If you’re new to Squamish, chances are you’ve driven past the multi-level white building built into the cliffside next to the Sea to Sky Highway in Britannia Beach and wondered what it is.
But for those who have called Squamish home for a while now, the tourist hotspot, the Britannia Mine Museum, has been a place everyone has likely visited at least once.
On Feb. 14, The Squamish Chief took a tour of the national historic site to see all the things new and old that are happening at the former copper mine and mill.
Something old
A visit to the Britannia Mine Museum includes a 75-minute guided tour into the underground mine as well as entrance into Mill No.3 to watch their BOOM! Show.
After the tour, visitors get to explore the site and learn about life from when the mine was operational and the after effects it had on the community when it closed.
The tour begins with a three-minute train ride down into the mining tunnel, giving visitors a glimpse of how miners began their day for 70 years.
Once arrived, a tour-guide takes the group to three different locations—two spots inside, one outside—to demonstrate some of the drills and machines used over the years.
One demonstration includes an eerie (but very safe) experience where the tour guide cuts the lights, leaving the tunnel lit solely by a candle. This gives visitors the opportunity to experience what life was like working in the tunnels prior to electricity.
Following the tunnel tour, visitors get a front row seat for the BOOM! show, an award-winning live-action special effects experience that recreates life inside the 20-storey mill.
Visitors can expect a mixture of sound, visual and even scent effects as part of the show.
Afterwards, guests are free to explore the whole site, visiting a range of different buildings and learning centres, each tailored to a different mine specialty.
These include:
- The 1908 Machine Shop, which is home to a number of historic machines and equipment donated by mining companies from across the country.
- Core Sheds, which house an archive of rock core samples drilled from the mountainside and collected throughout Britannia’s mining years.
- A-Z Administration Building, which also doubles as a fully restored heritage building that is now an exhibition centre to showcase the stories of the Britannia Beach community from 1904 to 1974.
- Beaty-Lundin Visitor Centre, the central exhibit hall that houses several theatrical mining displays, a mineral gallery and theatre space.
- A 17-metre (56 ft) long Model 3200B diesel electric haulpak truck used to haul ore to a concentrator for processing.
- A gold panning area where people can spend hours panning for real gold (that you get to keep!)
Something new
When The Squamish Chief visited, the Terra Lab featured the Ore and Orcas exhibition displaying specimens from the Howe Sound ecosystem, and a real killer whale skeleton.
The exhibition kicked off in April 2024 and wrapped up on Feb. 28.
Now that it has ended, the Terra Lab space will be transitioned into an exhibition called Howe Sound /Átl’ḵa7tsem: A Recovering Ecosystem.
“This exhibition will continue to focus on the remediation story of the area, draw a connection to the diversity of species in the area and how these are all interconnected through the food web,” curator of collections and engagement Laura Minta Holland said.
“The area at the front of the Terra Lab will continue to feature information that highlights the past use of the building during the mine's operations, as an Assay lab and be a space where we present our school programs ‘lab’ offerings.”
This year also brings the 50th anniversary for the Britannia Mines Museum and in May, they will launch a special anniversary exhibit in honour of the occasion.
To learn more about the museum or to book a tour, visit its website.
