GREENWOOD, BRITISH COLUMBIA Recreating the Old West Fort Greenwood RV Park is making history new again by TANYA LAING MOORE
HISTORIC SETTING: Everything old is new again at Fort Greenwood RV Park. —photo courtesy Fort Greenwood RV Park
Bryan and Marilyn Bell—along with their son Shaun—have spent two years working to create a permanent RV development that is appealing to investors looking for a place in history—or at least, a place in a historic setting.
Fort Greenwood RV Park, located at Greenwood southern B.C. between Osoyoos and Grand Forks, is an Old West-themed development that is attracting RVers seeking a unique and appealing home away from home.
“It doesn’t come along very often,” said Bryan, speaking of the opportunity. “We’ve got a complete restoration of a historic city happening right here in B.C. All the buildings are being redone, repainted and renovated. We’ve got women and men dressing up in period costume in the summertime.”
Bryan said the impetus behind the development was a desire to bring some of the region’s history to life, invigorate the local economy and offer RVers a chance at purchasing a lot for a very reasonable price.
“We saw that a lot of people were interested in history, but there’s no real place where you can get right into it,” said Bryan. “So we thought, why not build a place where people can be part of living history.”
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Since the idea’s inception, Bryan and his family have been working almost non-stop in order to bring the heritage town to life. Besides the recreated and restored historical buildings, the Bells have added a collection of chuckwagons, antique saddles and other interesting artifacts, and are currently negotiating to acquire a collection of Chinese miners’ artifacts.
The city of Greenwood itself is a historic site that teetered on the edge of becoming a ghost town during the First World War when the price of metals mined in the area plummeted. During the Second World War, 1,200 Japanese Canadians were interred in the area, bringing dubious new life to the local economy. The community has seen the benefits of a newly invigorated mining industry and now an influx of RVers interested in the region’s history and unique setting.
There are 65 RV sites available at Fort Greenwood RV Park, and Bryan said early feedback has been extremely positive.
“People love the Old West,” said Bryan. “We even have people from Europe who have bought sites here.”
