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Then & Now: A sunny day in Trail, 1957
Three spectacular slides give us a glimpse of downtown Trail buildings and businesses more than 60 years ago.

Greg Nesteroff
Apr 15, 20219 min read


Trail’s hidden homes
Homes at 801 Victoria St., 1498 Cedar Ave., and 1560 Bay Ave. were covered up by commercial storefronts, but continue to peek out overtop.

Greg Nesteroff
Jan 20, 20218 min read


Pete Seeger in Trail
Folk singer Pete Seeger said he once performed a concert in Trail. But when?

Greg Nesteroff
Dec 1, 20203 min read


8 lesser-known Trail hotels
While Trail has had several famous hotels, here is a list of some others that didn't receive nearly the same attention.

Greg Nesteroff
Nov 9, 202015 min read


What still stands of the Strand
Kütne Reader reader Bob Guesford recently pointed out something to me that I never noticed: two giant walls from the old Strand Theatre...

Greg Nesteroff
Mar 6, 20203 min read


Victoria Hopper in Trail
1930s stage and film actress Victoria Hopper (1909-2007) spent part of her childhood in Trail. Although the city has done an excellent...

Greg Nesteroff
Mar 6, 20202 min read


Then & Now: Trail’s Pine Avenue
Here are some more in a series of negatives I bought on eBay last year showing Trail in 1953. These two views show the west side of the...

Greg Nesteroff
Jan 16, 20201 min read


Then & Now: The Arlington Hotel
Here is another photo from a series of negatives I recently purchased showing Trail in 1953. Pictured is the intersection of Bay and...

Greg Nesteroff
Sep 13, 20192 min read


Then & Now: Trail’s Bay Avenue
I bought a bunch of negatives showing Trail in 1953 (judging by the license plates on the cars in one of the shots) and had them scanned...

Greg Nesteroff
Jul 5, 20193 min read


Sunningdale Drive-In Market
Went for a walk with my wife in Trail’s Sunningdale neighbourhood and came across this curious building at 632 Isabella Crescent. It was...

Greg Nesteroff
Mar 28, 20194 min read


The milkshake murder’s Trail connection
Several of bestselling BC crime historian Eve Lazarus’ books have West Kootenay connections. I’ve discussed one before, how Canada’s...

Greg Nesteroff
Mar 28, 20193 min read


10 West Kootenay Boundary drive-in theatres
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...

Greg Nesteroff
Mar 16, 201916 min read


Capitol Records salutes CJAT, 1958
On Sept. 29, 1958, CJAT Trail opened a new studio in the former post office at 1300 Cedar Ave. They also marked their 25th anniversary as...

Greg Nesteroff
Dec 3, 20183 min read


Wonderful Town, Trail BC
In 1962-63, the American jingle house of Richard H. Ullman Associates produced a series of cheesy but oh-so-catchy songs to promote radio...

Greg Nesteroff
Nov 26, 20184 min read


Larry Kwong (1923-2018)
You heard it here last: Larry Kwong , the NHL’s first player of Asian descent and the oldest Trail Smoke Eaters alumnus, died on March...

Greg Nesteroff
Nov 7, 20182 min read


The Gulch after the storm, 1932
I picked up a couple of interesting postcards by Hughes Studio recently, showing the mess on Rossland Avenue in Trail following a huge...

Greg Nesteroff
Oct 18, 20182 min read


Phantom signs: Lauriente’s
Lauriente’s was synonymous with business in the Gulch in Trail from the early 1900s until the men’s wear store by that name at 730...

Greg Nesteroff
Sep 21, 20183 min read


Lost buildings: Trail Legion
The old Trail Legion (also known as the Memorial Hall) was built in 1924 on Victoria Avenue to honour those killed during the First World...

Greg Nesteroff
Sep 13, 20185 min read


Gassosa Beverages of Trail
For those who grew up in the Kootenays before 1950, the word Gassosa must be intensely nostalgic. It means soda in Italian and was the...

Greg Nesteroff
Aug 24, 20186 min read


Lost buildings: Tadanac staff house and school
Around 1929, Cominco built a three-storey brick staff house a t 211 Kootenay Ave. in Tadanac (then a company-owned district municipality...

Greg Nesteroff
Aug 7, 20185 min read
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