Come celebrate with us! April 21, 2020 marked Kootenay National Park’s centennial! Throughout the year, Parks Canada is commemorating the park’s establishment and reflecting on its past, present and future.
KOOTENAY CENTENNIAL “The word ‘park’ seemed a very small name for so great a thing.” - J. B. Harkin, the first Commissioner of the National Parks of Canada.
1926. Kootenay National Park. Section of highway near the Vermilion River. Credit: Library and Archives Canada
Celebrate with us throughout 2020
Célébrez avec nous tout au long de 2020 June to October
De juin à octobre
The 100 Challenge
Défi 100
Hike 100 km, identify 100 plants, be 100 years old – complete one of our self-guided “100” challenges and win a Kootenay Centennial commemorative prize!
Faites 100 km à pied, identifiez 100 plantes, fêtez vos 100 ans – relevez de façon autonome l’un de nos défis « 100 » et remportez un prix commémoratif du centenaire!
June to October
June to October
Kootenay Then and Now – Recreate the Photo
Le parc Kootenay hier et aujourd’hui – Recréez la photo
Come explore the park! Line up your camera and get creative to recreate historic photos. See how much – or how little – the place has changed over the past 100 years.
Venez explorer le parc! Installez votre appareil photo et recréez des photos historiques. Découvrez à quel point le parc a changé – ou peu changé – depuis 100 ans.
July 18
18 juillet
Kootenay Virtual Birthday Bash
Fête d’anniversaire virtuelle du parc Kootenay
Kootenay National Park’s centennial birthday is going digital! Join us online for celebrations, stories and guest speakers reflecting on 100 years of Kootenay National Park and plans for the future. July to August
*New* interpretive trails will be launched in honour of the centennial. Learn more about Kootenay’s past and future on the Sinclair Canyon and Simpson River interpretive trails. December
Centennial Year End Snowshoe Join the park superintendent for a self-guided evening snowshoe. Bring a mug for hot chocolate and cheers to the next 100 years!
Les célébrations du centenaire passent au numérique! Joignez-vous à nous en ligne pour des festivités, des anecdotes et des exposés sur les 100 années d’existence du parc national Kootenay et sur les plans d’avenir. De juillet à août
Nous inaugurons de *nouveaux* sentiers d’interprétation à l’occasion du centenaire. Apprenez-en davantage sur le passé et l’avenir du parc en parcourant les sentiers du Canyon-Sinclair et de la Rivière-Simpson. Décembre
Promenade de fin d’année en raquettes Participez à une soirée d’exploration autonome en raquettes avec le directeur du parc. Apportez une tasse pour savourer du chocolat chaud et porter un toast aux 100 prochaines années!
For updated information and stories about the centennial: parkscanada.ca/Kootenay100
Renseignements à jour et récits sur le centenaire : parcscanada.ca/Kootenay100
For questions: pc.kootenay100.pc@canada.ca
Des questions? pc.kootenay100.pc@canada.ca
Follow Kootenay on our social channels. Tag us @KootenayNP and share your favourite memories.
Suivez le parc Kootenay sur nos réseaux sociaux. Identifiez-nous (@PNKootenay) et racontez vos plus beaux souvenirs.
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1922. Early road construction equipment.
KOOTENAY CENTENNIAL
Credit: Parks Canada
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June 30, 1923. Ribbon cutting ceremony for the official opening of the Banff-Windermere Highway. Credit: Library and Archives Canada
A road across the Rockies
Kootenay National Park began as a narrow stretch of land, eight kilometers wide on either side of what is now Highway 93 South. Originally called the Banff-Windermere Highway, it was the first road through the central Rockies and the final link in the Grand Circle Tour – a scenic driving route that connected Canada’s mountain national parks with major national parks in the western United States. Building the highway was a labour of shovels, pick axes, dynamite, strength and will. Supplies were transported by wagon from rail lines located over 100 km apart. In winter, it took teams of horses several days to reach construction sites at opposite ends of the road. After more than a decade of work, the Banff-Windermere Highway opened on June 30, 1923. The following year, more than 4,500 automobiles used the gravel road to travel through the Rockies. In 1947, crews began reconstruction work to meet modern highway standards. By 1952, the entire route was rebuilt and paved!
