 
| Walhachin |
The name Walhachin comes from a Thompson Indian word meaning "land of the round rock".
Not much remains today of the once glamorous Walhachin. It started in 1907 with an American land surveyor named Charles Barnes. Barnes was working out of Ashcroft and had the idea of building a colony and planting thousands of acres of vegetables and orchards on the surrounding land. The idea was promoted to well-born Englishmen and a company was formed to build houses and manage the estates for a modest fee. In 1908 the town site was laid out, plots sold, 35,000 seedling fruit trees planted, and 200 people settled in the new community.
The "upper-class" immigrants lived a life of leisure and luxury, enjoying cricket, hunting, and tennis. Music recitals and dances were held at the community hall, which boasted the springiest floor in the province.
By 1912 the town was well established with three laundries, a bakery, general store, barber, butcher shop, dairy, livery stable, ladies store, two insurance offices and a post office.
Chinese workers were hired to tend the orchards, which were watered by flumes carrying water from Deadman's creek, 20 miles away. Record harvests of the potatoes, tomatoes and onions that were grown as filler crops between the trees were reported in early years. The flume, however, was extremely costly to build and maintain. This, combined with freight problems and competition with the US where costs were lower, made the estates unprofitable. The final straw was in 1914 when war broke out. Ninety-seven of the one hundred and seven men enlisted with the Canadian or British forces. The few men and women that remained could not maintain the orchards and flume. Many of the men were killed in war and those who did return found the colony in hopeless disrepair. By 1922 all had packed up their belongings and left.
Today the remains of the flumes are still visible along the hillside by the highway, and a few apple trees still grow and bear fruit. Surrounded by ranches and hobby farms, some of the original homes remain on the town site.
Walhachin has been used as a filming location for movies, including the television series "The X-Files."
Recreational activities include swimming, canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and hang gliding. Near by Juniper Beach Provincial Park provides camping and access to the Thompson River, known for its trout fishing with rainbows weighing between two and four pounds.
Population: 100
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