Venue

Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa

Chris's family has been staying in Harrison for over 100 years and is where Chris and Annie were engaged.

Harrison Hot Springs is only a 90-minute drive east of Vancouver, and less than three hours north of Seattle.
The quickest route is via Highway 1, taking exit 135 at Bridal Falls.

For the wedding weekend, there are several options for lodging and food.
Of course the main Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa is suggested, but there are several other very reasonable hotels.

Hotels
1.) Harrison Hot Springs Resort and Spa http://www.harrisonresort.com/ -call 1-800-663-2266 and book under Short/Pilkey Wedding. 

 

2.) Harrison Beach Hotel   
http://www.harrisonbeachhotel.ca/ - call 1-866-338-8111 and book under Short/Pilkey Wedding.                                    

               











3.) Ramada Harrison Hot Springs Hotel http://www.harrisonhotsprings.com
4.)Harrison Spa Motel http://www.harrisonspamotel.com/
5.)Hotsprings Villa Hotel http://www.harrisonvilla.com/
Restaurants
The Blackforest Restaurant                            The Copper Room
(Memorable German food)                             (Elegant Fraser Valley Cuisine)
http://blackforest-restaurant.com/                   http://www.harrisonresort.com/Copper-Room.aspx

Hot Springs Villa (Swiss)                                 Lakeside Cafe (variety)
http://www.harrisonvilla.com/                         http://www.harrisonresort.com/Lakeside-Cafe.aspx

The Hungry Chef Eatery (Award Winning, West Coast Style Setting)  http://www.thehungrychef.ca                                                                                                         

Old Settler Pub (variety)
http://www.oldsettler.com/index.html


History of the Hot Springs

The Coast Salish First Nations people reaped the bounty of the delta lands and tributaries of the Fraser River and two Coast Salish groups, the Sto:lo, translated as "river people," and the Chehalis lived along the Harrison River and Harrison Bay and originally used the hot springs.

They called the Harrison hot springs Warum Chuck, and believed them to have spiritual and super-natural medicinal qualities. For hundreds of years, it was their secret alone. Even when explorer Simon Fraser canoed past the Harrison area in 1808, charting much of what would become British Columbia, he made no mention of the river, let alone the lake. And later, when Hudson Bay explorers discovered the lake in 1846, the hot springs remained unknown.

That changed 12 years later during the Gold Rush. By then, Port Douglas at the north end of the lake bustled with the comings and goings of miners en route to the Cariboo gold fields and Harrison Lake was their major thoroughfare. So when a storm capsized a party of prospectors one winter, they were astounded to find themselves in warm, not freezing, waters.

News of their survival spread fast and "the Baths" soon became a fashionable tourist attraction. Visitors traveled by paddlewheeler up the Fraser and Harrison rivers from the coast, or took carriages that connected to the new Canadian Pacific Railway transcontinental stop at Agassiz. They stayed at St. Alice Hotel, the community's first hotel which advertised rather over-enthusiastically that the hot springs provided a "sure cure" for an assortment of maladies "to which human flesh is heir," from paralysis to diabetes. Today's claims may be less ambitious, but the waters' high mineral content is still said to ease arthritis, improve circulation and soothe various skin conditions.

 

 When the heady days of the Gold Rush ended, Harrison's economy slumped and the hot springs quickly became the main source of the community's wellbeing. Consequently, when fire destroyed the St. Alice in 1920, ground was broken for a new hotel. It opened six years later and today has evolved into the Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa. By the twenties, the automobile had come onto the scene and where miners had once pitched a shanty, auto camps with cabins were established and the village began to grow again.

The Hot Springs

There are two hot springs, the "Potash", with a temperature of 40°C(120°F). and the "Sulphur", with a temperature of 65°C (150°F). According to Harrison Hot Springs Resort, the waters average 1300 ppm of dissolved mineral solids, one of the highest concentrations of any mineral spring. This hot spring is one of several lining the valley of the Lillooet River and Harrison Lake.

Its namesake hot springs are a major attraction for tourists who come to stay at the village's spa-resort. Harrison Hot Springs is also known for an international sandcastle building competition that takes place annually in September, and for the summertime Harrison Festival of the Arts.

Harrison Hot Springs Today

Until fairly recently, that growth has been modest, and Harrison is becoming a bedroom community to a fast-growing Vancouver. Many of the newer developments are owned as second properties by city-folk and pre-retirees looking forward to a slower, freer pace of life.

Dock Where Chris Proposed

As a result, Harrison's neighborhoods are well cared for and the village retains a relaxed, holiday ambiance. Although shops in the tiny mall open extended hours in summer, some may close in winter, as if to take a breather between Harrison's many summer events and festivals. Whatever the season though, the welcome mat is always out. After all, tourism has been a mainstay in Harrison since the hot springs were first discovered only today, there are so many more things to enjoy.

Note:
Harrison is named after Benjamin Harrison, a former deputy governor for the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Click on this link for Directions