THE KÜTNE READER

Uhachi Kihara’s burial site is marked, but the cause of his death is unknown. The cause of Yet Sue’s death is known, but we don’t know where he was buried.

Peter V. Verigin often travelled between Doukhobor settlements on horse-drawn carriages, carts, and sleighs. But whatever became of them?

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

Around 1995, Nelson’s Heritage Inn renamed its basement lounge Taffy Jack’s. This was an interesting choice, for while Taffy Jack was a real figure from Nelson’s past, he was an obscure one. In the bar’s logo, he appeared as a barrel-chested rugby player, alongside his dog: In truth, Taffy Jack — also and perhaps better known as Candy Jack — was a candy maker and street peddler with a slightly unsavory and unhygienic reputation. As a sportsman, he was mainly interested in fis

A few strange stories worth sharing. The following appeared in the Nelson Daily News, of Jan. 14, 1914, under the headline “Pigs show...

In 1956, local Greyhound driver Max Carne was taking his bus over the old Santa Rosa Pass between Rossland and Grand Forks — a gravel road otherwise known as the Hump. As Vancouver Sun reporter Tom Hazlitt once described it: It is the first, the highest, and the wildest provincial highway in BC. It was built with gold, sweat, and donkeys in the record time of seven months … Only on the Hump can you have a snowball fight in June or experience the eerie feeling of driving strai

Is anything more nostalgic (at least to certain generations) than a drive-in theatre? From 1947 to 2003, at least 10 of them operated in West Kootenay/Boundary. The peak era was the late 1950s, when six were in business simultaneously (among 32 in the province, including a few more in East Kootenay). Four survived into the 1980s, and the last two into the early 2000s. Today the sites are home to trailer parks, a campground, and a Walmart, among other things. However, two scre

One of the more venerable Boundary commercial institutions was Grand Forks Furniture & Hardware at 358 Market Ave. The business has been gone for almost 25 years but the building still bears its very faded signage on two sides. The photos seen here were taken in 2007. The store’s manager for decades was Joseph T. Simmons, who was born in England in 1883 and immigrated to Canada around 1899. The Grand Forks Gazette reported in 1913 that Simmons “recently arriving from Alberta

Grand Forks police chief Harry Sheads was involved in shootouts in 1899 and 1900. What happened before and after was incredibly weird.

First of five parts Was the first automobile ever seen in this region electric? With the current push to better accommodate electric vehicles in our area, it’s an interesting question. The Grand Forks Evening Sun reported on March 3, 1905: Grand Forks citizens will have an opportunity of seeing an automobile spinning along the thoroughfares of this city during the coming summer, for it is stated that Superintendent Hodges of the Granby company has ordered a machine, which wi

Hand-painted signs on the north and south sides of the Grand Forks Gazette building at 7330 2nd St. advertise both its current and former use. Erected in 1903 as the Club Saloon, the building later became a garage. A badly faded sign on the south side says “City Garage/Premier Gasoline.” (The garage’s bay doors were where the glass tiles are now on the front of the building.) The newspaper moved into the building in 1931. The yellow and black sign on the north side reads “Th

A clear syphon from the Lion Bottling Works of Rossland and Greenwood (pictured below) sold on eBay this afternoon for $1,382 US, which is $1,722 Cdn. That’s the most I’ve ever seen paid for a local syphon. The auction attracted 19 bids from five bidders. The seller is in Brantford, Ont. According to Beer Barons of BC, published in 2011 by Bill Wilson, the Lion Brewery was formed in 1897 by Louis Blue and managed by James McCreath. The Columbia Bottling Works was built in 189