There are two murals in 100 Mile House that showcase the beauty of the South Cariboo and its history: the Canim Lake Falls mural and the Lac La Hache mural.
The Canim Lake Falls mural is located near the west side of Birch Avenue, near Fourth Street, around the corner from other mural scenes that reflect the Canim Lake community. The mural was painted by Williams Lake-area artist Dwayne Davis in 2012, and the mural is considered to be an eye-catcher.
The mural depicts the Canim Lake-Mahood Lake Falls, a 25-metre tall waterfall on the Canim River between Canim Lake and Mahood Lake - which is located at the southwestern tip of Wells Grey Provincial Park. The waterfall has eroded steadily upstream and created a four-kilometer-long canyon cut into a lava plateau associated with the Wells Grey-Clearwater volcanic field, which is a potentially active volcanic field in east-central British Columbia.
As for the Lac La Hache mural, it is located at the west wall of a now abandoned business that used to be called the Town Antiques store. The mural is based on an old photograph - and was coloured in sepia, a unique colour when it comes to murals in 100 Mile House. It is a two-part mural, depicting a snapshot of Secewepemc culture - showing Indigenous peoples of the area drying fish there. The mural is dedicated to the First Nations people who first resided in the land now known as the South Cariboo.
The LLH mural was made in 2008 and was funded by Joanne Wood of Talk of the Town.
Ruth Peterson, the former president of the 100 Mile House Mural Society, says that the Canim Lake Falls mural was done in conjunction with other murals in the area.
"The mural was done in conjunction with the front-facing mural in honour of Canim Lake and people key to the area."
Peterson says that she would often visit the Canim Lake Falls many times growing up in the South Cariboo.
"My mother was an avid berry picker and we often went for the entire day to pick huckleberries in that area."
There is no plaque on the Canim Lake mural, however - despite plans from the mural society to create one.
"Unfortunately, time and money were not always on our side," Peterson explained."It is a very iconic landmark, however, and information from other sources is readily available."
As for the Lac La Hache Canoe Island mural, the reason for its sepia colour is because of artistic decisions by Dwayne Davis and the then-owner of the business.
"In this case, Dwayne Davis worked closely with the building owner so they would have mutually agreed on the chosen colour scheme," stated Peterson.
Much like the mural on the Canim Lake Falls, there is no plaque describing the Lac la Hache/Canoe Island mural. Peterson says that there was no information at the time to prepare a plaque.
"It was simply a great historical photo that we thought deserved attention."
