In the 1860s, the fabulous Cariboo goldfields were a lure to thousands. Miners, traders, and adventurers, many afoot, some with wheelbarrows, shared the pioneer route with mule trains, plodding oxen, freight wagons, and swaying stage-coaches. . . . — — Map (db m8857) HM
English:
A search for the source of placer gold found on lower parts of the Fraser River led to discoveries of lode mines in the Cariboo, of which Williams Creek, is said to have yielded $19,000,000. As a centre of population in the . . . — — Map (db m42712) HM
This rare example of a 19th century Chinese benevolent society hall conformed to a Chee Kung Tong tradition that placed services to members on the ground floor and formal functions above. With its hostel, kitchen, and meeting and ceremonial spaces, . . . — — Map (db m42533) HM
This overshot water wheel is 16 feet in diameter. It is modeled after wheels and pumps used in the tin mines of Cornwall. The early miners found that the pay gravel often lay 40 to 100 feet under the surface. The wheels were used to pump the water . . . — — Map (db m42710) HM
Built in 1882, this is British Columbia’s oldest surviving courthouse, replacing one which stood here from 1862-1882. By 1918, declining population in Richfield led to the building’s closure. Designated a Provincial historic object in 1945, it was . . . — — Map (db m42763) HM
English:
Simon Fraser and John Stuart established Fort St. James among the Carrier Indians in 1806. Originally a North West Company post, it passed to the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821. From the beginning an important centre of trade and . . . — — Map (db m42736) HM
Norman Lee left his ranch in this valley in 1898 with 200 head on a 1500-mile "beef" drive to the Klondyke gold camps. Five months later, winter forced him to butcher the herd. He loaded the meat on scows, which were lost on Teslin Lake, 500 miles . . . — — Map (db m187944) HM
Down river lay the perilous and unnavigable canyon. Up-river the Fraser was swift and strong, but sternwheelers could travel for 400 miles from Soda Creek. Men and supplies embarked here in the 1860's for the fabulous Cariboo goldfields. Later, as . . . — — Map (db m187977) HM
Promoted by Perry Collins, the U.S. Commercial Agent in Russia, and dependent on the Western Union Telegraph Company’s money, men and technology for its execution, this early telegraph line roused the enthusiasm of the white residents of . . . — — Map (db m276496) HM
For over half a century the Boyd family operated this haven for man and beast. Here weary travellers found lodging, food, and drink. Here fresh horses were hitched to stage-coaches and miners bought supplies.
This historic road-house, built in 1864 . . . — — Map (db m42766) HM
Plans to complete the Pacific Great Eastern Railroad to Prince George in 1921 failed because instable ground prevented use of the proposed bridge site on the Cottonwood River. Thus construction stopped at Quesnel. As northern expansion continued, . . . — — Map (db m188026) HM
When hydro-electric power was first delivered from No. 1 plant to Rossland's mines in 1898, the 32-mile transmission lines were the longest on the continent. Utilizing the 360-foot drop from Kootenay Lake to the Columbia River, additional . . . — — Map (db m187946) HM
[English] This historic Bridge commemorates an achievement of the Doukhobors of Canada in establishing communal settlements in the Kootenay Boundary region of British Columbia during the early 20th century. Built in 1913 by community labour, . . . — — Map (db m197114) HM
Sawmill pilings and a burner are the only reminders of the former Patrick Lumber Co., established in 1907. By 1911, the Patricks sold the mill to the British Canadian Lumber Corporation. Joseph and sons Frank and Lester risked the proceeds to . . . — — Map (db m187882) HM
It was the dream, in the 1880's of W.A. Baillie-Grohman, British sportsman and financier, to reclaim these fertile flats from the annual river floods. His canal at Canal Flats diverted part of the Kootenay into the Columbia but was abandoned. The . . . — — Map (db m188032) HM
Modified greatly, this former Lodge's ice cream parlour was a structure that began as a
replacement for a former waterfront business operated on Bay street by
Amy & Ted Lodge. Evolved into a grocery store in the 1950's and a sporting goods
store . . . — — Map (db m303282) HM
The construction of the new Masonic Block, the largest building in Nakusp at the time housed the Post Office (which had been on Bay Street) and the Bank of Commerce moved into the main floor of the new building. It holds a meeting room upstairs for . . . — — Map (db m303283) HM
The courthouse formerly held a jail, forestry office and Provincial
Government office. It is recognized as the last building of its kind built in BC
and the only one still in use today. — — Map (db m303278) HM
This Catholic Church was built entirely with donations from local people
and is the only original place of worship still used for that purpose in Nakusp.
