Trout Lake (British Columbia)

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Trout Lake
Trout Lake winter.JPG
Trout Lake in mid-February
Canada British Columbia relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Trout Lake
Location British Columbia
Coordinates 50°34′58″N117°25′20″W / 50.5828°N 117.4222°W / 50.5828; -117.4222 Coordinates: 50°34′58″N117°25′20″W / 50.5828°N 117.4222°W / 50.5828; -117.4222
Type ribbon lake
Basin  countriesCanada

Trout Lake is a ribbon lake in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. Between the Selkirk Mountains to the west and the Purcell Mountains to the east, the lake is about 23 kilometres (14 mi) long and 1.6 kilometres (1 mi) wide. Lardeau Creek flows into the northern end and Lardeau River flows from the southern end. [1] BC Highway 31 skirts the northeast shore. The northern end is about 90 kilometres (56 mi) by road and ferry southeast of Revelstoke.

Contents

Name origin

In 1865, explorer James Turnbull noted in his diary a journey beside Lake de Truite, but did not indicate how he knew the lake's French name, only that the waters abounded in trout. No Sinixt or Ktunaxa name existed. The lake is labelled Lac des Truites on an 1871 map, Lardo Lake on an 1890 map, and Trout Lake in an 1889 newspaper article (which highlighted the immense size of the trout). [2]

Mining

Although mining claims have surrounded the lake, [3] the predominance of mining activity has been near Ferguson and Trout Lake at the northern end. [4] The discovery of the Great Northern and Silver Cup mineral claims led to extensive prospecting from 1890 onward. [5]

In 1891, trails for miners were completed southeastward from Upper Arrow Lake [6] and northwestward from Kootenay Lake. [7] By the next year, horse packtrains operated from Thomson's Landing (Beaton). [8] A sleigh road existed during the winter months. [9] In 1893, packtrains commenced from Lardo (Lardeau). [10]

In 1894, wagon road construction from Lardo almost reached Trout Lake City [11] and from Thomson's Landing was 6 kilometres (4 mi) short of the town. [12] The next summer, the road through the settlement was completed, [13] [14] replacing the packtrains with four-horse wagon teams. [15] Over time, deterioration left only the Thomson's Landing road passable. Prior to the railway, inward journeys to the lake carried supplies, and the outward ones ore. [16]

The Broadview, the Silver Cup, the Nettie Lake, and Ajax were the more significant properties. [17] (See mining maps). [18] [19] By 1908, only the Silver Cup remained operational, [20] ceasing production in 1914. The True Fissure and Blue Bell developed 1916–1939. Sporadic mining occurred in the area during the 1940s and 1950s. [17]

The area experienced only limited production after the early years, but interest in development continues. [21]

Transportation

In 1898, a steamboat service was introduced. [22] The next year, a new wharf was completed at Trout Lake City [23] and the survey crews from rival railway companies either chartered the steamboat or acquired available boats. [24] The steamboat ran a regular service up and down the lake. [25]

For years, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP), under the Arrowhead and Kootenay Railway (or Kootenay and Arrowhead) banner, conducted a charade indicating a Lardeau–Arrowhead line was imminent, purely to block the Kaslo and Slocan Railway, a Great Northern Railway subsidiary, from constructing along the route. [26] The scheme included buying a third of the unsold lots at Trout Lake City. [27] Such land sales by railway companies contributed significantly to track construction costs.

On completion in June 1902, the contractor initially operated the Lardo (Lardeau)–Gerrard line, [28] and a lake boat connected with Trout Lake City. [29] That August, CP commenced a three-times weekly Lardo–Trout Lake City rail/lake service. [30] The 1,000-ton ore stockpile [31] was completely removed by month end. [32] The CP warehouses had accumulated the product since January. [33] Even Revelstoke freight followed the new circuitous route via Nelson. [34]

However, when winter ice closed the lake route, [35] the original wagon road via Beaton provided a rudimentary and only access. [36] CP were able to keep a channel open on the lake for the 1903/04 winter, [37] but the usual winter closure was two to three months. [38]

