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Inside the Salmo Hotel
In June 2018, the Salmo Valley Historical Society got a peek inside the Salmo Hotel, including the second floor and basement.

Greg Nesteroff
Sep 24, 20232 min read


How old is the Salmo Hotel, anyway?
Was the Salmo Hotel built in 1896? 1912? 1932? 1981? Find out here and a whole lot more.

Greg Nesteroff
Sep 21, 202315 min read


Wandering hotel bars of West Kootenay
What happened to the bars from the Reco, Sandon, and Hume hotels?

Greg Nesteroff
Sep 7, 202312 min read


The riddle of Davies and Seventh
You'd never guess it today, but from 1950 to the mid-1970s, the corner of Davies and Seventh in Nelson was a busy commercial crossroads.

Greg Nesteroff
Sep 3, 20235 min read


What West Kootenay owes to Montana
Trail and Butte share certain nomenclature. The same guy built both of their smelters. And they have other ties too.

Greg Nesteroff
Sep 1, 202310 min read


Bobby McFerrin in Nelson
The singer-songwriter behind Don’t Worry Be Happy spent at least one month of his youth in Nelson.

Greg Nesteroff
Aug 6, 20233 min read


3 outstanding questions finally answered
When was the Salmo bridge built? When was Rivervale named? Why doesn’t Nelson have a Robert Hampton Gray school? At last we have answers.

Greg Nesteroff
Jul 3, 20234 min read


The Chad Mitchell Trio in Trail
The Chad Mitchell Trio, who counted Trail native Mike Kobluk as a member, performed in Trail on Feb. 19, 1962.

Greg Nesteroff
Jun 24, 20234 min read


Kaslo’s meat markets and other tales
Wherein we use a photo of a long-lost building in Kaslo as a jumping-off point looking at the history of Burns & Co. and Eric’s Meat Market.

Greg Nesteroff
Jun 12, 20235 min read


The Newmarket Hotel guest register
I had the privilege of reading the guest book of a famous New Denver hotel from 1897 to 1899 that was rescued from a landfill.

Greg Nesteroff
Jun 4, 202313 min read


Ruins of Ainsworth
What is the origin of a concrete ruin at Ainsworth Hot Springs across from the Fletcher store?

Greg Nesteroff
May 7, 20239 min read


The Nelson boathouse fire of 1915
Intrigued by a photo of the charred remains of boathouses in Nelson, Michael Cone tracks down what happened.
Michael A. Cone
May 6, 20236 min read


Finding the dates on Wait’s
Exactly when did Nelson’s iconic coffee shop and newsstand open? And when did it move to its longtime location?

Greg Nesteroff
Apr 8, 20234 min read


In search of Sheriff Tuck’s lost library
For a few years, the largest library in Nelson was in the courthouse basement. Where did it go?

Greg Nesteroff
Apr 2, 20237 min read


The remarkable steam launches of Captain Troup
While James W. Troup was renowned for building sternwheelers in the West Kootenay, Michael Cone recounts three steam launches he owned.
Michael A. Cone
Mar 29, 20237 min read


Corner stores: Joffe’s Confectionery
A large building across from Butler Park in Trail is a little-known legacy of the city’s Jewish community.

Greg Nesteroff
Mar 19, 20237 min read


Remembering Luna Park
Michael Cone writes of a forgotten picnic mecca and home of world champions across the lake from Nelson.
Michael A. Cone
Feb 11, 20236 min read


Waneta in postcards and other ephemera
Presenting six rare or never-before-seen postcards of Waneta recently sold online and probably dating to the 1910s.

Greg Nesteroff
Feb 6, 20238 min read


Then & Now: 1200 block of Bay Avenue in Trail
Another in a series of negatives I bought a few years ago showing Trail in 1953 or so.

Greg Nesteroff
Jan 8, 20233 min read


Mysteries of Comaplix
Wherein I try to figure out more about a woman depicted on a postcard — and reveal some puzzling findings about a murdered brothel keeper.

Greg Nesteroff
Dec 12, 20228 min read
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