| History of Chase The first settlers in the South Thompson area were the Shuswap- a corruption of Secwepmc which means, “The beginning of a spill-over from a big lake.” There are presently three bands in the area. The Neskonlith four km. West of Chase, The Adams Lake across the Thompson River from Chase and The Little River ten km. East of Chase. Whitfield Chase who was born in 1820 to the famous Chase Family left Otego, New York March 25th 1852 and arrived at Fort Townsend Sept. 24th 1852. In 1853-54 after Chases sailing partner drowned, Chase moved to Victoria playing his trade as a carpenter. By July 1857 Whitfield was back at Port Townsend. In 1859 Whitfield wrote home, “I may visit California or I may return to the States or I may go to the gold diggings towards the head waters of those streams which flow into the Fraser’s River.” Whitfield by 1862 was prospecting up the South Thompson River but by the fall of 1864 returned to Kamloops after a stint in Barkerville determined to go farming. Whitfield married the eldest daughter of Chief Synsetid the Neskonlith Chief in 1865 and took over James Todd’s 460 acres at the foot of ‘lesser Shuswap Lake.’ By 1884 when the C.P.R. arrived Whitfield had amassed 1330 acres with 550 cattle, 30 horses and five teams, as well a huge garden and orchard. Elizabeth bore four boys and six daughters for Whitfield between; 1869-1892. Whitfield died in 1896, and Elizabeth in 1907. Both are buried in the Chase graveyard. Marcus Chase, Whitfield’s eldest living son ran the ranch eventually leasing 68.8 acres in November 1906 the Adams River Lumber Company. The settling the Town site in 1907. Marcus died in 1908. The Adams River Lumber company was formed July 2, 1907 by J.P McGoldrick president of the McGoldrick Lumber Company of Spokane Washington along with A.J Lammers, a well known Minnesta Lumberman. The Mill started up in 1908 and started selling the town site, the first lot purchased by George Price May 5th 1908. The town had running water, telephone, electricity, as well a government in the form of The Chase and District Central Board of Trade. The town had a fire hall, band, baseball team (s), opera house, movie theatre, hospital, hotels, churches, bank, stores, and restaurants. The Mill was considered the largest in the Interior of BC and the third largest in the province. The Mill ran from 1908-1925 cutting 30 million feet in 1910 averaging 175,000 feet in a ten hour shift, employing approximately 300 men. The stack was the tallest on any mill in BC beings 184 feet high. Life after the Big Mill in 1952- WW2 After Adams River Lumber Company closed the Big Mill various smaller mills ran in the formers location right up to 2005. The village carried on as the town had electricity, telephone, running water, the Chase Board of Trade, to go along with the best climate in the world. Then in 1939 Canada declared war on Germany and most of the men went to serve their country. 1945 saw the return of the veterans who picked up their lives again working at the new Adams Lake Sawmill located at the south end of the Adams Lake, various mills on the Chase site and fishing comes. The village voted to incorporate in 1969; the largest driving force was to get clean water. With the Incorporation of the village of Chase came the first Mayor, Mayor Alex Brown. The streets were paved, the water system updated, a sewage system implemented and more recently the Art Holding Memorial Arena was built. The present Mayor is Mayor Harry Danyluk. The village is now looking to the future with plans for its 100 year anniversary of the creation of the town site in 2008.
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