top of page
Search


The legendary Jack Lloyd: Effective, controversial, and enduring
The West Kootenay connection to a famous but divisive fishing lure.
Michael A. Cone
Mar 5, 202410 min read


Castlegar and Robson by train, plane, auto, and ferry
Three images sold online tell the story of transportation in the area.

Greg Nesteroff
Mar 3, 20244 min read


South Slocan heritage sites
South Slocan has taken it on the chin in the last 20 years, having lost 10 heritage buildings, although an equal number still stand.

Greg Nesteroff
Feb 26, 202451 min read


Lost buildings: South Slocan schoolhouse
South Slocan’s biggest heritage building was torn down in December. Part of it dated to 1918.

Greg Nesteroff
Jan 27, 202420 min read


Evel Knievel’s Kootenay connection
Before Evel Knievel was a motorcycle stuntman, he was Bob Knievel, hockey player.

Greg Nesteroff
Dec 17, 202311 min read


4 streets in Trail named Nelson
Nelson has but one street named after itself, Nelson Avenue. But Trail has had four different streets and avenues named Nelson.

Greg Nesteroff
Nov 27, 20232 min read


Ainsworth’s helpful ghost
A ghost story from 1911 that has never been reprinted: how a phantom helped a prospector discover a valuable nugget.

Greg Nesteroff
Oct 29, 20232 min read


How old is the KIJHL, anyway?
The Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s beginnings have long been mired in confusion. The league’s own website is wrong.

Greg Nesteroff
Oct 23, 20235 min read


Salmo’s school bell
A 113-year-old school bell is expected to be returned soon to a prominent place in Salmo. But what happened to its plaque?

Greg Nesteroff
Oct 2, 20235 min read


The lost Rossland ski medal
In the 1960s, a medal from the 1900 Rossland Winter Carnival was found north of Oslo. Also: how did Ferguson get designated a heritage site?

Greg Nesteroff
Oct 1, 20235 min read


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
bottom of page