Brookmere, British Columbia

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Brookmere
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settlement_type = Locality
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = CAN
subdivision_type1 = Province
subdivision_name1 = British Columbia
subdivision_type2 = Regional district
subdivision_name2 = Thompson-Nicola
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government_type = Unincorporated Settlement
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timezone = PST
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latd=49 |latm=49 |lats=05 |latNS=N
longd=120 |longm=52 |longs=30 |longEW=W
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area_code = 250
blank_name = Highways
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Brookmere, British Columbia is an unincorporated settlement near the Nicola Valley in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District. It is reached by the recently paved Coldwater Rd. from Merritt or from Exit 256 on the Coquihalla Highway. It can also be reached via gravel road from Aspen Grove or Tulameen.

History

Brookmere was founded as a divisional point on the Kettle Valley Railway and the Great Northern controlled VV&E shortly after 1916 when the KVR line was extended through the Coquihalla Pass to Hope. Because the Great Northern never operated trains as planned on the line, the VV&E facilities at Brookmere (besides the station) were never built [Burrows, R.G. 1984. Railway Mileposts of British Columbia. Volume II. The Southern Routes from the Crowsnest to the Coquihalla. ISBN 0-9690617-1-4 ] . It was originally named Otter Summit. The settlement and the nearby lake and creek that feeds the settlement's water supply were named after Harry Brook, a rancher that worked the surrounding land before WWI.

The town had many buildings from the KVR and VV&E era, such as a water tower, turntable, three stall roundhouse (replaced with a 4 stall one when an engine's boiler exploded in 1947), section house and a unique Great Northern designed station that was situated between the KVR and planned VV&E yards. Unfortunately many buildings have been lost to fire, such as the roundhouse, which consisted of a turntable and several buildings for steam engines.

Community

The village has a few permanent residents, with the majority of the residencies used as vacation or summer homes. A community water supply was built in 1998? from a small dam on Brook Creek, but the water is not potable and must be boiled to prevent waterborne illnesses such as Giardia. There is no community septic system. There is a yearly Brookmere Community Meeting in the old schoolhouse where community topics are discussed. There are no services or stores in the village.

Recreation

The railbed of the now defunct Kettle Valley Railway, which runs down the center of the town, is now a linear parkway and part of the Trans Canada Trail section between Hope and Princeton.

The area is also popular with ATV and motorcycle enthusiasts in summer, and snowmobiles in winter. The Coldwater Rd has been used several times as a transit section for the Mountain Trials Rally, headquartered in Merritt.

References