In 1950, the rectory was added and in 1954 a new church entrance was built. — — Map (db m303280) HM
As this community prospered in the 1890s, tent hotels and log stores gave way to ornate edifices, and Nelson changed from a crude mining camp into the "Queen City of the Kootenays." The gully that divided Baker Street in two was bridged in 1890, . . . — — Map (db m187922) HM
The 1902 opening of Nelson's new Dominion of Canada offices for postal, customs and inland revenue at 502 Vernon street was a huge step up from the tent that first housed Nelson's postal service. The building, constructed of Spokane brick and local . . . — — Map (db m197112) HM
The orebody, known to Indians as
a source of lead for musket balls,
was staked in 1882 by Bob Sproule,
later restaked by Tom Hamill. The
resulting lawsuit cost Sproule
the property, and in revenge he
murdered his rival; was convicted
and . . . — — Map (db m187919) HM
In the the early 1860s placer gold drew prospectors from all parts of the West to the Salmo River valley, and the Dewdney Trail from the west coast soon opened the region to increased travel. Development increased dramatically in 1893, when Daniel . . . — — Map (db m187931) HM
Silver was the key that opened the Slocan. Discovery in 1891 of the rich outcrops of the "Slocan Star" and "Payne" touched off the wildest lode excitement in our history. The silver-lead ore was easily and cheaply mined, speeding development, and . . . — — Map (db m187952) HM
Father Pandosy, an Oblate priest, ministered to natives and white in widely separated parts of British Columbia for over 30 years, until his death in 1891.
His mission, with its church, school and farms established in 1859-60 on this site, formed . . . — — Map (db m187909) HM
Directly across Lake Okanagan, on August 16, 2003, lightning struck a tree at Squally Point. The ensuing blaze consumed over 25,000 hectares as it spread to Kelowna, Myra Canyon, and Naramata. More than 33,000 people were evacuated and 238 homes . . . — — Map (db m187982) HM
[English] While exploring these mountains in the summer of 1865, Walter Moberly, assistant surveyor-general of British Columbia, noted the flight of eagles through a break in the Gold Range (Monashees), thereby discovering Eagle Pass. After . . . — — Map (db m198549) HM
A nebulous dream was a reality: an iron ribbon crossed Canada from sea to sea. Often following the footsteps of early explorers, nearly 3000 miles of steel rail pushed across vast prairies, cleft lofty mountain passes, twisted through canyons, and . . . — — Map (db m187955) HM
[English]
Baldwin #7717 Steam Locomotive
This Baldwin 2-6-0 mogul steam engine – builders #7717 – road #6 – 36" gauge locomotive, was built for the North Western Coal & Navigation Co. in 1885. It was originally used . . . — — Map (db m44339) HM
Canadian Pacific Railway Log Houses
circa 1928
These log homes were built for Canadian Pacific Railways officials. A closer look at the houses reveals a unique form of saddle-notch construction. Wood for these homes . . . — — Map (db m251343) HM
First recorded in the report of the Palliser expedition of 1857-60, this pass takes its name from an incident in which Dr. James Hector, surgeon in the expedition, was kicked by his horse while exploring in this vicinity. The pass was . . . — — Map (db m74545) HM
[English] Take a look across the river. A century ago, an elegant hotel dominated this view. Now just a memory, Mount Stephen House was the first in a series of “Grand Hotels” built by the Canadian Pacific Railway. The CPR . . . — — Map (db m203580) HM
[English] In 1901, Mount Stephen Reserve was enlarged and became Yoho Park Reserve. The following year, Mount Stephen House was also expanded and now featured a rotunda, a huge dining room, a theatre and 60 rooms. Word got out . . . — — Map (db m203581) HM
[English] It was not my intention to have passed any great time at Field, yet I was detained there by the force of its attraction… the views from Field are fine and the excursions that can be made in the neighbourhood are . . . — — Map (db m203582) HM
St Joseph Roman Catholic Church
For over 100 years, St. Joseph's has served the community of Field. Mass is still held here during the summer, and the original church bell tolls on special occasions. Prior to the 1950's, the . . . — — Map (db m303273) HM
The first Sikhs arrived in Golden in 1902 to work in the mill of the Columbia River Lumber Company. Their Gurdwara (temple), one of the earliest in BC, became a focus of cultural identity and religious ceremony for the Sikh community.
