Fairview Road, linking Cawston in the SimilkaSimilkameen Valley and Oliver in the Okanagan Valley, can provide a glimpse of the colorful mining history of the region and a cool alternative to the midsummer heat of the valley.

A Gristmill, Gravel Road and a Gold Mine
The junction of Highway 3A and Upper Bench Road, one kilometre north of the junction of Highways 3 and 3A in Keremeos, makes a good starting point (kilometre 0.0) for a leisurely trip over Orofino Mountain. Upper Bench Road parallels the main valley eastward, cutting a path through the orchards and along the barren cliffs.

The Keremeos Grist Mill, less than a kilometre from Highway 3A, can be your first stop along the way. This grist mill is the only nineteenth-century mill in British Columbia that still has most of its machinery intact.

The original mill was built in 1877 by Barrington Price, who had pre-empted land near Keremeos in 1873. The water-powered mill was operated by John Coulthard after 1885, and served the needs of the Similkameen Valley ranching community for almost 20 years. In 1974, the mill and adjacent log building were designated an historic site and the slow process of restoration was begun. The Keremeos Grist Mill was officially reopened in 1985, and has since been steadily improved.

Beyond the grist mill, the road passes through the orchards and then along the base of the barren mountain. Orchardists advertise fresh fruit and vegetables in season, and some of the best spring asparagus comes from Keremeos. Local bee keepers also sell orchard blossom honey and beeswax candles. Upper Bench Road continues east until it merges with Highway 3, east of Cawston. However, Lowe Drive, at km 7.7 marks the start of the mountain road to Oliver.

Cars and pickups only...
Because of the option to leave Highway 3 at Cawston and avoid the orchard part of the trip, I've chosen the junction of Lowe Drive and Upper Bench Road as kilometre 0.0 of the backroad drive over Orofino Mountain. In the past, a nearby signpost warned, "Road closed in winter. Not recommended for vehicles other than cars and pickups." The warning still applies.

The pavement ends at km 1.2, and as though not to waste any time getting away from the Similkameen Valley, the road quickly begins a northeast climb up Blind Creek. The desert environment, complete with ponderosa pine, sagebrush, prickly-pear cactus and the spring sunflower-like blossoms of arrowleaf balsamroot, gives way to gullies lined with stands of cottonwood and aspen.

About the same time as the surroundings get a little damper, the road widens with an easier grade at km 3.7. The climate continues to change as the road reaches the height-of-land at km 10.0. Now the timber is Interior fir and vine maple hang over the narrow road where it swings near the creek. Watch for cattle--they seem to believe that they have the right-of-way.

The road now swings south as it begins its descent into the Okanagan Valley. A side road north to Ripley and Madden lakes at km 12.2 offer diversions for the backroad explorer interested in striking out on his own. Ripley, Madden and Burnell (Sawmill) lakes have small Forest Service recreation sites and are regularly stocked with rainbow trout.

Fairview Camp...
Mill foundations, waste dumps and open shafts at km 16.9 mark the location of the Fairview gold and silver mines. Gold was first discovered in the area in 1887, writes Karen Witte in a brief Historical Sketch of Fairview. Fred Gwatkins and George Sheenan staked what was later to become the discovery claim of the Stemwinder Mine, the primary instigator of the Fairview Camp. The Stemwinder interests were soon sold to an American and British syndicate and the two-decade first life of the mining camp began when the original Fairview Camp was established near the mine site in 1890.

On August 12, 1892, the first newspaper in Oro, Washington, (now Oroville) published the following account about Fairview: "This camp is in the same gold belt we are, and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is the most extensive mineral belt in the known world."

In 1893, the Golden Gate Hotel (later nicknamed the "Bucket of Blood") opened for business. Within a short time, residential buildings and other commercial developments, including the Miner's Rest, the Fairview, and Moffatt's Saloon, were built on the precarious slopes of the gulch.

But Fairview didn't become a thriving community until 1897 when the settlement moved down to the mouth of the gulch, overlooking present-day Oliver. On July 1, 1899, celebrations marked the opening of the Fairview Hotel (the Big Teepee), the most elegant hostel in the Interior. It was the fire that destroyed the Big Teepee in 1902 that marked the beginning of the end of Camp Fairview. By World War I, the only real activity was the wrecking bar as salvagers tried to recover the lumber and machinery from the townsite and mills.

The Fairview mines gained a new lease on life two decades later when, in 1934, U.S. President Roosevelt raised the price of gold from $20.67 to $35.00 per ounce. Robert Iverson was one of those working the Fairview Amalgamated Mines in 1938. "They had two horses in use pulling a train of five one-ton cars." writes Iverson in the Okanagan Historical Society 48th Report. "My job was helping load and unload the train. Between 100 and 150 tons over two shifts were normal... Between 40 and 50 men were employed, including those employed at the mill." The start of World War II forced the closure of the Fairview and Morning Star properties, but in the half dozen years of renewed operation, they produced 14,000 ounces of gold and 152,000 ounces of silver.

Big Teepee...
At km 19.3, the gravel road gives way to pavement near the junction of Fairview Road and White Lake Road. A nearby stop-of-interest sign offers a glimpse of Fairview's past:

FAIRVIEW GOLD The 1890s held high hopes for the lode gold mines such as Stemwinder, Morning Star and Rattler. By 1902, when the Fairview Hotel or "Big Teepee" burned, the golden years were over. Fairview's population dwindled as miners left for more promising prospects. But some settlers, lured by the natural attractions of the Okanagan Valley, remained to profit from the lasting wealth of its abundant resources.

Fairview Road joins Highway 97 at km 23.6 in the heart of Oliver. North of the junction, Highway 97 continues on to Penticton while to the south lies Osoyoos and Highway 3.

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