“The coming of the motor opened more than one chapter in history. With it came the demand for roads, roads to all the beautiful and interesting places of the earth. One of the most beautiful and interesting regions—the National parks in the Central Rockies—was accessible only by railway. A wall of mountains lay between the Prairies and the Coast. It was inevitable that the dream of a transmontane motor highway should begin to stir in the minds of imaginative men.” Excerpt from the 1924 guidebook The Banff-Windermere Highway.
1912. Building a road through Sinclair Canyon. The original crack was only large enough to lead a horse through and had to be widened with pick axes and dynamite. Can you find all 12 men in the photo? Credit: Library and Archives Canada
KOOTENAY CENTENNIAL
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1958. A make-shift ditch protects the gasoline station from spring flooding. 1957. The gasoline station and tourist cabins in Kootenay National Park Credit: Ray Crook before demolition. Credit: Ray Crook
The Early Days
August 30, 2018. Ray Crook celebrates his 100th birthday! Credit: Larry Halverson
Only a decade after its establishment, Kootenay National Park was attracting more than 40,000 annual visitors. The park had to change to keep pace with the growing crowds!
The early days in Kootenay National Park are captured in photographs, letters and documents left behind by visitors and residents. Some first-hand accounts can still be heard as well!
In 1931, J. B. Harkin, the Commissioner of National Parks, reported “a good year” for Kootenay National Park. General upgrades included road widening, a new bridge over the Vermilion river and campsite repairs. The Radium Hot Springs town site was further developed near the hot pools. New trails to Ball Pass and Wolverine Pass were completed to “provide a direct route from Banff to Yoho National Park, and open up some of the loveliest scenery in the region.” All species of wildlife were plentiful, and the four wildfires that started that year were contained and extinguished for the low cost of $67.25!
Have you met Ray Crook? His family owned one of the first homestead properties in the park. The area is now known as Crook’s Meadow Group Campground. Ray has a lifetime of incredible experiences and memories of Kootenay. He worked as a gasoline station attendant, log builder and carpenter, assistant park warden, truck driver, snow plow driver, maintenance worker and gate attendant! Ray recalls one of the truck’s he drove: “It was a slow, heavily built old truck and the brakes were very poor but I was quite happy with it. It was a step up from driving the old gravity dump Pontiac.”
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beaver
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Kootenay National Park lies within traditional lands of the Ktunaxa and Secwépemc Nations; their languages flow from living closely with the land for thousands of years. We thank them and their local communities, Akisq’nuk First Nation and Shuswap Indian Band (Kenpesq’t), for sharing their language.
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-Ray Crook. Excerpt from The Life and Times of Charles John Crook & Family.
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CAN YOU
“I don’t know how much money Dad would have had in the bank by 1932 but early in the spring of that year, he decided to build a gasoline station on his homestead property in Kootenay National Park. I remember walking with him across the ice of Lake Windermere to the Sunshine Ranch, which was owned by Nat Bavin. Nat was a building contractor and agreed to build the proposed structure which would be started as soon as the Banff-Windermere road was clear of snow.”
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Soak up some history Known for its soothing mineral waters and impressive canyon walls, the Radium Hot Springs pool facility is a popular stopping point for tourists and locals. In recent years, the number of annual visitors reached 250,000! The hot springs were first used by Indigenous peoples. Later, miners and settlers began stopping by. Water from a spring at the base of Redstreak Mountain was captured in rudimentary pools built from rocks and moss. Thanks to geothermal heating deep in the Earth, the water temperature was a steaming 45˚C! It wasn’t until the early 1900s that the hot springs began to transform into the visitor facility we know today. 1890
1914
Roland Stuart, a British gentleman, purchases a 190-acre plot of land that includes the hot springs. When construction work begins on the Banff-Windermere Highway, Stuart starts to develop his property. John Harmsworth, who started the mineral water company Perrier, visits the hot springs. Harmsworth is paralyzed from the waist down, but after soaking in the pools every day for four months he claims to regain feeling in his feet. Harmsworth invests $20,000 in the facility to build a concrete pool, log dressing room, small store and caretaker’s cottage.