From 1904, a CP tug towed a six-car barge, which took the railway cars down the lake. [39] Delivering the tug by rail from Lardo had proved challenging, because the breadth clearances were overly tight. [40]

CP did not recommence ferry service in 1916 after the spring thaw. [41] The rail service reduced to a locomotive and rolling stock barged in weekly from the Kaslo line. [42] That August, the shingle mill leased the CP vessel and established a connecting weekly passenger/freight run. [43]

A rail link to the north end of the lake never eventuated. The Lardeau–Gerrard line closed in 1942. [44]

Recreation

The presence of large rainbow trout, bull trout, and burbot cater to fishing. Hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and snowmobiling are popular on the trails throughout the surrounding hills. [45]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Trout Lake (lake)". BC Geographical Names.
  2. ↑ "Castlegar News, 12 Oct 2017". www.castlegarnews.com.
  3. ↑ "Miner, 17 Jun 1893". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 2.
  4. ↑ Fyles & Eastwood 1962, p. 7 (8).
  5. ↑ Fyles & Eastwood 1962, p. 10 (11).
  6. ↑ "Kootenay Star, 11 Jul 1891". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  7. ↑ "Miner, 5 Sep 1891". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  8. ↑ "Kootenay Star, 2 Jul 1892". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  9. ↑ "Kootenay Mail, 19 May 1894". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 2.
  10. ↑ "Tribune, 20 Apr 1893". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 4.
  11. ↑ "Kootenay Mail, 1 Dec 1894". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 2.
  12. ↑ "Kootenay Mail, 9 Feb 1895". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 2.
  13. ↑ "Kootenay Mail, 6 Jul 1895". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  14. ↑ "Ledge, 18 Jul 1895". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 8.
  15. ↑ "Kootenay Mail, 27 Jul 1895". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  16. ↑ "Revelstoke Herald, 27 May 1899". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 3.
  17. 1 2 Fyles & Eastwood 1962, p. 11 (12).
  18. ↑ "Revelstoke Herald, 15 May 1897". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 3.
  19. ↑ "Eagle, 14 Feb 1900". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 2.
  20. ↑ "Daily News, 3 Jan 1909". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 32.
  21. ↑ "BC Local News, 9 Nov 2020". www.bclocalnews.com.
  22. ↑ "Tribune, 30 Jul 1898". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  23. ↑ "Kootenay Mail, 27 May 1899". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 2.
  24. ↑ "Revelstoke Herald, 14 Jun 1899". www.library.ubc.ca. pp. 1, 4.
  25. ↑ "Kootenay Mail, 22 Jul 1899". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  26. ↑ "Kootenay Mail, 22 Mar 1901". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 3.
  27. ↑ "Revelstoke Herald, 13 Apr 1901". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  28. ↑ "Daily News, 5 Jun 1902". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  29. ↑ "Daily News, 17 Jul 1902". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 4.
  30. ↑ "Daily News, 1 Aug 1902". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 4.
  31. ↑ "Daily News, 6 Aug 1902". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 4.
  32. ↑ "Nelson Tribune, 30 Aug 1902". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  33. ↑ "Kootenay Mail, 3 Jan 1902". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 2.
  34. ↑ "Daily News, 21 Jun 1902". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 4.
  35. ↑ "Daily News, 21 Apr 1903". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 4.
  36. ↑ "Kootenay Mail, 11 Apr 1903". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 3.
  37. ↑ "Daily News, 27 Feb 1904". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 2.
  38. ↑ "Slocan Mining Review, 5 Nov 1908". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  39. ↑ "Daily News, 22 Jul 1904". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  40. ↑ "Daily News, 27 Jul 1904". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 1.
  41. ↑ "Daily News, 20 May 1916". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 5.
  42. ↑ "Daily News, 27 Mar 1916". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 5.
  43. ↑ "Daily News, 26 Aug 1916". www.library.ubc.ca. p. 7.
  44. ↑ Meyer, Ronald Howard (1967). "The Evolution of Railways in the Kootenays". www.open.library.ubc.ca. pp. 34, 69 (27, 62).
  45. ↑ "Trout Lake". www.ourbc.com.

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References

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