Their . . . — — Map (db m188006) HM
Naming the Kicking Horse In the mid-1850s, an expedition was sent out by the Imperial Government to locate a feasible route west through the Canadian Rockies that would give good access to settlers in search of rich farming soil and . . . — — Map (db m203579) HM
When Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier visited Revelstoke in 1910 he chose the site of this heritage building, to solve a citizens' dispute over a central
location for the Post Office. Construction, however, did not commence until 1925. The . . . — — Map (db m303275) HM
For 1200 miles, in two countries, the Columbia carves its way to the Pacific Ocean. Named after Robert Gray's ship the "Columbia", it was first mapped in 1811 by David Thompson. This "highway" for traders, missionaries and gold miners later became a . . . — — Map (db m187966) HM
Built in 1896, St. Peter's is Revelstoke's only surviving pioneer church. It and the brick rectory beside it stand much as
they were at the turn of the century. The Hall was added in
1931. Anglican services in Revelstoke date from April 1885 . . . — — Map (db m303276) HM
A ninety room hotel complete with bowling alley and observation tower once stood in this quiet clearing!Operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway from 1887 to 1925, it was used as a base by mountaineers, adventurers and sightseers from all over the . . . — — Map (db m108665) HM
For many years steam locomotives on the mainline of the Canadian Pacific Railway rumbled across these stone pillars.
Construction of the railway through these rugged mountains was a constant struggle. In this area, steep-sided valleys and . . . — — Map (db m110556) HM
In 1808 David Thompson named this flat “McGillivary's Portage” as he crossed from Columbia Lake to the Kootenay River. In 1889 W.A. Baillie-Grohman joined the two waterways by a canal with a single lock. Regulations aimed at preventing Columbia . . . — — Map (db m188022) HM
The Canadian Pacific Railway helped open up south-east British Columbia with a strategic line through the Rocky Mountain Crowsnest Pass. It also helped maintain Canadian sovereignty over Kootenay mineral wealth which had been flowing south to . . . — — Map (db m187918) HM
Canada's National Poultry Breed
Created by a monk named M. Wilfred Chatelaine (1876-1963) in the Province of Quebec in 1919. The Chantecler chicken was bred to be a 'dual-purpose' breed, meaning they provided good meat and good egg . . . — — Map (db m303271) HM
The 1864 gold rush at Wild Horse Creek created
the town of Fisherville, named after Jack Fisher,
prospector. Located approximately 6 kms. up
Ft. Steele Wildhorse Road, it briefly flourished
as a home for hundreds of gold-hungry miners.
When . . . — — Map (db m288764) HM
Gold miners poured into this area in the 1860’s crossing the Kootenay River at the foot of this street. The settlement that grew up here was first called Galbraith’s Ferry.
In 1887 the N.W.M.P. established a post here when friction developed . . . — — Map (db m100115) HM
In 1864, whispers of "Kootenay Gold" circulated along the Pacific Slope, drawing prospectors from across the West to an area known as... — — Map (db m288765) HM
A colourful steamboat era preceded the railways. During mining boom days of 1893-98 a fleet of sternwheelers ran north from the railway at Jennings, Mont., to Ft. Steele and vicinity.