1920
Kootenay National Park is established. The Department of the Interior tries to negotiate the purchase of the hot springs property. A great drama unfolds, with unanswered telegrams, an investigation by the park’s Chief Engineer, multiple purchase offers and different valuations of the property.
1922
The hot springs are expropriated by the Department of the Interior and the surrounding area is developed into a town site. Hotels, bungalows, a post office, residences and a campground are constructed over the next five years.
1927
A new, two-story bath house is built to accommodate the growing number of visitors.
1948
A fire burns the bath house to the ground. The tragedy is a turning point. Planning starts for a new facility that will address poor sanitation, long waits and overcrowding issues.
1951
The new Radium Hot Springs Aquacourt opens!
1970s
Most of the town site above the hot springs is relocated. The canyon is too narrow to accommodate expansion and congestion is a major problem. The area starts returning to its natural state as an important wildlife corridor.
1994
The Radium Hot Springs Aquacourt is recognized as a Classified Federal Heritage Building due to its historical associations and architectural and environmental value.
Flames of renewal
1914-1923. First bathhouse and concrete pool. Operated by a caretaker on behalf of Roland Stuart. Credit: Library and Archives Canada
1927. Construction of the new bathhouse. The sign in the background says, “Enjoy a bath in the radio-active waters of the government swimming pool. Healthful and refreshing. Temperature 100 °F to 118 °F.” Credit: Library and Archives Canada
Over the last century, many notable wildfires have swept through the northern half of Kootenay National Park. These natural disturbances play an important role in shaping forests. Fire-adapted plants, such as lodgepole pine and fireweed, benefit from the regular cycle of fire. Next time you visit the park, take a closer look at the landscape around you. The different stages of regrowth provide clues about a fiery past.
1927-1948. Second bathhouse.
Credit: Library and Archives Canada
A landscape reborn Just a few years after a wildfire, lodgepole pine seedlings rise from the ashes. Plants like fireweed, heartleaf arnica and showy aster also thrive in the nutrient rich soil.
May 19, 1951. The Radium Hot Springs Aquacourt is officially open. Credit: Library and Archives Canada
Hike the Simpson River Trail to see recent regeneration and vibrant colours. Look for the new interpretive signs highlighting the first 1.5 km of the trail (anticipated completion date is July 1, 2020). Continued on page 6…
The original town site above the hot springs. Circa 1938. Credit: Library and Archives Canada
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Safe passage for wildlife
A wildlife underpass and exclusion fencing along Highway 93S.
2020
Do the fences and underpasses work?
What are the gaps in the fence?
Yes! Since the structures were completed in 2015, Parks Canada has recorded over 6000 wildlife crossings! Wildlife highway mortality has dropped by over 85% within the fenced area. Remote cameras captured white-tailed deer, mule deer, moose, elk, wolf, grizzly bear, black bear, cougar, coyote and fox using the underpasses. The cameras also recorded some unexpected crossings. A black bear and a pair of Canada geese swam through a flooded underpass, and birds flew through as well!
The gaps are one-way jump-outs. They are built with a drop-off on the forested side of the fence. This discourages animals from entering but allows animals stuck on the highway side to escape.
On a typical summer day, over 5,000 vehicles travel through Kootenay National Park! Parks Canada fenced an important, 15 km section of Highway 93 South (93S) to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions. Nine underpasses were constructed to help wildlife safely cross the highway. But do the underpasses actually work? Do animals get trapped inside the fence? Find out these answers and more below.
Do animals get trapped on the highway side of the fence? Sometimes. If you see this, please report it as soon as possible to Parks Canada Dispatch. Call 403-762-1473. Parks Canada wildlife staff will be sent to help! They keep the animal calm, working slowly and using light pressure to steer it towards the closest jump-out or gate. Some animals like wolves follow visual clues and traffic cones are used to steer them. Other animals require more encouragement; staff yell, clap or fire harmless chalk balls out of a paintball gun.
