History
(3084 x read)
(Last Updated : 2004-04-02 20:48:16)
[Printer friendly page | Send to a friend]
ECHOES
Above all else, life in our valley was shaped by the
Columbia River. Provider of a dependable food supply, highway for early
exploration, facilitator for transport on the one hand and barrier to it on the
other, source of clean water for agriculture and industry, fountainhead of cheap
energy, threatening giant : - the river has influenced human activities along
its shores from the first tentative explorations of the native people thousands
of years ago to our attempts to harness its awesome powers today. It is
inspiring to walk along its banks and think of all the activities which
transpired here as the millennia passed. The solitude was first broken by the
light tread of humanity which left very little impression on the land. Explorers
opened the way for the first attempts in massive extraction of wealth from the
land through the fur trade. Mineral riches were discovered and the land was
silent no more: the throb of the steam engine competed with the squeal of the
iron rail. Permanent impressions were left on the landscape. In the blink of an
eye, our valley filled with humanity and industrial development started to shape
the direction of our growth.
It is intriguing to consider this parade of human traffic along this
majestic and strategic waterway. There are so many echoes tumbling amongst the
waves. We can also contemplate the endless flow of the water and liken it to the
flow of life: - that flow within each one of us, to some distant sea, with
unknown rapids out of sight around the next bend to test our vitality.
Living along the shores of this great river, I often think of the ghosts
which can be conjured up from the jade green waves. Well known passers-by like
Thompson, Cox, Simpson, deSmet, Edison, and Kane mingle with ghosts of voyageurs
and miners unknown. Two ghosts which hold a particular fascination for me are
those of two travelers on the river, who - like all of us - journeyed to meet
their destiny, passing by our windows to a very tragic journey's end. The first
was David Douglas who passed by on his monumental botanical journey of
discovery. Depriving himself of normal comforts, pushing himself beyond
endurance, Douglas almost seemed to be at war with himself. Thus it is not
surprising when we discover the end of his journey in a pit trap in Hawaii, into
which he had blindly stumbled, to be mangled beyond recognition by a raging bull
that had been caught earlier. The second traveler passed by some 60 years later.
Unlike Douglas, he was very attached to the material comforts of life and
traveled in all the luxury money could buy. Sailing on the steamer Columbia in
1893, Franz Ferdinand was on a world journey. Heir to the Austro-Hungarian
throne, he could only see a promising future ahead. And yet he was headed for
turbulent waters which sank the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and plunged the world
into the Great War. His journey ended on June 28, 1914, to an assassin's bullet
in a city which we have come to associate with so much suffering -then and now-
, Sarajevo.
Above written material © by Walter
Volovsek
- Whispers in the Wind
the thousands of travellers that
followed the Columbia River over the centuries
- Sproat's Landing
a steamship dock established in 1888
between Pass Creek and the Kootenay River
- Growth of Local Industry
The Waldie sawmill was a major
industry that operated in Castlegar on the Columbia River
- Railway From Nowhere to Nowhere
the first segment of the
southern trans-provincial railway from Nelson to Sproat's Landing
- Steamships on the Columbia
for almost 100 years,
steamships carried passengers and supplies along the Columbia and the Arrow
Lakes to the isolated communities
Ole Skattebo an old prospector, fishing guide who made his
home in the Kootenays as one of its first pioneers.
DOUKHOBOR HISTORY
Peter Verigin 
Peter V. Verigin was a leader of the
Doukhobors exiled in Siberia for 16 years. He came to Canada in 1902 and ended
up resettling the Doukhobors in BC in the Castlegar area after the Saskatchewan
land loss.
The Doukhobor Historical Village The Doukhobor
Village Museum will introduce you to Doukhobor culture and a lifestyle as it
evolved in the Kootenay region of British Columbia from 1908 to 1938. Over 1,000
artifacts represent the timeless and fascinating arts and crafts, customs and
religion of the people. You will see the petch (bread baking oven), the wood
fired banya (sauna),naturally dyed fabrics and clothing made from linen, as well
as tools and implements that were used in the last century, all set amidst an
authentic reconstruction of a communal village.
This enjoyable and unique
museum is nestled in a beautiful historic setting on the banks of the Columbia
River. Here, you can learn about the origin of the Doukhobor people as you
stroll through the spacious grounds containing heritage plants under the benign
gaze of a distinctive statue of Leo Tolstoy, sympathizer and benefactor of the
Doukhobors.
Books, craft items, music and films are available for purchase
in the Village Bookshop. Our Audio Visual Gallery features films, an historical
photo archive and new exhibits yearly relating to the Doukhobors of yesterday
and today. Several time a week the Selkirk Weavers' Guild presents weaving and
spinning demonstrations.
Nearby are other features of historical interest
such as the Doukhobor suspension bridge built by hand in 1913, and the scenic
tomb of the dynamic leader, Peter V. Verigin, near Brilliant, the site of the
original settlement. The Doukhobor Museum is a heritage highlight of the
Kootenies.
Who are the
Doukhobors are Learn about the earliest settlers of the Castlegar area
 Alexander Zuckerberg was a teacher from Russia, built and
interesting house and Orthodox Chapel on the island that bears his name. he also
taught Russian to the Doukhobor children.
OTHER HISTORICAL TRAILS
Area Historical Tours
The West Kootenay Historical Tour
begins in Castlegar, where evidence of glacial deposition and erosion is
evident. Castlegar also has a rich Doukhobor heritage. The drive to Nelson
affords dynamic views of the many hydro-electric dams along the way, as well as
stops at Grohman Narrows and at the site of the rock called 'skincous', which
meant feathers in reference to the pine trees which once adorned the top of it.
The tour covers Nelson, Kootnay Lake, Sandon, the Slocan Lake and Valley
The Silvery Slocan Heritage Tour
a historical tour of the
mining communities of the Kootenays Sandon
Step back in time, with a visit to fantastic Sandon, BC the
turn-of-the-century Capital City of the Silvery Slocan
|
