Avola, British Columbia
Avola, British Columbia
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Avola, British Columbia

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Avola, British Columbia

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Avola, British Columbia

Avola is an unincorporated community in the Thompson region of eastern British Columbia. The former ferry site is on the west shore of the North Thompson River immediately north of the mouth of Avola Creek. Off BC Highway 5, the locality is by road about 190 kilometres (118 mi) northeast of the Kamloops and 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Blue River.

The general area, which stretched about 26 kilometres (16 mi), had been known as Stillwater Flat for 50 years prior to the new station being named in 1913 by the Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR) after the Sicilian town of Avola. Since the opening of the post office that year equally demanded a unique name to avoid confusion with the Stillwater one elsewhere, it is unclear who was the prime instigator of the new name. The earliest newspaper reference to the name was August 1913.

Harry F. Hardy, who arrived in the general area in 1909, drove the Chu Chua–Vavenby stage 1911–1913, which sometimes extended as far as Wire Cache. W.C. (Charlie) Fowler, who opened the first store, was the inaugural postmaster 1913–1938. Charlie's brother Edmund (Ed) partnered in the store (on the western side of the track opposite the station and immediately south of the settlement which later developed).

By the early 1920s, a community hall existed. In 1925, Eva Lawrence was the inaugural teacher and the school was housed in a building moved from Wire Cache. About this time, Charlie Fowler built Avola House, a hotel/boarding house. A 1928 fire destroyed the general store.

The new log community hall opened in 1937, and Avola House closed two years later.

In 1941, a new school building opened, and fire destroyed the general store. In 1949, a teacherage was erected. Across the road from the general store, the former Avola House burned down the following year.

The community hall was renovated during 1959 and 1960.

A 1962 fire destroyed the general store. In 1967, the BCTel exchange opened. The next year, the Topaze Restaurant opened. Also that year, when BC Hydro transmission lines introduced electricity to the area, the four diesel generators supplying Avola were decommissioned.

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