In the Mountains Above Whistler, Ghost Towns Hide Secrets of B.C.’s Gold Mining Past

By Jesse Donaldson – Montecristo Magazine

To say the towns of Bralorne and Bradian are off the beaten path would be something of an understatement. Four hours from Vancouver at the end of the Hurley—a treacherous stretch of logging road replete with switchbacks and hairpin turns—this one-time mining mecca (current population: 69) isn’t easy to access.

There is no hospital, no cell phone service, and few amenities. In its heyday, Bralorne was the site of the highest-grade gold producer in Canada, home to approximately 3,000 people, including colourful characters like Nosebag Jones, Slim Saunderson, and “Big Bill” Davidson. Today, the entire Bridge River Valley—which comprises not just Bralorne and Bradian, but the nearby community of Gold Bridge and the lost, flooded town of Minto—is an echo of an opulent past, a region frozen in time, and an irresistible draw for urban explorers all over the province.