After Hours @ Fort Steele BC

Here it’s a most interesting take on what’s a most remarkable place. We’re in Fort Steele Heritage Town, out in the East Kootenays of British Columbia, a popular “living history*” museum operating since the 1960s. We’ve been given an assignment to document the park for a photo-tour type article, but with a twist. Comes the instructions…arrive late, as the day winds down, and stay till after closing and into the night if you can. Show folks what a place like this looks without the crowds, with things all quiet and not a soul about. For us, it’s a dream gig and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did documenting it all. It was pure heaven.

*These types of venues include period costumed interpretive staff who portray characters from the past. So not only is it historic structures to view, but there’s people from the “old days” you can interact with, making for a more authentic well rounded experience. Channel your inner time traveller.

Before the tour, a brief history. The town of Fort Steele dates back to the 1860s, making it one of the oldest communities in the entire province and for sure the oldest in the area. It was gold that brought the people here, plenty of that yellow stuff being pulled from the nearby Wild Horse (sometimes Wildhorse) River. Originally it was called “Galbraith’s Ferry”, but with the arrival of the Northwest Mounted Police in the 1880s, whose leader in the area was legendary Sam Steele, the name was changed.

At the peak in the 1890s Fort Steele had a population of several thousand. With the gold fields soon exhausted it was hopes of the railway arriving that held promise of continued growth and prosperity. But the trains didn’t come, at least not yet, and instead the line was routed through nearby Cranbrook (then called “Joseph’s Prairie”), a death knell for Fort Steele. When the trains finally did come, (circa 1910s) it was too late, the town was already done for. With the gold all gone and no other hope, it was off to greener pastures for most who once called it home. So started a decline. Soon the population dropped to two hundred, then one hundred, then a handful. By the time the province steeped into preserve what was left (a fair bit), in the 1960s only a few homes were still occupied.

Fast forward to today, the various buildings, most original and in the very spot where constructed, have been fixed up and the general public is invited in to drop by to view them and learn a bit of history. Welcome to Fort Steele Heritage Town…

1) Things are winding down at the Park, but there’s still lots of people about. Seen here, curiosities satisfied. This is Dr Watt’s Office from the 1890s. And soon they’re off, in a most noisily fashion, to peer in another window.

2) Passing the Windsor Hotel, it’s Fort Steele’s old school “transit” system. Take a wagon ride and see the town.

3) This is how you shopped back in the day, we’re at Carlin & Durick’s. Instead of you filling your order yourselves, the grocer did it for you. This style of “general store” or “mercantile” offered up groceries, hardware, clothing, and near anything else a settler might need.

4) Next door at Mrs Sprauge’s Dressmaking Shop.

5-6) The wagon circles town and so do we. Here it’s the last ride of the day.

7) A typical small town school, this one dating from the late 1890s. On the back wall, reminders of Canada’s strong British ties, the Union Jack and a portrait of Queen Victoria, monarch at the time. “God Save the Queen” (or King) was traditionally sung by class at the beginning of each day. Your author recalls doing it.

1) Curiosity is the rule at Fort Steele BC.

8) There’s a delicious smell in the air, beckoning us on, and we soon find ourselves at City Bakery. Here it’s buns fresh from the wood fired oven. Drop by for a sticky cinnamon roll, or a loaf to take home. Products from here can also be found at grocery stores in nearby towns. Coaxed a smile!

2) Take a wagon tour of town.

9) Baked goods out for delivery, this is how they did it in the 1890s. Park interpreters don traditional costumes and are happy to answer your questions. Or pose for a photo. In back towering Fisher Peak.

10) Here it’s the last show at the Wild Horse Theatre. When you visit the park make it a point to drop by and see what’s playing – it’s free with admission! It might be a Marx Brothers picture or one from the Three Stooges (Moe’s haircut alone with make you giggle) or maybe a selection from the National Film Board. There’s always something new (well, old) playing. Handpicked Hollywood Classics, and sometimes the occasional current movie, or even live shows, are offered at select times too. And at bargain prices too. Want to know more about the Theatre, go here: Wild Horse Theatre at Fort Steele Heritage Town

“Let’s all go to the lobby…” They also showed that creepy dancing hotdog thing.

11) With his day done, the theatre manager wanders off, soon to return to the twenty first century, while ahead the last visitors depart. The park is closed. In an hour or so, with staff and volunteers homeward bound, it’ll be only be us.

12-13) A good chat with a cheerful park employee. Is that…a chicken?

