Crofton - A Lumber, Mining and Mill Town in Canada

March 4th, 2009 Categories: Random Topics

Crofton, NOT Maryland -

Caught your attention, did I? We’ve all read and heard about the agricultural roots of Crofton, Maryland, and communities throughout Western Anne Arundel County. And it sure seems that Crofton, Kentucky, which I visited and wrote about last summer, has an agricultural heritage. Well, that’s not true of Crofton, in the Vancouver Islands of British Columbia, Canada.

That Crofton was named after Australian native Henry Croft, a lumber and mining magnate who invested profits from his Mount Sicker mine in a nearby town site in 1902. Since his mine was producing more copper ore than railway cars could load and haul to the ports of Ladysmith and Nanaimo, he wanted to build a new copper smelter there and provide housing for workers. Within a few years, however, copper prices plummeted and the mine closed in 1908, making fishing and logging the primary industries.

Crofton BC Old School House Museum It was nearly half a century later when a large pulp and paper mill was built near Crofton. With today’s decline of the print media, demand for their paper is down and layoffs are occurring at the mill. While the region faces new challenges to its economy, one local real estate agent says that odor from the paper mill is less than pleasant and helps suppress property values in Crofton. He seems to feel that Crofton would not only survive closing of the mill but perhaps be a more desirable place to live in the long run. Of couse, that’s little comfort to those whose livelihood is negatively impacted by this economy. (Photo: Old School House Museum)

As to living there, here’s some information about Crofton real estate today: The lowest price home in the area is a 4–bedroom mobile home at $97,500 and the highest priced home is a 1600–sq. ft. 3 bedroom home on 1.6 acres at $515,000. Crofton’s newest water-view community offers 1300 sq. ft. duplexes at just under $300,000. For more information about Crofton area real estate, visit Realtor.CA, where I found these listings.

Crofton BC Ferry Terminal According to BritishColumibia.com, Crofton is located off the Trans-Canada Highway 1, on the southeast coast of Vancouver Island, 5 miles north of Maple Bay and 7 miles south of Chamainus. A 20–minute ferry ride connects Crofton with Saltspring Island, the largest, most populated, and most visited of the Gulf Islands chain. (Photo: Crofton Ferry Terminal.)

There seems to be plenty to do when you visit Crofton, B.C. in Canada, whether it’s a visit to Saltspring Island, Osborn Bay, the Forestry Museum, the Old School House Museum (pictured above), the Japanase Garden, or the Somenos Marsh Wildlife Museum. You’ll also find golf, swimming, fishing, hiking, and lots of wildlife and birds to watch. I encourage you to click on Crofton, British Columbia for more details and help in planning your visit to our northern Crofton sister.

News item: Catalyst Shuts Mills (in Crofton and Campbell River)

About Crofton, Kentucky:

SEARCH HOMES IN CROFTON, MARYLAND