Silverdale is a semi-rural neighbourhood of the District of Mission, British Columbia

Mission, British Columbia

Mission, the core of which was formerly known as Mission City, is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is situated on the north bank of the Fraser River overlooking the City of Abbotsford and with that city is part of the Central Fraser Valley. Mission is the...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 c. 40 km east of Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

 on the west bank of the Stave River

Stave River

The Stave River is a tributary of the Fraser, joining it at the boundary between the municipalities of Maple Ridge and Mission, about 35 km east of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in the Central Fraser Valley region....

 at its confluence with the Fraser

Fraser River

The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...

. Noted for its historic Italian Canadian community, its economy was farming, fishing and logging based until the general suburbanization of Fraser Valley life in the 1960s and '70s. Of its Italian community, notable offspring include Phil Gaglardi, former BC Highways minister, and speed-skater Eden Donatelli

Eden Donatelli

Eden Donatelli is a Canadian Olympic Medalist in Short-track speed skating.In 1985, Donatelli became the youngest ever athlete to make Canadian Senior National Team status at 15 years of age. She medaled in 10 different World Championships from 1986 to 1992...

. Silverdale is also notable as the site of Canada's first train robbery

Train robbery

Train robbery is a type of robbery, in which the goal is to steal money or other valuables being carried aboard trains.-History:Train robberies were more common in the past than today, and often occurred in the American Old West. Trains carrying payroll shipments were a major target...

, by the "Gentleman Bandit" Billy Miner

Bill Miner

Ezra Allen Miner , more popularly known as Bill Miner, was a noted American criminal, originally from Bowling Green, Kentucky, who served several prison terms for stagecoach robbery. Known for his unusual politeness while committing robberies, he was widely nicknamed The Gentleman Robber or The...

, and it is there he is supposed to have first used the polite "Hands Up!" in the course of the robbery.

The lakeshore residences on the east side of Silvermere Lake

Silvermere Lake

Silvermere Lake, located on the west side of Silverdale, a rural neighbourhood of Mission, British Columbia, is a man made lake. It is visible from and adjacent to the Lougheed Highway, which follows a causeway on the lake's south side...

are part of Silverdale. Silvermere was created by the dredging of the marshlands in the area.