the world's greatest playgrounds by doug johnson

7/30/2019 The World's Greatest Playgrounds by Doug Johnson

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Kimberley ChronicleFREE

Volume 29 Monday May 20, 2013 [email protected]

Your Biweekly Source for Kimberleys Past, Present & Future

Welcome everyone to the 29th issue o Kimberley Chronicle! Hopeully everyone had a wonder

long weekend despite any rainy moments. As the summer season is getting closer things are startito pick up in Kimberley. Tere seems to be loads o events going on and some new businesses apopping up. Rumours are swirling o an upcoming curry war in Kimberley this summer; the staKimberley Chronicle are anticipating the spoils o this battle to be delicious. With sushi coming bato town and rumours o a vegetarian restaurant opening up people may start coming to Kimberley more than the schnitzel. Be sure to write us at [email protected] and let us know o amore rumours swirling around town. In this issue we are pleased to announce that we have anothgreat story rom our best guest writer - Doug Johnson. Enjoy.

Te Worlds Greatest Playgrouds

Sullivan Concentrator with Chapman Camp in the lower le and the ski hill in the upper le1958. Photo courtesy o Kimberley Heritage Museum, prints available at www.basininstitute

It was a mountain o junk. I knowthis is a story about the worlds great-est playgrounds and here I am talkingabout a mountain o junk! But, bearwith me I am going somewhere withthis. Going into the 1920s, it was ap-parent that the mighty Sullivan wasjust a mountain o junk. It was proba-

bly the most complicated metallurgyknown to Miners. It was the richestsulphide ore body in the world butthe Consolidated could not separatethe lead, zinc, iron, and a host o oth-er exotic metals rom each other orsmelting. Indeed, they tried smeltingthe basic ore at Marysville but gaveup in 1908 which led to Kimberleybeing a Ghost own or two years.Hand sorting and ollowing rich leadveins through stope and pillar min-ing provided the allies with lead andsilver during WWI. But now, the sit-uation was extremely dicult and theConsolidated was desperate to solvethe complicated nature o the Sulli-van ore body. Enter Selwyn Blaylock,the Consolidated Manager and prob-ably the most brilliant and enterpris-ing mining man the world had ever

seen. continued on next page


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Kimberley Heritage Museum

105 Spokane Street - above the libraryMonday-Friday 1-4pmPhone: 250-427-7510

Email: [email protected] Fee - By Donation

Happy Hands Tattoo

418 - 304th St - 778-481-5000

Kootenay Cleaning Services

A Breath of Fresh Air

Residential, Recreational &

Commercial Cleaning

250-427-8644

www.basininstitute.org

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email us: [email protected] us: 427-5430

He went all the way back to his University days at McGill where he hgone to school with an extremely clever metallurgist by the name o R.Diamond who was already tackling the science o dierential (roth) otation. Mr. Blaylock enticed Mr. Diamond away rom the Anaconda Ming Company, brought him to rail, and gave him carte blanche authorto orm a huge team and develop an ore concentrating system that wouwork or the Sullivan Mine ore. Within two years Diamond and his teawere totally successul and construction began on an ore concentraat what would become known as Chapman Camp, BC. And rom outthis came the greatest playgrounds in the world. Tere! I bet you nevthought Id get to these playgrounds.Aer the ormation and building o the Camp or the construction o tconcentrator, the Mining Company subdivided the entire area and Chman Camp was born and almost immediately designated a Village witCity Council but still receiving lots o help and direction rom the Cosolidated. Te Village ourished. Incredibly so. In a ew years an artiwould appear in a Vancouver Newspaper about Chapman Camp beithe prettiest village in Canada.And o course there were legions o small children looking or enterta

ment. Bert Banks (still living in Chapman Camp) was born in 1930 awith a razor sharp memory can recall how the children were taken care Berts Dad was the second Manager o the Sullivan Concentrator and Bon many an occasion was given personalized guided tours o the SullivConcentrator starting when he was barely walking. He remembers goup to that ore mill and jumping into the sheep pen located just outside skip way and the oatation cells. Bert says it was just like todays pettizoo! Ten Bert would hear a shout and hed look up and the Steam Enneer rom the coal fred steam plant would be motioning or Bert to codown to the steam plant. Bert would go down and was privileged to blthe steam whistle. It was pretty exciting. Tis whistle was generated

