Just as copper transforms, so will the neighbourhood of Britannia.

Long ago, three brothers and their sons plotted to steal a magical copper hoop from a villainous wizard living high atop the hills of a nearby village. Once in their possession, they transformed the hoop into a baby who grew into a much-loved man. A fast runner and skilled hunter, The Copper Man was revered by villagers for his generosity, supernatural strength and community spirit most of all.

— as told by Jim Charlie, Squamish Nation carver and artist

Britannia came to life after the discovery of a copper seam in the local hills in the early 1900s. Over the course of seven decades, miners extracted copper, zinc, lead, cadmium, gold and silver from the land, making Britannia the largest copper-producing mine in the British Empire for a time. More than 60,000 people called this thriving, tucked-away townsite their home, including workers, spouses and children.

Historically, transportation to and from Britannia was a challenge. Until the creation of the railway line in 1956 and the highway in 1958, the only way in and out was through steamship, seen here.

You can see the story of Britannia’s renewal also told by the spawning salmon which have been spotted in Britannia Creek after a 100-year absence. Their return is an important symbol of the region’s resurgence. This momentous event prompted Squamish Nation carver, Jim Charlie, to illustrate the storied role salmon play in the Squamish culture in his three-panel artwork depicting the story of the salmon returning. He also took the time to relate a legend emphasizing the importance of salmon to the Squamish people.

“Before salmon travelled to these waters, the Squamish Chief enlisted the help of four brothers to convince the Thunderbird to show them where the Salmon People lived. After an extensive voyage, the brothers met Spring Salmon, Chief of the Salmon People. They brought him gifts of medicine and asked if he could encourage his Salmon People to visit their waters. His people were hungry and in need of reliable food sources. To welcome his new guests, the Chief asked four of his residents to swim to the traps to retrieve salmon for a large feast that evening. Later that night, as the group dined on the freshly caught salmon, the Chief insisted the guests carefully save all the bones from the fish they ate. After the meal, when the people of the village deposited the bones into the sea, out from the water walked the four villagers first assigned to bring back fish for the meal. It was a magical transformation. On the fourth night of feasting, one brother hid a few bones to see what would happen. When the meal ended and the bones were dropped into the ocean, the four villagers again emerged from the water. But something was wrong. One of the villagers covered his face because he was missing the bones that made up his cheeks and nose. The Chief turned to his guests to see if some bones had been mislaid. Alarmed by his action, the young Squamish guest brought out the bones and promised that, if the salmon were to visit the waters of the Squamish People, his villagers would carefully return their bones to the sea so the Salmon People could always return, intact, to their community.”

When the underground work finished, the aboveground fun began. Britannia had an enviable list of recreational and sporting amenities, all on site. It boasted its own school and hospital, as well as a ball field, ski slope, tennis courts, roller rink, bandstand and even a heated outdoor pool. Socially, there was rarely a quiet moment on the town’s events calendar. Dances, concerts and after-payday poker nights were regular events, while the Copper Queen Festival and Miners Day competition were the town’s annual highlights.

For hardy, bootstrapping folks, life in this social hamlet was paradise — even when they had to share it with some wild, four-legged locals.