formed the North Thompson Land Settlement Company. He had a townsite surveyed at Heffley Creek close to the railway station where he planned to sell small farms from in size. Few of the dreams materialized, however, and he continued to farm the land he owned. After his death in 1918 his son-in-law, E.J. Webb, operated the ranch for many years. In 1913, Kamloops' pioneer Chinese resident, Ah Mee, purchased a farm at the north end of Heffley Creek Canyon. He owned it until his death in 1926. By 1912 Heffley Creek had become the centre of a thriving agriculture district. That October the community hosted the first North Thompson Exhibition in its exhibition building, called Union Hall. It was a successful event that featured agricultural exhibits, a sports program of various track events, as well as a turkey shoot and tug of war. The evening concert in the hall employed Kamloops Mayor J.T. Robinson as master of ceremonies. The community hall was called Union Hall because it was used as a meeting hall, reading room, social hall and church. The hotel was now called the "Gold Ridge Temperance Hotel" which meant it didn't have a liquor licence. The village had long distance telephone service at the general store even though it didn't have residential electricity until 1929. The population of the district grew to about three hundred during the 1920s and 1930s. 1931-1940 In 1931 a group of Kamloops businessmen made another attempt at dredging gold at the creek. This time, perhaps with improved technology, the dredge paid for itself until disaster struck. On June 5 the dredge broke away from its moorings and drifted downstream. When it struck a small island the dredge overturned and the operator, Henry Stevens, and his son had to swim for their lives. They were marooned on the island overnight before the police arrived from Kamloops to rescue them. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough profit from the operation to repair the dredge and start again. In 1939 Charles McGillivray 'bought part of the old Edwards ranch, now called the Webb Ranch, and turned it into a large 'market vegetable farm. It adjoined onto the Department of National Defense property to the south, now the Rayleigh jail. 1941-present There was another serious incident in May 1948. This was a record flood year, and the enormous runoff caused the earth dam at Devick Lake to give way.