Tourism Squamish

100 Years of Iconic Mill No. 3 at Britannia Mine Museum

The Britannia Mine Museum is commemorating “100 Years of Mill No. 3” this year, with a feature exhibit that will run until the end of the year.


 The Museum will be kicking off the celebrations by hosting a Dig Day, a public celebratory event on Saturday, May 20th from 10AM to 3PM with various family friendly hands-on geoscience themed activities including demonstrations from geologists and minerals experts. 
 
Designated as a National Historic Site, the 20-storey Mill No. 3 building was an architectural feat of engineering at its time, built on the side of Mount Sheer at Britannia Beach over a period of 18 months, and completed in 1923. The Museum’s feature exhibit “100 Years of Mill No. 3” delves into how Mill No. 3 served as the heartbeat of the Britannia community, its history, technological innovations, and impact as an icon of the Sea to Sky Corridor.
  
Mill No. 3 is also the feature story of the Museum’s BOOM! Show, an award-winning, live-action, sensory-thrilling, special effects show that takes you behind the scenes of this 100-year-old architectural marvel. BOOM! transports visitors back in time to the 1920s and 1930s when the Mine was booming as the largest copper producer in the British Commonwealth. 
 
Built from concrete and steel in 1923, Mill No. 3 is the third mill that was built at Britannia Beach. Its role as a processing plant was to move ore from the mining tunnels, using gravity to move ore from one level to the next, crushing and grinding the ore into valuable copper concentrate.
  
Some interesting facts about Mill No. 3:

  • It is 20-storeys high built of concrete and steel in 1923.
  • Despite being so tall, Mill No. 3 has no elevator so Mill workers had to climb more than 240 steps one way
  • It is Canada’s last remaining gravity-fed concentrator mill
  • At its peak in the early 1930s, Mill No. 3 was processing up to 7,000 U.S. tons of ore per operating day
  • In the 1930s, the Britannia Mine produced 17 per cent of the world’s copper, becoming the largest copper mine in the British Commonwealth
  • Mill No. 3 is historically significant in being the first in BC to successfully employ froth flotation process to extract upwards of 95 per cent of minerals from ore
  • The Mill also processed for zinc, lead, gold, silver, and cadmium
  • Dozens of TV shows and movies have been filmed in Mill No. 3 such as G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes, Okja, The Decedents 2, and Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
  • On November 20, 1987, Mill No. 3 was designated a National Historic Site.

 
Today, the Britannia Mine Museum continues to be awe-inspiring for museum visitors, providing unique and memorable experiences that engage visitors of all ages. Visitors can enjoy fun exhibits and crowd favourites like the Underground mine train, gold panning, the historic Mill building and its BOOM! special effects show, the minerals and gems gallery, the gift shop, and the Beaty Lundin Visitor Centre.

Full Schedule

May 20, 2023May 21, 2023May 22, 2023May 23, 2023May 24, 2023May 25, 2023May 26, 2023May 27, 2023May 28, 2023May 29, 2023May 30, 2023May 31, 2023June 01, 2023June 02, 2023June 03, 2023June 04, 2023June 05, 2023June 06, 2023June 07, 2023June 08, 2023June 09, 2023June 10, 2023June 11, 2023June 12, 2023June 13, 2023June 14, 2023June 15, 2023June 16, 2023June 17, 2023June 18, 2023June 19, 2023June 20, 2023June 21, 2023June 22, 2023June 23, 2023June 24, 2023June 25, 2023June 26, 2023June 27, 2023June 28, 2023June 29, 2023June 30, 2023July 01, 2023July 02, 2023July 03, 2023July 04, 2023July 05, 2023July 06, 2023July 07, 2023July 08, 2023July 09, 2023July 10, 2023July 11, 2023July 12, 2023July 13, 2023July 14, 2023July 15, 2023July 16, 2023July 17, 2023July 18, 2023July 19, 2023July 20, 2023July 21, 2023July 22, 2023July 23, 2023July 24, 2023July 25, 2023July 26, 2023July 27, 2023July 28, 2023July 29, 2023July 30, 2023July 31, 2023August 01, 2023August 02, 2023August 03, 2023August 04, 2023August 05, 2023August 06, 2023August 07, 2023August 08, 2023August 09, 2023August 10, 2023August 11, 2023August 12, 2023August 13, 2023August 14, 2023August 15, 2023August 16, 2023August 17, 2023August 18, 2023August 19, 2023August 20, 2023August 21, 2023August 22, 2023August 23, 2023August 24, 2023August 25, 2023August 26, 2023August 27, 2023August 28, 2023August 29, 2023August 30, 2023August 31, 2023September 01, 2023September 02, 2023September 03, 2023September 04, 2023September 05, 2023September 06, 2023September 07, 2023September 08, 2023September 09, 2023September 10, 2023September 11, 2023September 12, 2023September 13, 2023September 14, 2023September 15, 2023September 16, 2023September 17, 2023September 18, 2023September 19, 2023September 20, 2023September 21, 2023September 22, 2023September 23, 2023September 24, 2023September 25, 2023September 26, 2023September 27, 2023September 28, 2023September 29, 2023September 30, 2023October 01, 2023October 02, 2023October 03, 2023October 04, 2023October 05, 2023October 06, 2023October 07, 2023October 08, 2023October 09, 2023October 10, 2023October 11, 2023October 12, 2023October 13, 2023October 14, 2023October 15, 2023October 16, 2023October 17, 2023October 18, 2023October 19, 2023October 20, 2023October 21, 2023October 22, 2023October 23, 2023October 24, 2023October 25, 2023October 26, 2023October 27, 2023October 28, 2023October 29, 2023October 30, 2023October 31, 2023November 01, 2023November 02, 2023November 03, 2023November 04, 2023November 05, 2023

Experiences

Britannia Mine Museum

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Britannia Beach

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