Mural #22 Lenora Mines at Mt. Sicker

On May 16, 1897, Harry Smith and a partner staked the famous Lenora claim, named after Smith's only daughter. That began the development of Mt. Sicker as a copper mining centre. The price of copper was high, and two other companies opened mines in the area.

The town of Mt. Sicker grew to a population of 400, and the community enjoyed such facilities as an interdenominational church, a school, and an opera house. The Lenora mine continued in operation until 1907, when copper prices plummeted and a number of smelters closed down. Less than a year later, the mine's assets were seized by the sheriff. By November of 1908, Mt. Sicker was all but a ghost town. Virtually nothing remains of the townsite today.

It is pictured here, in three panels, in its heyday, when labour was deserting more stable communities like Chemainus for the possibility of a fast fortune in the growing mining industry.