Twin Highway Camps: Forced Labour at Mara Lake

Accès

À propos

In 1915, two forced labour camps were built along the eastern shore of Mara Lake to house Austro-Hungarian internees as they built the road connecting Sicamous to the North Okanagan. It has since been upgraded and expanded over the last century into the highway we drive today.

To build it, these internees blasted a path from the mountainside along the lake's edge and graded a rough road--all without the use of heavy equipment. When they finished the day's hard labour they slept in rudimentary bunkhouses, ate bland and nutritionally deficient meals, and tried to pass the time. They suffered innumerable indignities throughout. They were abused by the guards, forced to work in frigid winter conditions with only summer clothing, and were deprived of all their rights by a government keen to exploit their labour to maximum effect.

When the road was completed in 1917 these camps were closed. The remaining internees were paroled or dispatched to other camps to repeat their ordeal.

Almost all of the internees were people who had emigrated to Canada at the invitation of the Canadian government. Nevertheless, when the war began they were interned solely due to their country of origin. The government knew they posed no threat to national security, but they did not care. The public took little interest in the awful conditions in these camps and it didn’t generate much in the way of outcry. After the war their story was lost for decades.

In this tour we will see how the camps came to be, what life was like for the internees, and how this gross violation of the rights of immigrants was allowed to happen.

**Route**

This tour has two legs and requires driving along Highway 97A. A car is highly recommended. It can also be biked by experienced cyclists.

The first leg begins just south of Sicamous at Two Mile Point, where Two Mile Road intersects with Highway 97A. The site is now home to Sicamous Houseboats.

To reach the second leg of the tour and Six Mile Camp, you can drive south on Highway 97A for 6.4 kilometres south to Swansea Point. Turn right onto Swansea Point Road, and drive to the end, where you will turn left onto Swanshore Road. Continue along the curving road until you see a beach access on your right. From here you can walk along the beach in front of Hummingbird Beach Resort to see the former site of Six Mile Camp.

Liens

• Website onthisspot.ca
• Download App apps.apple.com

Organisateur

On This Spot

The On This Spot app takes people on guided walking tours through the history that surrounds them.

At each stop on their journey users will find themselves standing on the spot a historic photo was taken. They can view a then and now photo comparison, use the built in camera to create their own, and read about local history and how it ties into the broader human experience.

Based in Vancouver, On This Spot is working with heritage, tourism, and business organizations across Canada to expand the app's coverage.