A small open pit copper mine operated on Mt. Washington from 1964 to 1967. The mine closed after the company operating it went bankrupt. The Tsolum River, which originates on Mt. Washington and runs through the Comox Valley to Courtenay, historically supported large populations of salmon, steelhead, and cutthroat trout. The local benefit of the resulting fishery was estimated in 1995 dollars to be in excess of $2 million.

The landowner (in 2007) was Timber West (now called Mosaic), while the base mineral rights were held by Fording Coal and the precious metal rights were held by Bluerock Resources Ltd. The mining operations preceded reclamation legislation introduced in 1969 under the Mines Act, and remediation of the site became a jurisdictional quagmire.