Burton Historical Park

Burton Historical Park has significance as a place of memory and community for all peoples who have lived at and used this place throughout history. Until European contact, Burton was known as "xaieken", a sizeable year-round village of the Sinixt people, who fished and gathered plant foods in the river narrows between the Arrow Lakes. European settlement reached this place in the 1890s, when placer gold was found in Burton (formerly Trout) Creek. Burton grew as a typical mining boom town of that time and was one of the main settlements on the Arrow Lakes.

A primary aspect of the importance of Burton Historical Park is its memorial values; it marks the eastern boundary of the former townsite of Burton, which was relocated to higher land to avoid the flooding associated with the creation of the Arrow Reservoir in the late 1960s. It is a symbol of the impact that mid-century hydroelectric development had on the communities of the Arrow Lakes at that time. The flooded remnants of the original townsite, including a cemetery, buildings, roads and landscape features that can be seen from the park are touchstones for community members who lived through the displacement brought by the dam project, and reminders for later generations of the most significant event in Burton's history. The existence of the park at the location is also an important part of the reservoir development narrative on the Arrow Lakes. Initiated in 1979, the Arrow Lakes Park development strategy was designed as a form of compensation to relocated communities for the flooding of the Arrow Reservoir; the presence of the park at this spot is a further reminder for locals of the impacts the reservoir had on the community.

The park holds a high level of social heritage values for the association it has with the community members of Burton who worked to acquire the site from the provincial government in 1995 after it had been closed. The community-driven ownership, stewardship, and operation of the park are evidence of the importance of this place within the community. Burton Historical Park also holds recreational values for generations of locals and visitors alike. As a campground and recreational site, the use of this place for year-round outdoor activities is a key aspect of its importance in the region. Historically, the location of the park holds significance as the homestead of the Burton family, the founders and namesakes of the community.