Princeton, British Columbia

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Town of Princeton
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settlement_type = Town
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mapsize = 220px
map_caption = Location of Princeton in British Columbia


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = CAN
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = BC
subdivision_type2 = Region
subdivision_name2 = Similkameen Country
subdivision_type3 = Regional district
subdivision_name3 = Okanagan-Similkameen
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leader_title = Governing body
leader_name = Princeton Town Council
leader_title1 = Mayor
leader_name1 = Randy McLean
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established_title2 = Incorporated
established_date2 = 1951
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area_total_km2 = 10.24
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population_as_of = 2006
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population_total = 2,677
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timezone = PST
utc_offset = -8
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latd= 49|latm= 27|lats= 32|latNS=N
longd= 120|longm= 30|longs= 22|longEW=W
elevation_footnotes = ["Princeton... 'Beautiful B.C. at its Best'", Princeton 2008 Visitors Guide, p. 9. gives the elevation as 700.4 meters.]
elevation_m = 700.4
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blank_name = Highways
blank_info = 3, 5A
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footnotes = Princeton (originally Vermilion Forks"The rich history of Princeton or how Vermilion Forks made it on the map...", Princeton 2008 Visitors Guide, p. 4.] ) is a small town in the Similkameen region of British Columbia, Canada. It is part of the Cascade mountain range, which continues south into Washington. The Tulameen and Similkameen rivers converge here."Everything you've ever wanted to know about Princeton...", Princeton 2008 Visitors Guide, p. 6.] As of the 2001 census, the population was 2,610.Fact|date=December 2007

Princeton centers on seven blocks of businesses along Bridge Street and five blocks on Vermilion Avenue; there are also businesses along British Columbia Highway 3."Princeton... 'Beautiful B.C. at its Best'", Princeton 2008 Visitors Guide, p. 9.]

Historically, the area's main industry has been mining—copper, gold, coal, and some platinum—but nowadays the town's biggest employer is a mill owned by Weyerhaeuser, along with a few smaller timber companies.Fact|date=September 2008

History

Before European contact, the land around today's Princeton was known among First Nations people as a source of red ochre. Beginning no later than 1846, fur traders, settlers, and miners established trails connecting what was then known as Vermilion Forks to the Pacific Coast of British Columbia. John Fall Allison became, in 1858, the first permanent settler of European ancestry. To this day, the site of his home functions locally like a kilometre zero, with creeks east of Princeton having names like "Five Mile" based on their distance from that location. The town he founded was renamed "Prince Town" (later corrupted to "Princeton") to honor an 1860 visit to eastern Canada by Prince Edward (later King Edward VII ). Allison's wife, Susan Louisa Allison, chronicled the legends of the local First Nations people.

In the years 1909–1915 the railways arrived, with the the Kettle Valley Railway (later Canadian Pacific) connecting Princeton to the Great Northern.

Until 1961, Princeton was home to a brewery, the Princeton Brewing Company. Until the 1940s, the brewery kept its beer cool in the Vermilion Cave. The cave, which held up to 20 railway cars at a time, was largely demolished to make way for the Hope-Princeton Highway, part of the Crowsnest Highway (British Columbia Highway 3)."Cave once used to keep beer cool held up to 20 rail cars", Princeton 2008 Visitors Guide, p. 4.]

Princeton joined the Canadian Board of Trade (later Chamber of Commerce) in 1913, and was incorporated as a village in 1951, and as a town in 1978. Beginning in the 1980s, Princeton began to revitalize its downtown, a plan that included red brick sidewalks and new streetlights. In the 1990s, they adopted a "heritage" theme, with many businesses converting their exteriors to match architectural styles from roughly a century earlier. Further landscaping of the town center continues as of 2008.

The historic Princeton Hotel on Bridge Street, having been in operation since 1912, burned to ground on April 8, 2006.

Recreation

Outdoor recreation in the Princeton area includes snowmobiling, hiking, mountain biking, birdwatching, wildlife photography, rock hounding, cross country skiing, dog sledding, tubing, ing, kayaking, and gold panning, as well as sports such as tennis, golf, and swimming. The Trans Canada Trail passes through Princeton, following the old Kettle Valley rail route. E. C. Manning Provincial Park is 45 minutes to the west; Cathedral Provincial Park and Protected Area is also nearby.

Indoor recreation includes ice hockey and other skating sports, curling, and bowling.

Princeton Museum

The Princeton Museum on Vermilion Avenue houses the world-class Joe Pollard fossil collection. The collection also includes an early 1900s stagecoach, a 1934 fire engine, local native artifacts, a collection of dolls, a collection of local butterflies, exhibits about pioneer life, a livery stable, and an old firehouse."Museum home to our history", Princeton 2008 Visitors Guide, p. 14.]

Princeton Castle

On the eastern outskirts of Princeton are the ruins of East Princeton. Conceived in 1910 as a "Great Cement City", the area is now a resort known as "Princeton Castle"."Princeton Castle", Princeton 2008 Visitors Guide, p. 27.]

Four years, a million dollars, hundreds of thousands of hours of work by engineers, carpenters, and masons (several of whom died in accidents) went into constructing a cement plant. The project came to an abrupt halt in 1914, for reasons not entirely clear: possibly lack of limestone or (due to World War I) coal.

Other institutions

Princeton is part of School District #58, and has two elementary schools (John Allison for grades K-4 and Vermilion Forks for grades 5-7), a secondary school (for grades 8-12) and The Bridge, a continuing education school (also grades 8-12).

Princeton has a hospital and longterm care center (Princeton General Hospital and Ridgewood Lodge), two Senior's Clubs and several seniors' and handicapped housing facilities, and a variety of drug and alcohol counseling services, an adult mental care drop-in center, a program for women in abusive relationships, and numerous other social service institutions.

Princeton on film

In 1987, Burt Reynolds starred in the film "Malone", which was filmed mainly in neighbouring Hedley, British Columbia, but included key scenes in downtown Princeton and the surrounding area.

The town and the beautiful scenery around it has been most memorably captured on the screen in Sean Penn's 2001 film "The Pledge", starring Jack Nicholson.

Princeton Exhibition Grounds

The Princeton Exhibition Association (PXA) has held many events recently. They include horse racing, Fall Fair and dirtbiking.

External links

* [http://www.princeton.ca/ Official Municipality website]
* [http://www12.statcan.ca/english/profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5907024&Geo2=PR&Code2=59&Data=Count&SearchText=princeton&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= Princeton, British Columbia, Canada 2001 Census Community Profile]
* [http://www2.nethop.net/~sandness/princeton.htm John Sandness's Princeton webpage]

References

* Princeton 2008 Visitors Guide, published by the "Similkameen Spotlight", Princeton, BC.