

In the early 1980’s, Tony organized and was the ‘Commodore’ of the Heffley Lake Regatta, a flagged course for sailboats and wind sailboards. Due to a lack of consistent wind, paddle crafts were added to the list. In those days, there were more sailboats and canoes on the lake than there are today. There were very few kayaks and no stand-up boards (SUP’s). Despite the lack of wind at times, it was a fun and memorable event.  In 1989, the Embletons moved to Victoria. Tony, with some family and friends returned for his 90th birthday party at the Outdoor Club cabin. As part of the celebration, he climbed the mountain and trails named after him for the last time.  Tony died in 2020 at the age of 98 but his legacy continues.    

KAMLOOPS OUTDOOR CLUB (KOC)  In 1936, the club built their first cabin in the Rose Hill area. In 1962, it was vandalized and burnt to the ground. Their search for a new location brought them to Heffley Lake. In 1967 they received a Special Use Permit from the BC government. They built their cabin which still stands and continues to be used. It is one of the oldest original structures still in use on the lake.    

LAKE SETTLEMENT  By the 1950’s and 60’s, numerous cabins were being built. Primarily used in summer, these plain cabins served as recreational properties for fishing and general recreation. By the 1970’s, upgrading them for year-round use was common. Some were new builds, but most were extensions and upgrades to the original cabins.  As time went on, it became more fashionable to knock down the old structures and build new ones.   

Today many of the lovely homes are lived in fulltime, but a large percentage of them are still used intermittently. With 2021 market values, some sell for multiple millions of dollars.  In the early 1920’s, Dick Johnson and his wife moved from Vinsulla to become neighbours to the Devicks. They had four sons and one of them, Len Johnson, moved to the Heffley Lake area. Located on what is now named, Lake Bay Road, Len started a farm. In the 1950’s, he started to raise Charolais cattle (large white coloured beef cattle originating in France) and naming his place, Charovale.  In 2018, Len’s son, Glen Johnson and Mary Marchuk started growing produce to sell from the same property. The following year, they decided to name their operation, Honeyberry Farm. They sell eggs, produce, Haskap berries, flowers and more.    

~Thanks for tuning into Chapter 1 of our compilation and interpretation of the history of Heffley Lake! Stay tuned as we continue to explore the history of this beautiful place we get to call home - we hope you've enjoyed this read as much as our community members have in pulling it together!~     

Data Compiled by:  Ian Stewart  Doug Broadfoot    Source Information: Rob White, Tony Embleton, James, Monte, & Elizabeth Templeman, Dagmar Devick, Glen Johnson, Margaret Marriot, Kamloops Sentinel Newspaper, Kamloops Archives, Heffley Creek Community Recreation Association