Carrying prospectors, freight, and ore they battled . . . — — Map (db m187987) HM
Kootenay gold discoveries attracted thousands of prospectors from Washington Territory in the late 1850s and 1860s. In those years all trails led south into Washington and Idaho and the vast bulk of the treasure and commerce enriched those regions. . . . — — Map (db m187913) HM
In 1893 a Kootenay Indian, Pierre, found a rich galena outcrop in the hills nearby. Father Coccola of St. Eugene Mission arranged sale of the claims, and with the proceeds built a new home for Pierre and a new mission church. Development of the . . . — — Map (db m187928) HM
In 1841, Sinclair guided 200 Red River settlers from Fort Garry through the Rockies to Oregon in an attempt to hold the territory for Great Britain. By 1854 he had recrossed the mountains several times by routes which later were followed by trails . . . — — Map (db m187991) HM
Rivers born in Canada's Rockies carved passes eastward to Hudson Bay or westward to the Pacific. This one was long used by Indians, but not shown on maps until the Palliser Expedition of 1860, and then only from hearsay. Michael Phillipps blazed a . . . — — Map (db m288767) HM
Dr. Dawson was one of the most renowned of the early mapmakers of the Pacific Slope. In 1883 Dr. Dawson explored the Crow's Nest Pass for the Geological Survey of Canada. His report demonstrated his extraordinary ability to provide not only . . . — — Map (db m187904) HM
Gone but still remembered — no formal boundaries
divided the communities of Natal, Michel and Middletown —
“home” to thousands of coal miners for generations. Workers
came from many parts of Europe and North America to toil
in these mines. . . . — — Map (db m187935) HM
[English] Born in the Scottish Highlands, Simpson joined the Hudson's Bay Company in 1820. In 1821 he became governor of the Northern Department, and in 1826 governor-in-chief in Rupert's Land. An energetic administrator with a . . . — — Map (db m201674) HM
Timber in abundance, woodsmen ready to work, a river to float logs, and a railway to transport products: ingredients critical to the emergence of early twentieth century mills in the Kootenay River basin. The Crows Nest Pass Lumber Company at . . . — — Map (db m187939) HM
A reserve on the St. Mary's River was laid out for the Kootenay
Indians in 1884, but as the district's ranching potential became
known, investors pre-empted meadows traditionally used by the
Indians. The Indians made counter claims and . . . — — Map (db m303270) HM
On Nov. 21, 1950, a westbound
train carrying Canadian troops
en route to the Korean War
collided with an eastbound train
near Canoe River, killing 21
people. A telegraph operator
was charged with manslaughter
for the miscommunication and
was . . . — — Map (db m187887) HM
Named after “Tete Jaune”, blond fur trader at Jasper House, this low pass was favoured by Sandford Fleming in his railway surveys of the 1870's. Rejected by the C.P.R., the route was later used by the Grand Trunk Pacific and the Canadian Northern . . . — — Map (db m187943) HM
[English] This pass was used for brief periods from the mid-1820s to the early 1850s by the Hudson's Bay Company, principally to transport leather, especially moosehides, from the Saskatchewan District to its posts in New Caledonia. . . . — — Map (db m202600) HM
In 1942, over 21,000 Japanese Canadians were unjustifiably removed from British Columbia's coast. Despite their protests many men aged 19 to 60+ were torn from their families and sent to road camps like Red Pass. Internees gave 290,238 man-days of . . . — — Map (db m187875) HM
