Greenwood, British Columbia was once known as the “City of Tomorrow.” In the late 1890s, this small Boundary Country community was booming with banks, hotels, churches, and rapid construction along Copper Street.

In this episode of Tracks, Trails & Forgotten Tales, we explore Greenwood’s explosive growth, devastating fires, the historic courthouse, the post office built on the Pioneer Hotel site, and the city’s first recorded murder in 1900.

Today, Greenwood holds the title of Canada’s Smallest Incorporated City — but its history is anything but small.

New episodes every Friday.

Greenwood, British Columbia didn’t appear overnight.

In this opening episode of a multi-part series, Tracks, Trails & Forgotten Tales explores how Greenwood rose from wilderness into one of the Boundary Country’s most important early mining communities.

This episode sets the stage — the land, early trails, first settlements, and the conditions that made Greenwood possible. In the episodes that follow, we’ll dive deeper into the people, industries, fires, boom years, and defining moments that shaped Canada’s smallest incorporated city.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who shared personal stories and historical photos that helped bring this series to life.

🎙️ New episodes every Friday
📍 British Columbia history, ghost towns, and forgotten places

Phoenix, British Columbia was once known as Canada’s highest city — a booming copper mining town with hotels, churches, hockey teams, and thousands of residents.

When the mines closed in 1919, Phoenix emptied almost overnight.

Most people left.
Three men stayed.

In this episode of Tracks, Trails & Forgotten Tales, we share the haunting true story of the Three Bachelors of Phoenix BC — Robert “Bob” Denzler, Adolph “Forepaw” Sercu, and William Henry Bambury — the final residents of a town that refused to die quietly.

From Forepaw’s self-appointed role as mayor and lawman of an abandoned city, to Bambury’s diary describing sinking buildings and rising water, this episode explores what happened after everyone else walked away.

Today, Phoenix exists as a flooded open-pit mine, marked only by a cenotaph, cemetery, and scattered remnants of a once-thriving community.

This isn’t just the story of a ghost town —
it’s the story of the people who couldn’t let go.

🎙 Tracks, Trails & Forgotten Tales explores the lost places, hidden trails, and real stories of British Columbia — told where history happened.

👉 Follow the show for more BC ghost towns, mining history, and forgotten places.

Stay Curious. Stay Adventurous.

Canada’s Highest City… Gone Almost Overnight

High above British Columbia’s Boundary Country, a booming mining city once stood at 4,600 feet. Thousands of people lived here. Trains ran day and night. Copper poured out of the mountain. And then — almost overnight — it was gone.

In this episode of Tracks, Trails & Forgotten Tales, we explore the rise of Phoenix — once the highest incorporated city in Canada. Originally known as Greenwood Camp, Phoenix quickly grew into a modern mining city with railways, hotels, churches, schools, a hospital, and a thriving community built on copper.

Between 1909 and 1911, Phoenix shipped nearly half of all the crude copper mined in Canada. But after the First World War, falling copper prices and mine closures triggered a rapid and devastating collapse. Families packed up and left, many believing they would return.

They never did.

Today, all that remains of Phoenix is a First World War cenotaph, two historic graveyards, and a massive open pit carved into the mountain where a bustling city once stood.

🎧 This is Part 1 of our two-part series on Phoenix.
In Part 2, we tell the powerful story of the three men who stayed behind and lived on in a ghost town long after everyone else had gone.

#trackstrailsandtales #exploringdirt #ghosttowns #bchistory #abandonedmines #explorebc #adventurepodcast #phoenixbc#ghosttownsofbc#ghosttown#canadianhistory#bchistory#mininghistory#abandonedplaces#boundarycountry#canadaghosttowns#explorebc#forgottenhistory#historicaldocumentary#canadianmining#lostplaces#trackstrailsandforgottentales #history#historicplaces#ghosttown#historymatters#historypodcast#historic

Have you ever heard of Pheonix British Columbia? This was once a booming copper mining city located in the mountains above Greenwood British Columbia in the Boundry Country. Now a ghost town, once upon a time 2000 residents and all the amenities a busy city would need. Hotels, Saloons, Brothels homes and of course mines. Many mines that are still accessible today. We dive into the history of this amazing place Called Pheonix. Noted as once the highest city in Canada. This will be a 2 part series with part 1 airing on January 23rd @ 5PM

Power built this town — but at what cost?

In this episode of Tracks, Trails & Forgotten Tales, we explore the life and legacy of John Carmichael Haynes, one of the most powerful figures in the early history of Osoyoos and the South Okanagan.

Arriving in British Columbia during the gold rush, Haynes rose quickly through the ranks as a constable, customs officer, magistrate, judge, and government agent. He helped establish early border control, enforced colonial law across vast regions, and built what became the largest ranch in the South Okanagan — earning the title “The Cattle King.”

But Haynes’ story is not a simple pioneer tale.

We examine how power, land, and colonial policy shaped the Okanagan, including the displacement of Indigenous peoples, reserve reductions, and the long-term consequences that still echo today. From the rise of cattle ranching as the region’s first major industry to the dramatic collapse of the Haynes Ranch after his death, this episode looks at the foundations — and the costs — of settlement.

This is a story of ambition, authority, and legacy — and why understanding it matters.

🎧 New episodes exploring British Columbia’s hidden history, lost places, and forgotten stories.

