La Porte, British Columbia

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La Porte was a boomtown in British Columbia, Canada, during the Big Bend Gold Rush. The site at the foot of the Dalles des Morts, or Death Rapids, was chosen as the location of a ferry and town on April 23, 1866, during the first voyage of the steamboat Forty-Nine up the Columbia River. [1] The name reflected its role as the gateway to the mines. [2]

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British Columbia Province of Canada

British Columbia is the westernmost province of Canada, located between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. With an estimated population of 5.071 million as of 2019, it is Canada's third-most populous province.

Canada Country in North America

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By 1871, engineer Walter Moberly returned from a survey trip to report that a single resident remained at La Porte. [3] And by 1885 all of the houses were in ruins. [4]

Walter Moberly (engineer) Canadian engineer

Walter Moberly (1832–1915) was a civil engineer and surveyor who played a large role in the early exploration and development of British Columbia, Canada, including discovering Eagle Pass, now used by the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Trans-Canada Highway.

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References

  1. Bilsland, William W. (April 1955), A History of Revelstoke and the Big Bend, University of British Columbia, p. 38, retrieved 2019-09-30
  2. "First Trip of the Steamer Forty-Nine", The Daily British Colonist, Victoria, 15 (137), p. 3, May 23, 1866, retrieved 2019-09-29
  3. Bilsland 1955, p. 19.
  4. Bilsland 1955, p. 30.