Hidden treasures and a not so hidden one

Published 12:30 pm Thursday, August 21, 2025

I got a tip about a mural that was being painted at Riverside Municipal Park and was told, “Come see, it’s beautiful!”

Emily Wilson, visual artist and illustrator, was hired by the Town of Smithers, with support from the Smithers Art Gallery and Wetzin’kwa Community Forest Corporation, to paint a mural on all four sides of the Town of Smithers Riverside pump house.

Wilson’s work explores our human connection to nature. She has formal education in visual art from Vancouver Island School of Art, and as well, a bachelor's degree in cognitive science and history from McGill University..

Curious about how the world works, she couples her background of education with her artistic talent. 

Emily moved to Smithers in January, and her art at Riverside is her first public work in the valley. 

“The mural on the pump house was an exciting inspiration for me,” she said, “a celebration of the beauty of the valley, all the way from high alpine to the bottom of the river.” 

You can check out her work at emilythewilson.com.

The tip I got about the ‘beautiful mural’ at Riverside Park came from a friend who was at the start of the perimeter trail to check on her geocaches. She has three on that trail.

Geocaches are hidden treasures and a fun way for friends and family to enjoy our gorgeous valley. It is a worldwide game with approximately 250,000 sites in Canada. Geocaching hunts can get us outside, not just at home, but for travel adventurers too.  

We have 22 sites in the Bulkley Valley. All you need is your cell phone and a log-in name.  Download the app or go to geocaching.com. You get coordinates and an encrypted message to decipher clues.

If you put a little treasure in your pocket you can trade it for a treasure in the cache.  

My friend, who manages her caches, has a user name Cresonite, and I started in the Arizona desert and picked the user name Chalcedony Rose.

The sites are usually picked by local residents for their uniqueness or beauty. Our valley is exceptional for its uniqueness and beauty, and we can explore it by following a treasure map.

A beautiful site, like the pump house at Riverside Park, and the stunning flowers that surround it, might just ‘pop’ into view.

If you have items for this column, please email sonja.lester.b.c@gmail.com or call 250-847-4414.