Coquihalla Canyon
History
In the early 1900’s, the Canadian Pacific Railway decided a route
was necessary to link the Kootenay region with the BC coast
by rail. Andrew McCulloch was hired as the chief engineer in
May 1910. He had been involved in many CPR projects, including
the Spiral Tunnels near Revelstoke.
McCulloch took on
the challenging task of building the railway over three major
mountain ranges. The Coquihalla subdivision included 38 miles
from the Coquihalla Summit to the junction with the CPR mainline
across the Fraser River from Hope. This section boasts the most
expensive mile of railway track in the world: $300,000 in 1914!
The construction was done almost exclusively by hand with the
assistance of a few horse drawn scrapers and some black powder.
His assistant engineers nick-named the railway “McCulloch’s
Wonder.”
The greatest challenge of this route was the Coquihalla gorge, just east
of Hope, where the river had cut a 300-foot-deep channel in
solid granite. Other engineers had suggested a mile-long tunnel
by-passing the gorge, but McCulloch chose to build directly
through it. Hanging in the gorge in a wicker basket, McCulloch
surveyed the canyon for a straight line of tunnels that could
be dug simultaneously. Cliff ladders, suspension bridges and
ropes allowed workers to complete what is, to this day, regarded
as a spectacular engineering feat.
The tunnels are known as the Othello Tunnels. McCulloch was an avid reader
of Shakespearean literature, and he used characters such as
Lear, Jessica, Portia, Iago, Romeo and Juliet to name stations
of the Coquihalla subdivision. The tunnels in the Coquihalla
Canyon were near the Othello station – thus, Othello Tunnels.
Many of the passengers on the Coquihalla line came expressly
to see and photograph the station boards and to send postcards
from the stations’ post offices as a souvenir. This added
an ironic touch of gentility to this adventurous journey.
The Kettle Valley
Railway was officially opened on July 31, 1916. The line operated
both freight and passenger service between Vancouver and Nelson,
but the operation was plagued with snow and rock slides. In
a two year period in the 1930’s, the line operated for
only a few weeks.
On November 23, 1959, a washout was reported just north of the tunnels. The
400-foot washout was too large to be filled in one day, and
numerous other washouts added to the troubles of the maintenance
crews. The line was closed and never reopened; it was officially
abandoned in July of 1961. The tunnels and surrounding area
became a provincial recreation area in May of 1986.
Much of the modern four lane Coquihalla Highway is built upon the original rail
bed of the Kettle Valley Railway. Travelling at modern highway
speeds it is difficult to imagine the formidable task of constructing
a rail route through this rugged section of BC.
As you drive along the highway, you may notice some small signs in
the shape of an old steam locomotive, with Shakespearean names.
These signs commemorate the approximate locations of the Kettle
Valley Railway stations along today’s Highway #5.
Cultural Heritage
Conservation
Flowers,
trees and shrubs are part of the park’s natural heritage, please don’t
damage or remove them.
Wildlife
Park users should always be aware of bears and other wildlife in our park environment.
Never feed or approach bears or other wildlife. View for more information on bear safety.
Wood ticks are most prevalent between March and June. These parasites live in tall
grass and low shrubs, and seek out warm-blooded hosts. As potential
carriers of disease, they should be avoided. Protect your legs by
wearing gaiters, or pants tucked into socks. After any outdoor activities,
thoroughly examine yourself, children and pets. If you find a tick
embedded in your skin, the best way to remove it is by grasping
and pulling it, gently, straight up and out with a small pair of
tweezers, and disinfecting the site with rubbing alcohol. You may
wish to save the tick in a small plastic or glass container for
later inspection by your doctor especially if a fever develops,
or the area around the bite appears to be infected.