Submitted by the Agassiz-Harrison Historical Society
Mount Woodside was known as “the mountain” prior to the Second World War. It was named after Frank Everett Woodside (1874-1964), who came from a family of farmers in Prince Edward Island.
At the age of 16 he left home and worked for two years in silver and lead mines in Colorado before moving to the Kootenays in 1896.
While mining there he served as secretary of the Western Federation of Miners from 1900 to 1902.
He moved to Vancouver where he sold insurance and real estate and was an alderman for sixteen years.
Frank was instrumental in founding the BC Chamber of Mines and was involved in BC mining for his entire working life.
Daphne Sleigh reported in her writings, “he was one of the founders of the mining school in 1922 and later as the first paid manager of the Chamber of Mines in 1928, a position he relinquished at the age of 86 after a fall.”
He kept his membership in the Association of Mining and Mineral Explorations of BC his entire life.
Frank and associates became owners of twelve claims along the railway line at the foot of the mountain around 1930.
There were showings of copper and zinc but no silver or gold.
Frank built a cabin on the mountain with beautiful views of the Fraser River, Mt. Baker and the Chilliwack peaks.
He spent weekends there for many years and really enjoyed this property.
In 1958 he told a reporter that he had a cabin on a mountain that bears his name near Harrison.
Frank married Edna Kennedy, who was the owner/operator of a small store and gas station from 1930 to 1949 at Kennedy’s Corner in Harrison Mills.
The original road over Mt. Woodside used to be very steep and rough.
Frank had built a staircase from this road up to his cabin.
When the road became a highway a new approach to this property was completed.