Coquihalla River Canyon - Hope, BC.

Looking East from tunnel number one to tunnels two, three and entrance to number four.

Located just to the east of Hope, the Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Recreation Area allows visitors to explore an engineering marvel. The Othello Tunnels were built from 1911 to 1918 to complete the Kettle Valley Railway. The fastest way to get to Hope from Vancouver is the Trans Canada Highway. Those looking for a more scenic route might consider taking Highway 7, the Loughheed Highway, which runs through the Fraser Valley along the north side of the Fraser River. Driving from Vancouver takes approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

In the Late 1880's, the discovery of Precious metals in Southern BC's Kootenay District prompted thousands of miners to scurry into this remote area with dreams of striking it rich.

The majority of newcomers were Americans, due to easy access provided by the Columbia River and its tributaries. The Canadian Pacific Railway mainline was too far North to service the booming mining towns, or to transport precious metals and concentrates to Canadian Cities. By 1888 the first American Railway line pushed north across the border and the threat of economic domination became very strong.

In 1890, CPR President William Van Horne announced that the "Canadian Pacific Railway cannot and will not surrender that region to any other company." A decade later his successor Thomas Shaughnessy supported an all-Canadian line and the CPR financed the Kettle Valley Railway Company.
By 1914, the Kettle Valley Railroad linked Nelson BC with CPR's mail line at the East end of the Fraser Valley. The Othello - Quintette tunnels were built; blasted, carved and worried through solid rock. This mile of track became the most expensive track in the world, costing over 300,000 dollars (in 1914).

Now it is but a memory and a tourist destination. The original trestle steel between two of the tunnels is still in use except that the track has been replaced with a smooth surface of sand and gravel. With no artificial lights in the tunnels themselves, the darker sections of the long tunnels can be a little dicey - luckily the parks board has seen to it that the ground is smooth with no objects to trip over.