B.C. Recreational Property

[Deleted]

Hi All:

Here's a very, very rare real-estate deal on a piece of paradise.

You may want to read the "entire description" on the property and the legends associated with the area.

Seems I may have been wrong on my count of people lost and missing in the Pitt Lake region; there may actually be more.

www.niho.com/forsale/detail1.asp?prop=1303

Ken

[Sean V.]

bushman said:

Seems I may have been wrong on my count of people lost and missing in the Pitt Lake region; there may actually be more.

Ken

From the looks of it, there does seem to be a lot more than originally thought.

[bushape]

My comps hooped, wont open it up. What does it say?

[Deleted]

72.70 acres


Map Reference: 92G10a


Price: $550,000.


Legal: District Lot 3168, New West Group 1, except part dedicated road Plan 82475, Land District 37


Services: None


Description: These unique properties are one of the largest assembled parcels of private recreational land within such close proximity to the Lower Mainland. The properties are fully treed in old growth timber and fronting two mountain rivers. The views are breathtaking with snowcap mountains in most directions. These properties sit in a fairly wide and long valley offering some of the most picturesque scenery in the Lower Mainland. Most of the main properties are very flat and level except near the north end where the property climbs to a small hill. The view from this hill is incredible as shown in one of the photos. There are a number of small mountain creeks on the properties that run into Pitt River. The mountain river on the east side of the properties has a bend in it just a short distance from the mouth of the river where there is a wide quiet area that is an ideal spot for fly fishing as shown in the photos. There are numerous game trails that lead from the valley floor to the high mountains and in the late spring and fall a large number of deer calls this unique property home.

District Lot 3168 – This property is not adjacent with the other six properties of the NIHO Pitt River Development, and is being offered seperately. This property is slightly over 5 miles to the north of the other properties by dirt road. Access is provided by dirt roads connecting to the area’s existing main gravel road. This property has approximately 1300 feet of water frontage on the back channel of the Pitt River. There is approximately 68 acres of this lot, which is level with two creeks running north to south, of which approximately 15 acres was once cleared. The remaining 10 acres along the west boundary rises from a creek to approximately 700 feet at the west boundary.


Location: These prime recreational development properties are located at the north end of Pitt Lake bordered by two rivers, Pitt River on the west side and a smaller mountain river on the eastside. This area is known as the Pitt River Valley. Pitt Lake is located in the district of Pitt Meadows and is only 25.5 km (15.8 miles) east of downtown Vancouver. The Pitt River bridge located on Highway 7 joins Port Coquitlam and Maple Ridge and crosses the Pitt River approximately 4.8 km. (3 miles) south of the south end of Pitt Lake.


Access: Access to the properties is by air or by launching a boat from the south end of Pitt Lake:

Air – Helicopter or floatplane access is available from the Pitt Meadows Airport located on Harris Road 3 km (1.9 miles) south from downtown Pitt Meadows. Facilities include three paved runways, floatplane dock on north side of the Fraser River, and control tower.

Boat - The paved 208th Street in Pitt Meadows will take you to the Grant Narrows Regional Park at the southern end of Pitt Lake. There are boat launching and dock facilities at this park. There is also a barge that runs from the south end to the north end of Pitt Lake that will take equipment including cars and trucks from one end to the other. At the north end of the lake there is a large wharf and loading facilities for cars or trucks. From this loading facility there is a very wide good all year gravel road running straight north up the Pitt River Valley. This road runs through the properties from south to north giving access to all properties. Just north of the other NIHO Pitt River Development properties is a bridge that crosses Pitt River giving access to the roads on the other side, which will take you to the northern property District Lot 3168. There is a logging road that runs from Squamish east to the adjacent valley of the Pitt River Valley. These roads could one day interconnect. At one time there was a rumor that a new highway would be built along side Pitt Lake up through the Pitt River Valley joining Vancouver to Whistler giving people and alternate and faster route to Whistler.


Area Data: Pitt Meadows (Pop. 11,147) with its naturally beautiful setting, is located on the north side of the Fraser River between Port Coquitlam and Maple Ridge, just an hour from downtown Vancouver. Surrounded by three rivers - the Pitt River, the Fraser River, and the Alouette River - residents enjoy boating, canoeing, water-skiing, fishing, swimming, bird watching, cycling, walking and horseback riding. With its four world-class golf courses, an expanding airport and a new commuter rail link with Vancouver, Pitt Meadows is a community poised for growth. Dairy farms, Christmas tree farms, greenhouses, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries and blueberries all contribute to a thriving agricultural community. With its beautiful setting and easy access to Vancouver, Pitt Meadows is one of the most desirable communities in the Fraser Valley.

Maple Ridge (Pop. 48,422) situated on the north shore of the Fraser River, is one of Canada's major commercial centres. Maple Ridge has seen rapid growth in recent years and is a wonderful place to enjoy nature. There are many parks and trails that offer an unrivaled opportunity to enjoy the peaceful beauty of mountains, rivers and marshes.


Coquitlam (Pop. 101,000) stretches north from industrial lands on the banks of the Fraser River, to the mountain wilderness of Pinecone Burke Provincial Park. With population that has grown fivefold in the last four decades Coquitlam has a new city hall and library, cultural centre, the David Lam Douglas College campus, school and recreational complex.