14) This ancient road roller, proudly displaying the maker’s name, Austin. The huge smoke stack makes you think it’s steam powered but it’s in fact driven by an internal combustion engine.

15-16) Here’s curious hunk of metal, the Perry Creek Steam Shovel. Back in the early 1900s it was used at a placer gold mine on that water course for a couple seasons before being abandoned due to lower than expected returns. It ran on a short section of railway track and on scooping ahead (and then dumping it into waiting sluices) it made a path of sorts on which new rails could be laid. On moving forward it’d take another bite and tracks from back would be leapfrogged over to the front, and the process repeated. Over the time it was on the creek, it moved much material and travelled many kilometres. Perry Creek has produced a lot of gold over the years.

You author used to visit the Steam Shovel deep in the woods (no pics sadly) back in the 1980s-1990s. It was built in 1901 by the firm Vulcan Iron Works of Toledo Ohio and came to Fort Steele only recently.

17) This ancient railway combine (part coach, part baggage car, likely from of 1900-1910 period) once worked from the Morrissey, Fernie & Michel railway that operated in the Fernie BC area. The line was US controlled and was a conduit for coal and coke (a coal by product) heading down across the border. The MF&M closed in the 1950s with many pieces of rolling stock ending up at Calgary’s Heritage Park.

18) When a steamer needs a drink, they go here. A fill up would be needed every hundred and fifty or two hundred clicks under normal operating conditions.

19-21) Being bedded down for the season, after just having done the last run, this vintage steam locomotive. It has a much storied past and after being built by the Montreal Locomotive Works in 1923 it found work at a series of logging firms in BC into the 1970s (yes a steamer in service that late). Afterwards it became part of the BC Provincial Museum Train that travelled about the province, before finding its way to to Fort Steele in the late 1980s. During the summer you can take a ride behind #1077. Yes please! They have a nice scenic loop through the woods that includes a viewpoint taking in mountains to the west and the Kootenay River below. Here the crew monitors the locomotive as it cools down.

22-23) The business end of the steam shovel, and some horses seen earlier now off the clock and out roaming the property and having fun. And they posed for us too. These are Clydesdales, bred for heavy pulling with a pleasant easy going demeanour (call them “gentle giants”). They live all year round at the park and most were even born here.

24) Fort Steele is in the “Kootenays”. Now you get it?

25) Geary & Doyle’s Livery Stable. Think of them as a service station for horses, with near every town having one or more such establishments back in the day. Here you could rest your equines and get them fed, watered and groomed.

26) Now the place is all ours, with a small exception as you’ll soon see. Here it’s a stop to sit back and just bask the awesomeness that is After Hours @ Fort Steele and how this day and gig are playing out as something extra special. And with that sunset, it’ll only get better. Now breath…to steal it from a commercial. Across the road, two “reproduction” buildings. A lot here are original but a few are not. The International Hotel, left, has a nice restaurant with yummy eats. Now it’s time to roam. There’s work to do.

27) Kershaw & Son Grocery and Post Office, circa early 1900s and the 1930s era Dempsey House, lived in until the early 1990s, even with the park operating around it. And the light keeps getting better.

28) The Perry Creek Water Wheel, easily seen from the highway and a telling sign you’ve arrived at the Park. This once worked downstream of the Steam Shovel seen earlier, and in the 1930s period was used to power pumps for a placer mine. Imagine the work that went into it. We shot it in the dark but we’re dissatisfied with the pics.

3) In Carlin & Durick’s.

29) This odd hunk of metal is a hydraulic mining “monitor”. In simple terms, they’d shoot high pressure water at some hillside using it, and process the resultant slurry in sluices, in search for placer gold. In places up the Wild Horse River, not far away, you can still see the scars from these undertakings. The river was first mined in the 1860s, and it was a rush of pretty epic proportions for a time. Hydraulic mining came later, so in the 1880s-1890s period, after the easy workings were exhausted. In back, the store and dress shop seen earlier, and the old Galbraith’s Ferry Office, some of the oldest buildings in the park, and in this part of the province. Galbraith’s is from 1864.

30) One fancy wood barber pole.

31) Jack Corrigan’s Harness Shop, for all manner of leather work. Need a saddle repaired, a bridle, or perhaps a boot fixed? This was the guy you visited. Like a livery, nearly every town had just such a business (sometimes the two were combined), back when horses ruled the road.

