The Flourmill Volcanoes became a political scandal in 1963. Clearwater Timber Products, the major employer in Clearwater, wanted logging rights in Wells Gray Park. Rebuffed in several direct attempts, the company instead purchased a beach estate on Vancouver Island from the Rath family for $186,000, then offered it to the provincial government in exchange for permission to log in Wells Gray Park. The government created Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park from this arrangement, today one of British Columbia's most popular parks, and gave Clearwater Timber logging rights on 137 km2 around The Flourmills. The company built a road along the west bank of the Clearwater River to access this forest tract and during the next six years removed 6.8 million cubic feet of timber, valued at $1.6 million. The deal was cancelled by the NDP government after it was elected in 1972. Later, the bridge at the Mahood River was removed, preventing access to The Flourmills from the east. The volcanoes and the areas surrounding were added to the park in 1986, simultaneously to the addition of Trophy Mountain and the removal of the Pendleton Lakes from the park.