A quick glance from Highway 99 does not reveal the real life drama shaping Britannia’s past and present. Britannia was once at the pinnacle of the world’s copper mining industry, later besieged with natural and man-made disaster, its character has been forged from the flesh and bone of the people who have lived and dreamed there. One would expect little else from the mineral-rich site first prospected in 1888 by Dr. A. A. Forbes on a tip from a ‘dog fisherman’ named Granger. 

Forbes was one of many colourful characters to dream of fortune in Britannia, but his dream died when he failed to secure investors in his claim. Forbes passed his precious information onto Thomas Turner, a Vancouver fur buyer, who then grubstaked trapper Oliver Furry to stake the claim in 1898. Furry eventually died in a mental asylum, paranoid and convinced his partners were out to swindle him. 

George Robinson, a mining engineer from Montana, was able to convince New York financiers the property had great potential. It was estimated one million tonnes of high grade copper ore lay in the Jane Basin prospects, deep in the dense forest at the end of a four mile horse trail. Shafts and adits were driven and service buildings were constructed. Communities grew around the mill and mine. A four-mile aerial tram was built to carry ore to Britannia Landing. In 1905, the mine achieved full production. During the mine’s seventy years of operation, the area was home to more than 60,000 multi-race workers who helped unearth more than 50 million tonnes of copper ore. 

The miners and their families inhabited two communities in the area; the Beach, which lined the lower Britannia Creek basin and the shores of Howe Sound’s Minaty Bay, and Jane Camp, situated several kilometres up Britannia Creek. Jane Camp was connected to the Beach community by cable car and tunnel. In both close-knit communities of whitewashed houses and neatly kept gardens, life was prosperous. By virtue of its isolation, linked to the outside world only by steamer ship, the Britannia area developed an indelible community spirit. Both towns had thriving social calendars, involving exuberant dances and theatrical performances. Through competitions and hotly contested sporting events, the two towns enjoyed a friendly rivalry. 

The remoteness of the communities and the harshness of some winters further buffeted the resolute character of Britannians, a fortitude that would be tested several times. Disaster struck March 21, 1915, without warning, when an avalanche of mud and debris crashed through Jane Camp, killing 56 people and injuring 22. Dozens of workers were killed as they sat eating in the mess hall after coming off shift; many of the bodies were never recovered. The resilient company and community rebuilt a new and safer town, Mt. Sheer, at the 2200-foot level. 

Britannia’s determined spirit was tested again in 1921. During a brief shutdown, Mill No. 2 burned to the ground and in October, a torrent-inspired flood wiped out the Beach community, killing 36 people. A new mill had to be constructed. A new town had to be built. Carleton Perkins Browning became director of the mine’s operations, a position he held for the next twenty-five years. The million dollar No. 3 Mill was constructed and by 1929, Britannia Mines were the largest copper producers in the British Commonwealth. The fate of the mine wavered through the decades as the great depression, World War II, union strikes, and plunging world copper prices pummeled Britannia.  

It wasn’t until 1948 that Britannia had a neighbour linked by land, when a serpentine road wound to the community of Squamish, eleven kilometres north. Further change came when BC Rail completed the line from Squamish to Vancouver. When the Squamish highway from Vancouver was completed in 1958, Britannia’s isolation was completely pierced, and according to many old-time residents, the area was never the same.  

In 1959, the Britannia Mining and Smelting Co. went into liquidation and its assets were taken over by the Howe Sound Company, who subsequently sold ownership to the Anaconda Mining Co. in 1963. Low ore reserves, high operating costs and rising taxes forced the mine to shut down permanently on November 1, 1974. 

The people of Britannia Beach today continue to exude a unique spirit. The coastal community has seduced artists, artisans and folk entrepreneurs; anyone looking for the perfect combination of relaxing lifestyle, inspiring surroundings, and a situation 40 minutes north of Vancouver and 10 minutes south of Squamish. In 1975, the BC Museum of Mining opened to the public and in 1988 the Mine’s concentrator was declared a National Historic Site. Britannia has now become a favorite filming location for an increasing number of feature film and television productions – another indicator that the outside world is rediscovering Britannia’s character; one built on the blood, tears and laughter of the people who have lived, dreamed and died there.