The courthouse in Fernie BC dates back almost a hundred and fifteen years. It’s just one majestic building, of many, in this charming and historic mountain town. They mined coal in area long ago, and many of the buildings taking us back to this time still exist, but today it’s a outdoor recreation mecca.
The building is the fourth courthouse to serve the city and dates to 1909. It cost between $70 000-$100 000 to construct (reports vary) and that’s about couple million now. It’s not really bad using the standards of today and considering the cost of buildings presently, but was described as a princely sum at the time. Regardless of the cost, isn’t it a gorgeous building and a scenic setting?
They still hold some preliminary court service here, but most of the space is for provincial government related business. A cenotaph out front honours those who fought and died protecting our freedoms – hats off and let’s raise a glass.
The Fernie Courthouse was a stop on the Great Beater Challenge 2023, a parade of junkers that traveled from Fort Macleod Alberta to Ainsworth BC and back over two days. We were there as a chase vehicle to documented the chaos and hilarity for a magazine article (no longer online, but we may resurrect it).
Participants are given hints and awarded points for visiting specific checkpoints, like the courthouse here. Stop, take a photo and then move on to the next puzzle. The Challenge is a ton of fun for participants, something curious and laughable for folks watching the motley procession pass, and a wildly memorable experience for us documenting the event. It’s not easy to keep tabs on 40-50 vehicles of questionable reliability. We went crazy trying to capture it all and were left spent and exhausted by the end.
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