#trackstrailsandtales #exploringdirt #ghosttowns #bchistory #abandonedmines #explorebc #adventurepodcast#GoldRushEra#CattleRanching#ColonialHistory#IndigenousHistory#ForgottenHistory#TracksTrailsForgottenTales#goldrush#JohnCarmichaelHaynes#OsoyoosHistory#SouthOkanagan#BritishColumbiaHistory#HaynesRanch#CanadianHistory#historic#historicplaces#abandoned#bchistory#goldtrailsandghosttowns#johnhaynes#haynesranch#historylovers#historicplaces#goldrushjudges

Season 2 Episode 2 airs this week! Check out the trailer here!

Today marks 61 years since one of the most tragic events in Canadian history — the Hope Slide.

In the early morning hours of January 9, 1965, Canada’s largest and most destructive landslide forever changed the landscape near Hope, British Columbia. More importantly, it claimed the lives of four young people: Mary Kalmakoff, Bernie Lloyd Beck, Dennis Arlitt, and Thomas Starchuk.

This episode focuses on the human stories behind the tragedy — the people who were travelling that night, the lives lost, and the lasting impact left on families, communities, and the province itself. While the physical scar on the mountainside is still visible today, the personal loss remains the most powerful legacy of the Hope Slide.

The death toll could have been far higher if not for Norman Stephanishin, whose actions helped warn others travelling the highway that night, preventing further loss of life.

This episode serves as Season 2, Episode 1 of Tracks, Trails & Forgotten Tales and sets the tone for the season ahead — deeply researched British Columbia history, told through the lives of the people who lived it.

#hopeslide #hopeslide1965 #canadianhistory #britishcolumbiahistory #canadaslargestlandslide

#historictragedy #remembering #inmemory #neverforgotten #hopebc

#historypodcast #storytelling #documentary #truehistory #educational

#bcstories #canadahistory #trackstrailsandforgottentales #season2

Season 2 of Tracks, Trails & Forgotten Tales premieres January 9th! 🎉We’re diving deeper into the forgotten history of British Columbia, exploring infamous judges, early settlers, ghost towns, and once thriving communities now fading back into the land.From abandoned trails to lost towns, each episode uncovers the stories, people, and places that helped shape BC and Canada as we know it today.If you love Canadian history, ghost towns, hidden places, and stories time nearly erased—this season is for you.Follow along as we bring British Columbia’s past to life, one trail at a time.🎧 New episodes coming soon.#TracksTrailsAndForgottenTales#BritishColumbiaHistory#CanadianHistory#GhostTownsBC#ForgottenHistory#HiddenHistory#LostCommunities#AbandonedPlaces#HistoricCanada#BCGhostTowns#HistoryPodcast#ExploreBC#OffTheBeatenPath#ForgottenTrails#PodcastShorts

Fairview, BC — a booming gold town that rose fast… and vanished just as quickly.In this episode of Tracks, Trails & Forgotten Tales, we explore the incredible (and tragic) history of Fairview, once the South Okanagan’s busiest mining town. Today, only a few traces remain, but its stories still echo across the hills above Oliver, BC.Fairview was named for its “fair view” of the valley, and at its peak it was home to thriving mines, busy streets, ranches supplying food by horse and wagon, and a population full of hope for the future. But everything changed after the devastating Fairview Hotel fire, a tragedy that took four lives and marked the beginning of the town’s rapid decline.We walk you through:✔️ The rise of Fairview’s gold rush and its profitable mines✔️ Daily life in the booming frontier town✔️ The ranches and farms that kept Fairview fed✔️ The Fairview Hotel fire and the heartbreaking human stories behind it✔️ How the town emptied almost overnight once the gold was gone✔️ What still remains of Fairview today✔️ The story of “The Blasted Church” and its explosive connection to the townsiteWhether you're a BC history lover, a ghost town explorer, or an adventurer who loves forgotten places, this episode brings Fairview’s past back to life.🏔️ Join us as we uncover the lost stories buried beneath the South Okanagan hills.
Now streaming on:🎥 YouTube – full video episodes & highlights🎙 Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeartRadio & Apple Podcasts – audio episodes on the go.📍 What to expect:Ghost towns like Phoenix, Sandon & GreenwoodThe historic Kettle Valley RailwayAbandoned mines, smelters & pioneer trailsOutdoor adventure: camping, hiking & exploring BC’s backroads👉 Don’t forget to subscribe, like, and hit the bell 🔔 to join us on every journey into the past.Stay Curious. Stay Adventurous.Tracks, Trails & Forgotten Tales.Follow On Our Social media:💟Website:www.exploring-dirt-with-dan-carm.com 💟Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/exploring_dirt_with_dan/💟Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1169911258173771/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT☕ Support and help FUEL the adventure and help us keep exploring!Buy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/exploringdirtPayPal: https://www.paypal.me/exploringdirt👍 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more Canadian adventures, abandoned places, and off-the-beaten-path stories.#trackstrailsandtales #exploringdirt #ghosttowns #bchistory #abandonedmines #explorebc #adventurepodcast#trackstrailsandtales #exploringdirt #ghosttowns #bchistory #abandonedmines #explorebc #adventurepodcast #kaledenhotel #kaledenbc #okanaganhistory #bchistory #historicplacesbc #heritageconservation #okanaganvalley #historicruins #abandonedplacesbc #saveourhistory #preserveourpast #heritageat risk #historicbuildingsbc #skahalake #southokanagan #bcokanagan #visitbc #canadianhistory #travelbritishcolumbia #historypodcast #canadianpodcast #bcpodcast #newpodcastepisode #podcastlife #historylovers #architecturelovers #oldbuildingcharm #ruinsofhistory#podcast