History of Chase

The village of Chase was named after Whitfield Chase, one of the original non-native settlers who remained in the area. Whitfield Chase came from New York State, eventually reaching Shuswap Prairie (Chase) in 1865. Whitfield married a young Shuswap woman named Persoons, and together they produced a family which they raised on their large ranch.

The Canadian Pacific Railway was constructed through the valley in 1884.

In 1906 the Adams River Lumber Company leased 72 acres for a mill site, and in 1907 purchased property from the Chase family for a townsite which transformed the small farming community into a growing company town. The Adams Lake Lumber Company began production in 1908 and operated until 1925.