Photo: Sean Phillips
From silver claims to ski village
The history of SilverStar
How a mining claim on Aberdeen Mountain became one of B.C.’s most colourful ski villages.
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SilverStar’s story runs from berry-picking grounds and silver prospectors to ski pioneers and World Cup racers. Here are the milestones, checked against the Greater Vernon Museum, the Sovereign Lake Nordic Club, the Regional District of North Okanagan and the resort itself.
A short timeline
- According to the Silver Star Mountain Museum, the mountain’s history reaches back centuries to Indigenous use as a summer ground for hunting and berry picking.
- The Silver Star Mining Company stakes the mountain’s first recorded mining claim, with Okanagan rancher Cornelius O’Keefe as president. Locals then knew the peak as Aberdeen Mountain, after Lord Aberdeen, Governor General from 1893 to 1898.
- Bert Thorburn and Tini Ryan make the first ski ascent to the summit.
- The Silver Star Ski Club forms, with Carl Wylie as president, and holds its first downhill race in December.
- Silver Star Provincial Park is created, according to the Sovereign Lake Nordic Club’s history.
- Aberdeen Mountain is officially renamed Silver Star Mountain.
- Norm Crerar starts a volunteer fire department for the growing village; it is formally set up under a regional bylaw in 1996.
- Riders start building the SilverStar Bike Park, which is still “built by riders for riders” today.
- Sovereign Lake hosts FIS World Cup cross-country racing on December 10 and 11.
- The Masters World Cup brings about 1,130 cross-country skiers from 23 countries.
- A year-round village with a volunteer-run mountain museum in four locations.
The Silver Star Mountain Museum
The museum is a partnership between the resort, the Greater Vernon Museum and Archives and the mountain community, and it’s run entirely by volunteers. You’ll find displays in:
- Chilcoot Lodge lobby
- Pinnacles Suites lobby and lounge
- Vance Creek Gallery, on the Vance Creek Hotel stairway from Main Street
- The Lookout, the forest fire lookout at the top of the gondola (summer only)
The museum also runs talks on the mountain’s history and nature through the year.
Sean’s vintage-style posters
Sean’s poster art borrows the look of old railway travel posters. They’re artwork, not historical documents.
Photos and art: Sean Phillips. Tap any photo to see it large and swipe through.
Sources
- Greater Vernon Museum and Archives: Silver Star Mining Company and Silver Star’s pioneers (vernonmuseum.ca)
- Sovereign Lake Nordic Club history (sovereignlake.com)
- Regional District of North Okanagan, Silver Star fire protection (rdno.ca)
- SilverStar Mountain Resort: history, bike park and museum pages (skisilverstar.com)
Quick answers
Why is it called Silver Star?
The name goes back to mining. The Silver Star Mining Company staked the mountain’s first recorded mining claim in 1896. Settlers had called the peak Aberdeen Mountain, after Lord Aberdeen, Canada’s Governor General from 1893 to 1898; it was officially renamed Silver Star Mountain in 1952.
When did skiing start at Silver Star?
The first ski ascent to the summit was made in 1921 by Bert Thorburn and Tini Ryan. The Silver Star Ski Club formed in 1938, and its first downhill race was held that December.
Is there a museum at SilverStar?
Yes. The volunteer-run Silver Star Mountain Museum has displays in the Chilcoot Lodge lobby, the Pinnacles Suites lobby and lounge, the Vance Creek Hotel stairway gallery and, in summer, the old forest fire lookout at the top of the gondola.
Decided SilverStar is the place?
When you’re ready to own a piece of the mountain
This guide is about life up here. Sean’s other SilverStar site, Real Estate SilverStar, is for people who have made up their minds: every home for sale, building-by-building reports, ski-in/ski-out scores, strata fees and the real costs of owning. Curious about the buildings themselves? Each one has a building report.