Simon Fraser's men cut the first spruce logs near the junction of the Nechako and Fraser Rivers in 1807 to construct Fort George. Starting near the original fort a century later, Prince George became in the 1940's the centre of the white spruce . . . — — Map (db m187962) HM
Although prospectors like "Jolly Jack” Thorton worked this area during the 1860s, Boundary Falls was not settled until the 1890s, when a new breed of miners flooded the district. Surrounded by mining properties, the Boundary Falls Smelter (also . . . — — Map (db m187917) HM
Cascade came into being during the late-1890s as a bustling railway construction town claiming 17 hotels at its height. Its location along the Canada-U.S. border proved strategic for mining, freighting, and hydro-electricity. The early development . . . — — Map (db m187915) HM
In 1900, the CPR's Columbia & Western Railway penetrated the formidable mountains between Nelson and Midway, connecting the Boundary district to East Kootenay coalfields and beyond. Eholt, at the summit between Grand Forks and Greenwood, became the . . . — — Map (db m187908) HM
Doukhobors arrived in the Kootenay Boundary area in 1908. Persecuted in Russia for rejecting church rituals and military service, they were derisively named Doukhobors, or ‘Spirit Wrestlers’. Finding refuge in Canada, these Christian pacifists . . . — — Map (db m187884) HM
During the prosperous years of the late 1890s, this street was one of the busiest thoroughfares in the province. Little wonder, for in those years copper was king, and Greenwood — incorporated as a city in 1897 — was the capital of the copper-rich . . . — — Map (db m187914) HM
In this wilderness of rugged mountains, ore was first found in the late 1880's. Further prospects led to the building of a large smelter by the B.C. Copper Co. From 1901, copper, gold and silver poured from its furnaces. Fed by the great Motherlode . . . — — Map (db m187998) HM
When the Midway to Hope section of the “K.V.” was completed in 1916 and joined with existing short lines, it formed a direct southern railroad from Alberta to the Pacific Coast. An important factor in advancing the economy of southern B.C., it has . . . — — Map (db m187941) HM
Proximity to Boundary Creek mines, and excellent climate, water and soil convinced Midway promoters of a bright future as a "railway and residential town.” The Columbia & Western Railway reached Midway in 1900; five years later, the Vancouver, . . . — — Map (db m187938) HM
You have entered the crater of an ancient volcano rich in minerals. The waste dumps are the remains of famous Rossland mines staked in 1890 by prospectors passing on the near-by Dewdney Trail. From these fabulously rich workings came 6,000,000 tons . . . — — Map (db m187953) HM
"A travel route north of the boundary line" was the cry in the 1860's when gold was found in the Kootenays. Edgar Dewdney built such a route — a trail 360 miles long from Coast to Rockies.
For over two decades it carried miners, settlers, gold . . . — — Map (db m187959) HM
One of the earliest cattle empires in the Okanagan began in 1867 when Cornelius O'Keefe and Thomas Greenhow drove cattle from Oregon to the north end of Okanagan Lake. In 1868 O'Keefe homesteaded 162 acres nearby, and within 40 years his cattle . . . — — Map (db m187981) HM
“And our eyes feasted on the
long stretch of prairies…” wrote
A. L. Fortune, first settler in
this fertile valley, in June, 1866.