Pitt Lake is 24 km (14.8 mi.) long lake and is surrounded by beautiful valleys, mountains, old growth forests and is only accessible by road at the south end. Pitt Lake is the largest freshwater tidal lake in North America and is fed by mountain creeks and rivers with numerous waterfalls. Where many of these creeks enter the lake small sandy beaches have been created and offer great spots for boaters to stop and picnic during the summer months. The lake is 16 km (9.9 mi.) north of Haney town centre in Maple Ridge. The area along the shores of Pitt Lake has little development and is very private and pristine. There are pockets of recreational cottages and summer homes located along the east and west shores of the lake. In the summer Pitt Lake is very popular and boaters with canoes, kayaks to large pleasure boats can be seen around the lake.

The area surrounding the properties offers a unique combination of natural scenic beauty, clear unpolluted lakes and streams with an abundance of game and fish. Camping, boating, fishing, water sports and hiking are just a few of the activities that can be enjoyed in the area.

Just a few miles north of the properties are an abandoned post office and settlement called Alvin . Some of the buildings from this community have been moved to the Pitt Lake Lodge Fishing Resort. The Pitt Lake Lodge Fishing Resort is open from spring until fall, while the owner lives there year round. The resort includes a guest lodge and cabins offering guests the use of canoes, mountain bikes, access to the hotsprings and fisherman the ultimate fly-fishing experiences.

The Hotsprings are located in a beautiful canyon a few feet from the river and just a few miles north of the properties. You can reach the hotsprings by either boat or vehicle. The hotsprings are very unique and formed from hot water flowing out of several cracks in the rocks forming a large pool which overflows over into the river. The Pitt River flows from the glaciers above and the water is crystal clear and turquoise in color.

Just north of the Pitt Lake Resort is Upper Pitt River Fish Hatchery . They release 800,000 Coho, 200,000 Chinook, 1,000,000 Chum and 20,000 Steelhead in Pitt Lake and the surrounding lakes and rivers.


Vegetation: The majority of the properties are level and well treed in mature alder with some areas of cottonwood and patches of very large old growth spruce. The underbrush along the river and north end is fairly light but near the east end it gets quite dense. There are some open grassy areas mostly along the eastside.

The soil is river silt and heavy loam.


Recreation: This unspoiled area offers unlimited recreational activities such as fishing for steelhead trout and pink, coho, spring and sockeye salmon in Pitt Lake. Pitt River offers fishing for coho, dolly varden, and cutthroat. Within such close proximity to the Lower Mainland this area offers numerous trails for hiking, mountain biking and great spots for camping. Pitt Lake offers canoeing, kayaking, sailing and boating. A feature of the area is a hotspring at the edge of the Pitt River, which is easily accessible by a logging road.

Pinecone Burke Provincial Park , 38,000 ha. begins in the north with Pinecone Lake and dozens more alpine lakes feeding into the Pitt River and Pitt Lake, which is the largest freshwater tidal lake in North America. Other wonders here are Widgeon Slough, the largest freshwater marsh in southwestern BC, Widgeon Lake, the largest hanging lake in Greater Vancouver’s North Shore Mountains and Meslillooet Icefield, Greater Vancouver’s closest glacier. Also grizzly bears, mountain goats, even the pacific jumping mouse can be found in this park.

Grant Narrows Regional Park is located on the south end of Pitt Lake where it narrows to become Pitt River here the marsh is excellent for birdwatching. Trails, birdwatching towers, floating dock and canoeing available.

At the south end of Pitt Lake there is a 36-hole championship golf course Swan-e-set Bay Resort & Country Club designed by legendary Lee Trevino. It includes a 65,000 square foot chateau-style clubhouse. Panoramic views and elegant surroundings make this clubhouse perhaps the finest in Western Canada.


History: It was in 1860 that Captain George Henry Richards, aboard the Plumper, made a reconnaissance voyage up a river to a lake north of Douglas Island. He named the river and lake Pitt, in honor of William Pitt, England’s ninth Prime Minister. In the 1880’s Slumach a Katzie Indian, who is now a legend discovered gold nuggets in the wild region north of Pitt Lake. He allegedly came to New Westminster with his gold and spent freely at saloons and gaming houses. When he returned to the wilderness, he generally took with him some white woman he had picked up in the city – who would never be seen alive again. Records show that Slumach was hanged for the murder of Louise Bee on January 16, 1891. As Slumach was awaiting trial, he gave the location of the lost mine to his nephew, Peter Pierre who broke his hip on his way looking for the mine. He is said to have given a map of the mine to an old prospector, but today one hundred years after Slumach’s death, the lost gold mine legend is still very much alive in British Columbia – as is the curse. At least twenty-five gold hunters are said to have perished looking for Slumach's goldmine. British Columbia’s miniature version of Alcatraz was established on tiny Goose Island on Pitt Lake. In 1906, the island was deeded to the British Columbia Penitentiary for use as a prison camp. Convicts erected a forty-foot cellblock that year and were put to work cutting cords of firewood. In May of 1908 a riot erupted and quickly quelled without loss of life but several men escaped by means of makeshift rafts. As for Goose Island, the camp was abandoned to fishermen and hunters who continued using the blockhouse as a shelter for hall a century. The camp was later abandoned.


Improvements: This property was originally a farm and the remains of the old farmhouse are near the east side of the properties. There are two dwellings on the properties on the southwest end. An old house with a fireplace sits on the river edge with a great view of the river and mountains. The second dwelling an old trailer is located east of the main logging road and is accessed by an old road from the main road.


Boundaries: These properties were surveyed between 1910, and 1919.


Zoning: Rural Lands- Zoning applicable (Contact NIHO for details) These properties are not in the Agricultural Land Reserve


Taxes: $ 719.76

Source: www.niho.com/forsale/detail1.asp?prop=1303

[Sheldon]

Was reading up on this 'legend' of lost gold near Pitt Lake & Slumach & although formats are in PDF they make for interesting reading..

www.slumach.ca/askme.htm