Are people allowed to use the underpasses? Construction of a wildlife underpass in Kootenay National Park.
How were the underpass locations selected? Locations were chosen based on mortality hot spots, historical wildlife crossing areas and natural features such as gullies.
No. The underpasses are closed to the public to allow wildlife to move under the highway undisturbed.
The gate is closed at Kootenay Crossing. Is it still open to the public? Yes! The public still has access to Kootenay Crossing. In the summer, an electrified mat across the entrance provides a harmless shock to wildlife trying to move onto the highway. In the winter, a roller gate blocks the entrance but can be opened by pushing a button.
What’s next? Remote cameras capture animals using underpasses to cross Highway 93S. Two white-tailed deer stand behind exclusion fencing.
Jump-outs allow one-way traffic from the highway to the safe side of the fence.
…Flames of renewal from page 5.
Growing old
Youthful regrowth
After almost a century, there is not much evidence of the “Great Fire” of 1926. Obvious signs like blackened soil and burnt logs have disappeared. The forest has grown older, taller and denser. Shade-tolerant trees like spruce and fir occupy the understory, and will eventually break through the canopy as lodgepole pine die away. This old-growth forest will stand until another disturbance like fire restarts the natural growth cycle.
In 2003, lightning strikes started two wildfires that eventually merged, burning 12 % of the park. Seventeen years later, the results of the Tokumm-Verendrye wildfire can still be seen along the highway. Dead trees continue to break down, providing nutrients for young trees and shrubs. Lodgepole pine are in their teenage years, well-established and over 6 feet tall. Fireweed stands near the height of a person. Willow, huckleberry and many other plant species grow abundantly in the open space. Stop at the Vermilion Crossing Day-Use Area for a close-up view.
Parks Canada continues to monitor the underpasses and study how different species use the structures to move across the landscape. Lessons learned from the Kootenay wildlife crossings project have been applied to other Parks Canada projects. For example, the unique, one-way design of the jump-outs was so effective that it was used for wildlife exclusion fencing in Yoho National Park!
Stop at the Hector Gorge Viewpoint and take in the surrounding landscape. Can you see how the 94-year-old regrowth blends into the older forest around it?
Middle-aged achievers During the summer of 1968, the Vermilion Pass wildfire started near Marble Canyon and spread into Banff National Park. Today, the lower elevations resemble a mature lodgepole pine forest. Now middle-aged, these sun-loving trees have grown tall and shade out flowers and shrubs on the forest floor. At higher elevations, the past influence of fire is more noticeable. Regrowth is slower in harsh, alpine environments. Visit the Continental Divide Day-Use Area and Fireweed Loops Trail. Interpretive signs tell the full story of forest regeneration after fire.
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World-renowned fossils
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Discover Burgess Shale Fossils
Découvrez les fossiles des schistes de Burgess
Credit: Royal Ontario Museum Check out this deadly predator, known to paleontologists as a “dill pickle with attitude.” The 3D image is a rendering of the fossil. Scientific name: Yawunik kootenayi. Described March, 2015.
When driving through Kootenay National Park, most people focus on the distant scenery: towering peaks, sparkling rivers, sprawling forests and the contrasting colours of wildfire burn areas. The views are spectacular, but looking closely has its own rewards. Hidden in the mountains here are the remains of an ancient ecosystem! Over 500 million years ago, weird and wonderful creatures were swimming, burrowing and scuttling around the sea floor. These creatures are the ancestors of modern animals. Luckily for us, they were preserved in almost magical detail. Known as Burgess Shale-type fossils, the exquisite remains are found in only a few locations worldwide….and Kootenay National Park has a treasure trove! The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto leads Canadian research into Burgess Shale fossils. Since 2008, scientists have unearthed several new quarry sites in Kootenay National Park. These sites have yielded incredible new species and added to our understanding of evolution. In the summer of 2021, the ROM plans to continue fieldwork in Kootenay National Park, returning to the area
where Cambroraster falcatus and Fibulacaris nereidis were discovered. Researchers have only scratched the surface of this quarry and are very excited by its potential. Stay tuned…new discoveries are just around the corner! To learn more about the Burgess Shale fossils: • Visit the ROM online at burgess-shale.rom.on.ca • Join a Parks Canada guided hike. Learn about deep connections between past and present and search for fossils at a quarry site. For up-to-date information, visit pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/kootenay/activ/ burgess • Join Parks Canada on a mountaintop in Kootenay National Park to learn more! Visit the Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants YouTube channel and search for “Burgess Shale fossils”: https://www.youtube. com/channel/UCvQkEzcH9f_9OylEdmALiWg • Plan a visit to the ROM’s new Dawn of Life gallery, which will trace the history of life on Earth. Opening planned for 2021.