The natural meadows, rippling in
tall grasses, were ideal pasture
for cattle and sheep. Later, grain
replaced . . . — — Map (db m187929) HM
The valley's potential was seen by Forbes and Charles Vernon in 1863, when travelling to silver claim staking 40 miles to the east. In 1864, the brothers pre-empted across the lake 1000 fertile acres which became Coldstream Ranch. Its products . . . — — Map (db m188020) HM
Trumpets first sounded here in 1908 calling the Okanagan's cavalry to muster. Joined by infantry battalions, thousands of militiamen and cadets from all over the province came to know Mission Hill as British Columbia's largest military camp. . . . — — Map (db m187949) HM
For many thousands of years S ukwnaqinx (later Anglicized to "Okanagan") travelled and peopled a far-reaching territory. Though their main camp was centred at Penticton, this valley was used as a food gathering base-camp. . . . — — Map (db m187910) HM
From the heart of this mountain, men took $47,000,000 in gold. It started in 1904 when Hedley boomed with the opening of the mill in town and the Nickel Plate Mine on the mountain-top. The nearby Hedley Mascot Mine, on a claim of less than an acre, . . . — — Map (db m188007) HM
This old covered bridge and parts of the abandoned right-of-way are mute reminders of the Vancouver, Victoria und Eastern Railway (VVAE), a subsidiary of the American-based Great Northern Railway. Between 1907 and 1914, the VVAE pushed northward, . . . — — Map (db m187920) HM
The 1890's held high hopes for the lode gold of mines such as Stemwinder, Morning Star, and Rattler. By 1902, when the Fairview Hotel or "Big Teepee" burned, the golden years were over. Fairview's population dwindled as miners left for more . . . — — Map (db m188011) HM
A valley north and south, a sandspit east and west — this was the crossroad of the centuries. Down the valley on Indian trails came the laden horses of the Fur Brigade from 1824 to 1848. Later, miners and settlers streamed northward. Across the . . . — — Map (db m187930) HM
The Okanagan nation knows Spotted Lake, just east of here, as K t li lxw. From time immemorial its healing waters and mud were used by First Nations to cure aches and illness, and for spiritual healing. High concentrations of Epsom . . . — — Map (db m187927) HM
When John M. Robinson, a former Manitoba legislator and newspaper editor, came to the South Okanagan in 1898, he found only dry grazing land. Seeing its potential, he introduced irrigation and led in the establishment of peach, pear, apricot, and . . . — — Map (db m187988) HM
In 1862 C.F. and H.P. Cornwall settled here and developed Ashcroft Manor. The ranch, with its grist and saw mills, supplied Cariboo miners. The manor house was destroyed by fire in 1943, but the road house survives. Clement Cornwall became one of . . . — — Map (db m187921) HM
Canada's third trans-continental rail link was completed near Basque on January 23, 1915. In a simple ceremony the last spike was driven, witnessed by a small group of engineers and workmen. The line later became part of the Federal Government's . . . — — Map (db m187813) HM
Here bloomed a “Garden of Eden”! The sagebrush desert changed to orchards through the imagination and industry of English settlers during 1907-14. Then the men left to fight - and die - for king and country. A storm ripped out the vital irrigation . . . — — Map (db m188008) HM
This is the site of an ancient lake, where 53 million-year-old fossil beds hold secrets of life in a warmer time. Preserved plants, insects and fish tell a story of early life in BC. At McAbee, climate and geology have created a treasure trove of . . . — — Map (db m187879) HM
Smooth rivers and great lakes once were the highways of travel. On them plied stately paddle-wheelers, helping exploration and settlement of the Interior. They speeded gold-seekers bound for the “Big Bend” rush of 1864-65. They freighted grain from . . . — — Map (db m187961) HM
Bill Miner, notorious American stagecoach and train robber, stole $7,000 in British Columbia's first train holdup, near Mission in 1904. For two years, unsuspected, he lived quietly near Princeton, well-liked by all. In 1906 he stopped the wrong . . . — — Map (db m187878) HM
The school was built in 1890, then re-built in 1923 due to a fire and remained open until 1977. In the 1920's, Native children aged 4-15 years were forcibly taken and prohibited from seeing their families, practicing their languages, cultures, and . . . — — Map (db m187877) HM
Founded in 1812, Fort Kamloops stood at a natural crossroads. For 50 years it remained the focus of an inland fur empire until the roaring mining boom of the 1860's. Ranchers, with cattle and horses, replaced the miners. They settled, and stayed, . . . — — Map (db m188009) HM
It had been an epic struggle against the wilderness for the gold-seekers from Eastern Canada.
They had crossed the Rockies, trekked through pathless forests and won the swift rapids of the North Thompson River. The open country now offered hope . . . — — Map (db m187979) HM
Back in the 1870's the bunchgrass hereabouts came up to a horse's belly. Some of the transient miners saw wealth in these broad rolling grasslands and swapped gold-pan for saddle. In time several “spreads” in the Nicola Valley grew to rank among the . . . — — Map (db m188013) HM
