THE KÜTNE READER

This guest post looks at the several CPR crossings across the Columbia River erected between the 1880s and 1960s.

Seven bridges have crossed the Slocan River near the south end of Slocan Lake, including one that lasted less than two years.

Four bridges have crossed the Canadian side of the Pend d’Oreille River, two of which still stand. Others were proposed.

Several different bridges have crossed the North Fork of the Kettle River since 1894.

In 1910, a remarkable curved bridge was built at Salmo across a slough formed by the Salmo River.

Here’s something that seems completely lost from local memory: from at least 1922 to 1943, a ferry crossed the Slocan River at Slocan Park. Looking into it took me in several surprising directions — including a meteorite landing, a message in a bottle, and Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The first mention I can find of the ferry is in the BC government public accounts covering April 1921 to March 1922. An expenditure of $606.94 is recorded as being paid to N. Wolverton to ru

The Big Orange Bridge will soon be the Big Green Bridge. The new private owner of the span across Kootenay Lake’s West Arm in Nelson plans a major paint job, transforming the local landmark’s longtime hue. BC’s Ministry of Transportation sold the bridge last September to Shanghai-based Wifulyu Corp. for $11.8 million. Although company spokeswoman Lirpa Loof insists tolls are “not under active consideration,” she said the company will immediately paint the bridge to cover the

I just wrote a blog post for Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism about Nelson’s Big Orange Bridge, which was originally silver, as seen in the postcard below. You can read it here . The same page has lots of interesting information about local attractions, historical and otherwise, including Streetcar 23, the Lardeau Valley Historical Centre, and Nelson Fire and Rescue Museum under the Arts, Culture, and Heritage tab. Here’s the front cover of the program from the bridge’s opening.