32) That unmistakable sense you’ve gone back in time. In every way it feels legit, with not a single thing to convince one otherwise. Yes, you’re a time traveller. And mother nature gets a nod for lighting things so wonderfully. From left to right the 1880s Government Building, which garners a lot of our attention (it’s gorgeous), the Wild Horse Theatre in back, a reproduction building in the form of a typical theatre of the 1900s-1920s era, that could show films or host live shows, and last the livery seen earlier. We’re looking up Main Street.

33) The Northwest Mounted Police Fort. Most of what are seen here are reproduction buildings, but one structure remains from the 1880s. The NWMP, later in the twentieth century, morphed into the present day RCMP. This part of BC, prior to arrival of the “Mounties”, was little served by anything that could be called an organized police force, so their arrival was welcomed. There’s often a general lawlessness on the frontier.

34) The Wild Horse Theatre. Team BIGDoer just might be showing up for one those events spoken of earlier. Stay tuned.

35) This kitty only showed up after the crowds left and it, along with another we’d soon after run into, would shadow us till we left in the wee hours. And they’d photobomb more than their share of images.

36) The Bandstand, a venue for lots of weddings and in back, the reproduction Wasa Hotel. Wasa is the next town north of Fort Steele and has a nice little lake and many camping sites. The Wasa houses many history exhibits.

37) The Mather House from the 1890s. We’ll take a closer look soon.

38) Our second feline friend and a regal pose. While the two cats took to us, they did not seem to like each other and kept well separated as we wandered about. These two made the experience all the more interesting. They we’re our own furry little guides.

39) The 1890s water tower when built used to stand elsewhere in town. In the 1980s, your author and a group of no-good yahoo friends would sneak in after hours and chill in the tower, with a couple mickeys. Don’t tell the park, please. In front, old mine cars.

40) Riverside Avenue seems strange and eerie with the crowds having all gone home. Wood sidewalks were common in smaller towns well into the twentieth century.

41) Giant attack kitty! This one was all personalty and even jumped into our car when we left, not wanting to leave us I guess. Like the first cat, it was not seen until the park closed. But once it locked on it us, it was never out of sight. Ditto for the other.

42) This was the home for the Anglican Church Minister (aka Vicar) and Wife. Prior to the 1950s, the Anglican Church in Canada was called the Church of England. This building is from the late 1890s and as you can see, has been beautifully restored.

43) Under risk of being called repetitive, there was more than a few instances where it felt as though we were lost in time. There was nothing to challenge the illusion, save for the occasional noise of big rig or Harley passing on the highway nearby. Here, a scene that takes us back a hundred or more years into the past. Left the St. John the Divine Anglican Church and straight ahead, the Presbyterian Church. And the skies, again, do not disappoint.

44) And then it’s an explosion of colour, but for only for a moment, with the sky then settling into a soft hue of blue soon after. The ornate Wasa Hotel was built in the 1960s and it looks like they copied the original faithfully based on old photos seen by the Team.

45) In back precipitous mountains of the Hughes Range, sometimes locally called The Steeples, even though that’s the name of just one ridge within that range.

46) These places are in such good shape it’s hard to believe they were once derelict. They’ve done a convincing job here. This is the Cohn Place, from the 1890s.

47) Also from the 1890s. On the upper floor, a Masonic Lodge, and lower, the Opera House, where one could take in plays and concerts or attend community dinners and social events. Here we take a break from all the amazing and refuel with a picnic dinner. Hi Connie!

48) This camera has lived a hard life, and while beaten and scarred, it keeps on plugging away and has done us well (it’s missing the dial cap here). Sent it in soon after this gig to get a tune up and now it’s good for another round or two. In this corner, a tired Canon 70D, hardly a pro rig but one that does what’s needed of it, verses anything we throw at it. We’re a poor broke society so we make due…and we seem to do well. For glass it’s mostly cheap-o kit lenses or old ones salvaged off late model film cameras.

49) Something as simple as a clothes line. It was the norm well into the modern era to use them. Our 1960 built house has one. In back, the red Hanson House circa 1890s. That era was a busy one for Fort Steele.

50) Up close and personal with the Mather House. The people that once lived here owned the Windsor Hotel, which you’ve seen once in so far and will soon see again a few images down. This was a thirty second exposure, allowing the moving clouds to look at though soft and cottony. It pays to play and experiment.

4) The dressmaker is keeping busy.

51-52) Back at the unimaginatively named “Government Building”. From the 1880s, and looking fantastic for something that old, it housed various offices for the provincial government including the gold commissioner and courts of law. As would be normal for the time, the British flag flies (but moved a lot during the long exposure so is blurred). And the water tower again, bringing back memories of a misspent youth. Now the sky’s all soft and blue. We so liked the building, we took two photos of it from different angles. Second is from the door of the Livery.

