Vavenby

History

Franklin Allingham was the first European resident in the upper North Thompson valley before the railway arrived. He homesteaded a 400 acre piece of land around 1886 on the north side of the North Thompson River. This location is approximately two kilometres from the present day township.

In 1910, the original postmaster Daubney Pridgeon suggested that the settlement be named after his birthplace Navenby but the postal authorities misread his handwriting and the settlement was named Vavenby.

Economic history

The economy in the community continues to heavily reflect that of the lumber industry. The two mills Weyerhaeuser and Slocan-Canfor were positioned side by side on the north side of the river until, in 2002, Weyerhaeuser shut down its Vavenby operation choosing to focus on other locations in western Canada. This resulted in a significant depletion of employment in the region and a rapid population reduction. Weyerhaeuser retained logging rights in the area, keeping the local loggers and foresters employed. In 2004, a finger jointing mill proposed purchase of the Weyerhaeuser, Vavenby mill property and was scheduled to begin production, but the company went bankrupt before the plant became fully operational. The region has been showing signs of economic recovery though. The Canfor mill which had been indefinitely closed in 2009 due to poor market conditions reopened in September 2011 after $24 million in capital upgrades, and in January 2012 it added a second shift for a total of 145 jobs restored to the local region. Closing yet again in 2019 leaving the town with little economy. Yellow Head Mining Corp began exploration in 2007 of the Harper Creek Mine project sited on Harper Mountain approximately 10 km south of town. The Environmental Assessment stage continued through 2013. Yellow Head Mining Corp also purchased the old Weyerhaeuser mill site as an ore handling facility in 2012.

Climate

|Jan record high C = 12.8 |Feb record high C = 15.6 |Mar record high C = 22.8 |Apr record high C = 32.8 |May record high C = 37.8 |Jun record high C = 37.8 |Jul record high C = 41.1 |Aug record high C = 38.3 |Sep record high C = 35.0 |Oct record high C = 26.1 |Nov record high C = 20.0 |Dec record high C = 15.0 |year record high C = 41.1 |Jan record low C = -46.1 |Feb record low C = -41.1 |Mar record low C = -31.7 |Apr record low C = -16.1 |May record low C = -7.2 |Jun record low C = -3.3 |Jul record low C = 0.6 |Aug record low C = -1.7 |Sep record low C = -8.3 |Oct record low C = -19.0 |Nov record low C = -32.0 |Dec record low C = -41.7 |year record low C = -46.1

References

References

2. [http://ntvalley.com/vavenby/ Vavenby]
3. Akrigg, G.P.V.. (1986). "British Columbia Place Names". UBC Press.
4. Staff writer. (4 December 2011). "Canfor-Vavenby starts second shift". Clearwater Times.
5. "Calculation Information for 1981 to 2010 Canadian Normals Data". Environment Canada.