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History 2
Tuesday, July 12th, 2005 by GetawayBC.com
Big Bend gold rush
Gold was discovered on the Columbia River, in the area known as the Big Bend, near Revelstoke, in 1864. Seymour Arm, became a major supply centre. Steamboats, used for transport of goods as well as people, were first built by the Hudson’s Bay Company. CPR also added several boats to the lake. But because rail transport was so much faster, by the time the railway was completed, the steamboats faded into extinction.
Old Town
The first permanent settlers arrived in the area in 1885 after the Last Spike was driven in Craigellachie. The railway now linked Canada from sea to sea. Old Town, or Eagle Pass Landing, became a town nearly overnight in 1871. In 1892, Finlayson’s store opened and a jail was built. A post office was added in 1904, followed by the opening of the first school between 1908 and 1910. In 1949, a bridge was built across the channel, replacing the previous ferry crossing. ;