5) On Selkirk Avenue.

53) The Windsor (sometimes Windsor Arms), standing on this very corner since the 1890s* and in business until the mid-1950s when it was closed up and forgotten for a time. It was one of seven hotels in Fort Steele at the peak. The town was hopping then! It’s since been fixed up and you can stay there again. It’s on our wish list. And the skies continue to be magic. If you look close, down there on the road, you can see one for the cats sitting there. It did not move though the entire (long) exposure.

*In fact many of the old buildings here stand where built, which makes Fort Steele rather unique among living history museums. At many others the buildings are brought in from elsewhere, which is fine too, but here, there’s a level of authenticity that’s unrivalled.

54) City Bakery is fairly modern but mimics the look of a typical business of the era. Remains of the original building, fallen down and in a derelict state, are hidden among the bushes to the left. Once the bread starts baking, that most delicious aroma draws the people in from all corners of the Park.

55) And winding things down (heck it’s only been eight hours, a short one for us) one last shot of the Presbyterian Church, a late night service seemingly underway. This and the previous image, were shot on a “point & shoot” camera (one that’s rather roided-out admittedly). Why not push the envelope and take something beyond its intended use.

And with that, our Fort Steele adventure comes to an end. We pack up the gear, thoroughly exhausted but with that wonderful “afterglow”, satisfied we got some great photos and a story we hope you’ll appreciate that perhaps prompts you to pay the park a visit. It really is a treasure that needs to be seen, Put it on your bucket list and tell them we sent you. We say goodbye to the cats, who loyally followed us to the very end (and seemingly didn’t want us to go), then turn and one last look, a sigh, it’s over, but that feeling you’ve done something cool. We’ll sleep well tonight.

And on writing this piece so many months since, we’re find ourselves longing to go back.

This was Connie’s first outing following her first Cancer operation. There’s since been two more follow up procedures and while in the process she has lost a breast, she’s doing fine and is free and clear. All the while, she continued to get out to document these amazing places for you enjoyment. What a trouper.

If you plan on visiting, and we think you should…
Fort Steele Heritage Town
Fort Steele Heritage Town on Facebook

More from the area…
Wandering Cranbrook.
Gambled and Lost.
Lumberton Ghost Town – 1990.

If you wish more information on what you’ve seen here, by all means contact us!

Date: September, 2018.
Location: Fort Steele, British Columbia
Article references and thanks: Fort Steele Heritage Town, and all their accommodating staff and volunteers, who made us feel welcome and allowed us free run of the property, Canadian Trackside Guides, E-Know.ca East Kootenay New Online Weekly.

6) On their last loop about town.

7) Class dismissed.

8) At City Bakery, yummy things prepared.

9) Fresh bread out for delivery.

10) Last show at the Wild Horse.

11) Calling it a day.

12) Chatting up some staff…wait, what the…?

13) #ChickensRidingShotgun

14) This old Austin road roller.

15) Made by Vulcan Iron Works, Toledo OH, circa 1901.

16) We used to visit it up on Perry Creek.

17) From a railway line closed in the 1950s.

18) For thirsty steamers.

19) A locomotive with a storied past.

20) Meet #1077 from 1923.

21) It just finished the last run of the season.

22) The rumble of hooves.

23) The day’s work done, they get to roam and play.

24) Yes, yes it is.

25) A service station…for horses.

26) Stop & sit & realize, what an awesome place.

27) Kershaw & Son.

28) Once downstream of the steam shovel.

29) A hydraulic mining “monitor”.

30) Shave and a haircut…

31) All manner of leatherwork done.

32) You’ll be convinced you’ve gone back in time.

33) Kootenay Post NWMP Fort.

34) We hope to return to the Wild Horse.

35) One of two that shadowed us all night.

36) Lots of weddings held right here.

37) Mather’s Place, from the 1890s.

38) A regal pose.

39) We used to sneak into Fort Steele and do things in that tower.

40) The view down Riverside.

41) Next, a nose print on the lens.

42) ‘ello Vicar…

43) 1890s or 2018?

44) The Wasa Hotel…and that sunset!

45) And those peaks in back!

46) A charming home.

47) A place for plays and Masons.

48) It’s old and beaten.

49) Something as simple as a clothesline…

40) One half minute of time.

51) Blessed with amazing skies.

52) This building commanded a lot of our attention.

53) You can stay at the Windsor Hotel – see the kitty?

54) After Hours @ Fort Steele BC.

55) A late night service.