Explore Our Neighbourhoods Tadanac
West Trail - Brian Flndlow.
Columbia Heights/West Trail
Houses were first built on small benches on the west side of the river to avoid flooding. Due to the steep hillsides, residential streets are connected by 104 sets of covered stairs consisting of over 28,000 steps. The three longest staircases are over 450 ft. One reason Trail athletes were always in such good shape, sports coaches had their charges running up and down the stairs. Situated on the high bank behind the smelter, Tadanac is distinguished by its older heritage-style homes and giant silver maples providing a special ambiance. Tadanac (Canada spelled backwards, with a T for Trail) was once its own incorporated community, created for the families of the smelter’s managers. A hub of activity, the Gulch became home for the first generations of Italians. The mural on the side of Gerick’s Cycle depicts the old Kootenay Hotel, which burned down in 1970. Through the years, children of immigrants grew up and moved to the newer subdivisions, and by the 1990s, the Gulch became quite run down. But thanks to innovations by local Italian clubs, the Gulch is coming back. The Bocce and Rossland Avenue Park and the beautiful Piazza Colombo were all developed with volunteer labour.
East Trail, Shaver’s Bench & Miral Heights
After the first bridge was built in 1912, the town spread to the other side of the river. Homes and a small business district developed, along with parks, schools and the hospital. Scottish immigrants settled in East Trail and Shaver’s Bench developed in Trail’s early years. Where there was once a huge dairy farm, the newer subdivision of Miral Heights developed behind “the Bench.” East Trail - Brian Flndlow. 8 TRAIL | 2017 COMMUNITY GUIDE
The Gulch - Brian Flndlow.
The Gulch