PK History of Harrison Hot Springs
history of harrison
The Spa of Canada
Dollar-a-Night Rooms at St. Alice Hotel & Bath
It started as a hole in the ground. Literally, a hole in the ground from which gushed a natural mineral hot spring, soothing, relaxing and gently healing.
After the 1848 discovery of gold in California, gold rush fever spread north. By 1855, prospectors were sifting through the silt of British Columbia 's Fraser River moving toward the 1862 strike in the Cariboo. Harrison Lake became a gateway between southwestern B.C. and the destiny awaiting the gold miners in the province's north.
According to story, one of three cold and hungry prospectors returning by canoe from the north for winter was so anxious to set foot on Harrison Lake's southern shore that he fell in the water for what should have been a frigid bath. To the group's surprise, he discovered what the Salish First Nations people had known all along. The water is warm.
In 1858, Joseph Charles Armstrong acquired what is now named St. Alice Springs; he bought 40 acres of land for 40 dollars. When the three-storey, 40-room St. Alice Hotel and Bath House opened on the property in 1886, it drew Fraser Valley families up the Harrison River by canoe and river steamer through the turn of the century. Guests stayed in dollar-a-night rooms above the springs. It was thought that even breathing the invigorating vapours from the hot pools could cure rheumatic ailments. To actually bathe in the pools cost twenty-five cents extra.
A road cut to the rail station at Agassiz improved access to the St. Alice Hotel and Bath House. For years, the facility's 20-passenger Studebaker bus brought more guests than ever. The bus had a thousand-pound battery that needed to be recharged after every trip. But in 1920, a fire of unknown origin destroyed the operation; only the chimneys were left standing.
Harrison Hot Springs Hotel Opens in 1926:
On May 24, 1926, Harrison Hot Springs Resort rose from the ashes. In Healing Waters , History of Harrison Hot Springs and Port Douglas Area , author Belle Rendall recounts that Harrison Hot Springs was dubbed "The Spa of Canada" after a similar natural spring at Spa , Belgium .
The hotel was owned by A.D. Anderson and Co., with Margaret de Gusseme as manager and hostess from 1926 until her death in 1946.
The first addition in the 1930s, was the Club Wing, which is four stories high and connects the lobby to the Copper Room. With the addition of the Club Wing, the Copper Room was built in the 1940s and was approximately a quarter of the size it is today. Two separate additions have increased the capacity of the Cooper Room now to 450 people for dinner and dancing.
In May 1943, the hotel was bought by the Department of National Defense and was put to use as a retaining centre for war casualties, and later as a convalescent home for women in the armed forces.
On July 1, 1946, the Harrison Hot Springs Hotel was re-opened with Oliver Anderson, the son of former owner A.D. Anderson, as manager. Three years later, the controlling interests were bought by the United Distillers for $2.5 million. It was completely renovated and opened to the public on Labour Day weekend in 1950.
West Wing Opens in 1957:
By July 1953, the House of Seagram had purchased the controlling interest in the hotel.
Seagram's Sam Bromfman of Montreal appointed Max Nargil, a graduate of the Lausanne School of Hotel Management in Switzerland , general manager of the hotel in 1957. Under his direction, the hotel became a year-round resort known around the world. He had extremely high standards and a capable staff of 299.
The new West Wing opened in 1957, had 42 rooms and centred the original pool between the main hotel and the new wing. A convention centre was also completed that year. The hotel now had a curling rink, tennis court, golf course and organized activities for children. At the same time, the hotel was attracting celebrities to Harrison 's shores and golf links. Clark Gable was a famous guest and golfer of the day.
West Tower Increases Rooms in 1968:
The six-storey West Tower was built in 1968 adding 88 guest rooms and four large living rooms, including the signature Harrison Suite on the sixth floor complete with a wood-burning fireplace.
That same year, the Health Pavilion that houses the indoor natural mineral hot springs pools and spa massage facilities opened to provide year round enjoyment of the springs. Around that time, a new public pool was built as well; it was in addition to the hotel's two indoor and one outdoor pools.
East Tower Added in 1988:
The last addition of guestrooms to the resort was the eight-storey East Tower, built by Itoman featuring central air conditioning and balconies with lake views. The East Tower also contained the Lakeside Cafe Restaurant and the Cheam, Cascade, Miama and Rainbow conference rooms.
Renovations at a Glance:
1930s: Club Wing
1939: Copper Room and Coronet Banquet Room
1960s: Forum Ballroom and Canada Banquet Room
1961: West Wing
1968: West Tower , Health Pavilion and Public
1988: East Tower and six new banquet rooms
1996: New outdoor natural mineral hot springs pools
1999: Harrison Resort Adventure Park
2001: Healing Springs Spa
2003 - 2009: Total $16-million renovation to rooms, restaurants, grounds, lobby and spa