150 lbs. o steam and could be easily heard right down to Wyclie. Othplaygrounds were located right on the streets in ront o your house. Tclosest village was Frenchtown located where Lower Blarchmont is nowwas unincorporated and was mostly comprised o small arms, the mone being owned by Charlie Deschamps. Charlie was also an experienceamster and had a very adept team o horses that could be hooked upwhat was called a V-plow or snow removal and Charlie had the contrto plow the Chapman Camp streets. On a good day i there was no schand there was a two oot snowall overnight Burt Banks and his riend


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Colin Parfey CarpentrYour Renovation Expert

Call 250-432-9507

for a quote.Tumbled Earth

River Stone Jewelry & Accessori

By Kara & Dave Clarke

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Tumbled Earth

Malice in WonderlandJune 1 - Kimberley, BC

4pm - Avalanche City Rollers vs. Killer Rollbots6pm - Bavarian Barbarians vs. Mountain Town Maulers

East Kootenay Rolle Derby League

www.eastkootenayrollerderby.com

Puzzles

1) 2) 3)

4) 5) 6)

could come running out o their houses and hook up their sleds to theV-plow to Charlies delight (and the horses) and the Chapman camp kidscould be pulled around all day. And Burt said they only stopped or lunchbreaks and pit stops. Tey dont build playgrounds or petting zoos like thisanymore! O course, I havent even gotten into the beautiul swimmingpool, skating rinks, and ski jumps, but I will next time. And wait til I tellyou about the war games the kids used to play up at the Concentrator(with live ammunition).By Doug Johnson

Awul Jokes

Doc, I cant stop singing Te green, green grass o home.Tat sounds like om Jones syndrome.Is it common?Its not unusual.

wo peanuts walk into a barOne was a salted.

wo fsh are in a tankOne says to the other Ill man the guns, you drive

A man walks into a bar with a slab o asphalt under his arm and

says: A beer please, and one or the road.

A dyslexic man walks into a bra.


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computers - networks - communicati

250-427-5424

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WeatherIt would be wise to carry a rain jacket, but hope or the best;

there will be some moments o sunshine mixed in there.

propane, gas, marked premium, and dieselCertied Journeyman Automotive Mechanic

Motorbike, ATVs and other small engine repair

Kimberleys STIHL Dealer

Call 427-7690 for an appointment or stop in

Monday to Saturday 7am-7pm

Kimberley Forest

Consultng

Your forest expert.

Wildfre Assessments,

Forest Development Plans,

Ecosystem Management,

Surveys.

Wade Jarvis, RPF

[email protected]

Upcoming EventsSaturday & Sunday May 25 & 26: Kootenay Gun and An-tique Show. Marysville Arena, 9-5 on Saturday, 9-3 on Sun-day. Admission is $5 at the door.Saturday & Sunday May 25 & 26: Vintage Afair at Reskerhall, 10-5 on Saturday, 12-4 on Sunday. $2 at the door.Sunday May 26: Kimberley Nature Park - Calypso OrchidCount. Meet at the Higgins St. entrance at 10 am or a 2 - 3hr moderate hike. Join leader Pam Chenery 250-427-5198or a Natural History Event.

Sunday May 26:Te Meadowbrook Community Associationinvites you and your amily to celebrate with us the prohibi-tion o mining on 400 acres and the prospect o a 40 acre parkat Cherry Creek Falls in Meadowbrook. We will be holdinga barbeque rom 1:00pm - 3:00 pm at the alls, rain or shine.Follow the signs beginning at Tomason Rd. Ino: 427-8834or 427-3277.Saturday June 1: Roller Derby at 6pm. Bavarian Barbariansvs. Mountain own Maulers. www.eastkootenayrollerderby.

comSaturday June 1: Kimberley Nature Park - Photography Hike.Meet at the Higgins St. entrance at 9 am or a 3 hr meander onnearby trails. Consider bringing a tripod and variety o lenses.Saturday June 1: Marysville Daze at Marysville Arena, pan-cake breakast, show and shine, ball tournament and parade.Saturday June 1: Kootenays Best Singer Regional Finals at

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the world's greatest playgrounds by doug johnson

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