| Castlegar, British Columbia |
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| regional district of central kootenay | |
Castlegar () is a small city in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia , Canada . It is located within the Selkirk Mountains at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia River s. It is a regional trade and transportation centre, with a local economy fueled by forestry and tourism. It is home to Selkirk College , a regional airport, a pulp mill, and several small sawmills. The population of approximately 7,500 people includes a large number of Doukhobors , who were largely responsible for much of Castlegar's early development and growth. A sizeable Portuguese community grew as workers, mainly from the Azores islands, moved in to take up employment in the area. Outside the city limits are the small surrounding communities of Ootischenia, Brilliant, Robson, Robson West, Raspberry, Tarrys, Thrums, Shoreacres, Fairview, Genelle, Pass Creek and Krestova. There are also the much smaller communities of Deer Park, Renata, and Syringa on Lower Arrow Lake. Taken together, these outlying areas comprise an approximate population of a further 8,000 people. HISTORY David Thompson arrived in the Columbia River area on June 30, 1807. On September 5, 1811, Thompson arrived at the location where Castlegar now sits, where he camped near the mouth of the Kootenay River. A plaque dedicated to David Thompson can be found on the east bank of the Columbia River overlooking the present day site of Castlegar. The first settlement in the area was West Waterloo, now known as South Castlegar. There was widespread provincial interest in gold prospecting in the late 19th century, and by 1895 there were forty houses in Waterloo. The town boomed until the end of the century when interest in the local mines declined. Castlegar takes its name from the Irish ancestral home of townsite founder Edward Mahon. The city was platted in 1897. Around 1902, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) built the bridge at Castlegar and laid the wide gauge railway tracks to Trail . They put in a box car station at the old Waterloo trail crossing and called it Kinnaird Station in honour of Lord Kinnaird who was a shareholder in the CPR. There was little in Castlegar until after the completion of the CPR bridge. A Mr. Farmer built the first store in town, housing both the post office and the town hall. William Gage built the Castlegar Hotel in 1908, standing until 1982 when it was destroyed by fire. Also in 1908, the first schoolhouse was built by a few local residents who bought the lumber and erected the building. A dance pavilion, garage, tourist cabins and a slaughterhouse had all been established by 1925. On October 30, 1946, Castlegar was incorporated into a village, then in 1966 into a town. It amalgamated with the neighbouring town of Kinnaird into a city on January 1, 1974, effectively doubling the population. On May 20, 2004, the City's boundary was extended to include the Blueberry Creek Irrigation District. Native History Castlegar is located in the border area between the Kootenai and the interior Salish indian bands. Experts cannot agree where the Kutenai range ended, and where the Interior Salish began. There was much overlapping of cultural and territorial activity between the two Indian bands. "Qepitles" was a site on the north side of the Kootenay River, just above the junction with the Columbia River. The site was popular as a trading place and, especially in the autumn and winter, for spear and line fishing for salmon, which were dried nearby. Native implements (arrowheads, pestles, etc.) have been found along the nearby Arrow Lakes . A reconstructed Kekuli dwelling was formally located on Zuckerberg Island, but has since burned down. Zuckerburgs Island is found at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia rivers. Doukhobor History The Doukhobors put a ferry into operation near Brilliant on the Kootenay River in 1910 and the Christian Community of the Brotherhood made an application to the CPR for a railway station and siding to this point. Brilliant was the centre of the Christian Community of the Brotherhood commercial enterprises. Located on the site was the Brilliant Jam Factory, a grain elevator, and a flax seed mill. Airport Castlegar is serviced by the Castlegar Airport , located in an area owned by the city and legally within city limits but surrounded by the community of Ootischenia. It was constructed in 1950, and in 1967 Canadian Pacific Airlines began jet service from this terminal. Today the airport serves the entire West Kootenay area, with daily commercial flights to both Vancouver and Calgary. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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