Chase, British Columbia
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| Motto: Chase, the Shuswap Experience | |
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| Census Division | |
| Regional District | Thompson-Nicola |
| Area: | 3.05 km² |
| Founded | 1907 |
| Incorporated | 1969 |
| Population:
Village |
2,462 (2001) |
| Population density: | 807.2/km² |
| Time zone: | Pacific: UTC -8 |
| Postal code span: | V0E 1M0 |
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Latitude: |
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| Elevation: | m MSL |
| Highways | Highway 1 |
| Waterways | Little Shuswap Lake & South Thompson River |
| Mayor: | |
| Governing body: | Chase Village Council |
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| 1(sc) According to the Canada 2001 Census. 2(gr) Geographic references.Template help Edit Template  |
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Chase is a small village located in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. It has a population of roughly 2,500, and its main industries are forestry and tourism.
[edit] History
(From the Village website) The town of Chase was named after Whitfield Chase, an American from New York State who arrived in the area in 1867 after coming to Canada during the 1858 gold rush. He was the first non-native settler that farmed and raised a family in what was then called the Shuswap Prairie. He married a young First Nations girl who became Elizabeth Chase, and they raised nine children together. The town was named in honour of Whitfield Chase although the community did not exist until more than 10 years after his death.
An American logging company first came to the area in 1907 and purchased what became the original town site from Whitfield's heir. They subdivided the land into lots, installed water and electricity and sold the lots to workers and business people. For the location of the mill, they leased approximately 70 acres of land from the Chase family that bordered the Thompson River near Little Shuswap Lake.
The Chase mill became known as the Adams River Lumber Company because they logged exclusively off the Adams River and Adams Lake area. The Adams River Lumber Company, after logging within 100 feet of the Adams River and Lake closed the mill in 1925 and took their profits back to the United States. This lease will terminate in 2006 and the property will revert to descendants and heirs of the Chase family.
Chase grew slowly over the next few decades with only a small core of permanent residents. It was not until incorporation in 1969 that the community began to market itself as a tourist destination and people began to explore the area. The community, as a result, saw an increase in population with visitors to the area returning to live, work and retire. Chase also benefited from the construction of the Coquihalla Highway in the mid-1980's. Improved access to the area brought now life to the local economy in the form of another tourist explosion that has only expanded the community's economic base and resident population. Chase continues to benefit as the number of businesses, population and tourism increase and contribute to the local economy.
[edit] External links
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