Credit: Royal Ontario Museum The “Millennium Falcon” was an animal that combined the best qualities of a spaceship and a turtle. The 3D image is a rendering of the fossil. Scientific name: Cambroraster falcatus. Described July, 2019.
Mountain Ladyslipper Cypripedium montanum “Just as we turned across a partially shaded flat on the side of the little canyon we had been traversing, a wonderful sight burst upon us. Scattered among the low-growing bushes were great clumps of this splendid orchid in the perfection of bloom. A beautiful plant about eighteen inches tall, with a delicate perfume quite its own—no wonder that we quickly dismounted to pay homage to this queen of the forest.” -Mary Vaux Walcott. Excerpt from North American Wild Flowers, 1925. Mary spent many months on mountain trails in the Canadian Rockies and published beautiful water colour paintings of the flowers she found. Her husband, Dr. Charles Walcott, is well-known for his connection to the Burgess Shale fossils.
Credit: Royal Ontario Museum This creature swims upside down like a sea monkey, but protects itself with a hinged shell. The 3D image is a rendering of the fossil. Scientific name: Fibulacaris nereidis. Described December, 2019.
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Family corner The centennial is a great time to reconnect with the park! Try one of these family-friendly celebration activities. parkscanada.gc.ca/kootenay100
The 100 Challenge Hike, bike or paddle 100 km in the park. Identify 100 plant or animal species. Take 100 smile shots at scenic spots. Complete one of these challenges and win a centennial-themed prize! Enter individually or as a group of friends or family. 1. Record your progress as instructed on page 6 of the Kootenay National Park visitor guide. If a printed visitor guide isn’t available, download one at pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/bc/kootenay/visit/ depliants-brochures 2. Bring your challenge record to the Kootenay National Park Visitor Centre to claim your prize! If the visitor centre is closed, email a photo of your challenge record to pc.kootenay100.pc@canada.ca
Kootenay Then and Now – Recreate the Photo Historic photos from the park are posted on the centennial webpage along with their locations. Visit the spot, line up your camera to recreate the scene and see how much the place has or hasn’t changed over the past 100 years. Share your “then and now” compositions with us on social media using the hashtag #kootenay100
Get creative Make your own 100 challenge with family and friends. Recreate old family photos for a personalized Kootenay Then and Now. Create a poem, story or piece of art. Share with us on social media using the hashtag #kootenay100
Join the celebration! Follow Kootenay on our social channels.
Tag us @KootenayNP and share your favourite memories. Find updated information and stories about the Kootenay National Park centennial at parkscanada.gc.ca/kootenay100 For more information: pc.kootenay100.pc@canada.ca
1943. View of Hawk Ridge and the Simpson River
Credit: Parks Canada
The mountain goats of Mount Wardle When the moon sets the pearly peaks shining And the goats bed down for the night They will wake and rise and stretch their legs As soon as comes early light And the sun lights the peaks With their everlasting snow And the Kootenay is running through Its silent bed below And the birds wake up and sing As the eagle glides in circles in the morning sky With the clouds beneath its wings I hope this land will stay like this For ever and a day And the river runs through its Tree lined shore as it silently Winds its way And may Wardens protect it from the poachers So you and I can see The mountains and the valleys And let our wildlife run free. - A poem by Jack Thompson, one of the early pioneers of the Columbia Valley. Jack’s brother Bob Thompson served for a time as the park warden at Kootenay Crossing. Mountain goats on Mount Wardle.
Credit: Parks Canada/S. Morgan