The original building on the site was the
Post House, built on the north side of the highway in 1867 and moved to its present site in 1892. From 1875 until June of 1885 the building was operated as the "108 Hotel" by Agnus MacVee, Jim MacVee, and her brother-in-law Al Riley. Also in 1867 a log shed was built on the north side of the highway and moved to the present site in 1880, becoming the
Store & Telegraph office.
Further additions in 1880 were the
Ice House and a Blacksmith Shop. The
Small Log Barn was added in 1892, as was the wood framed
Blacksmith Shop and the
Bunkhouse. In 1903 the site was bought by Captain Geoffrey Lancelot Watson and in 1904 this ceased to be a Roadhouse and stopping place when Captain Watson turned it into a ranch, raising purebred Clydesdale horses and Highland Cattle. In 1908 the large
Clydesdale Barn was erected. This log barn is valued as the largest log barn left in Canada.
Just east of that big barn is a metal roofed pavilion, open all around and covered with large mesh wire fencing. Inside are displayed a portable sawmill, a McCormick Deering WD9 tractor and this Mack B-61. The B series was produced by Mack Trucks between 1953 and 1966 in both single and tandem axle models, as both trucks and tractors. Gasoline engines were available for the B-61, but most units came with diesels, the 185 hp, 540 cubic inch, EN540 being the standard diesel. This restored unit was a logging truck, having its log trailer atop for display. The B series could be had with one of three transmissions, a 5X2, a 5X3 and a 5X4.
The writer drove a B-61 in an earlier life. It had the ENT540 Mack diesel and a 5 and 4 transmission, giving 16 useable forward speeds. He remembers the B-61 as an unusually solid feeling tractor. Nothing rattled and shook though, when bobtailing, it felt like the unit was completely unsprung.
Here's how the 108 Mile House Heritage Site came to be.
The beginning was 1969 and we were called the 108 Mile ‘Recreational’ Ranch. The developer, Block Brothers Realty, had a vision to create an ‘outdoor playground’, a five stage 26,800 acre seasonal recreational resort. The Agricultural Land Reserve prevented the last four stages from proceeding, but luckily much of the recreational infrastructure had been put in place first. We are now 1,140 permanent homes at the 108, with a population of approx 2,900. The treasure of it is that we have recreational facilities for a development of about 7,000 homes. The developers are gone and we now control our own destiny through our 108 Mile Ranch Community Association.
From 108 Ranch
In 1979 the Block Brothers sold the seven acre site to the 100 Mile House Historical Society for $1, it took over the 108 Mile House Heritage Site and continues to operate it today.