Special Features - Route 3 Summer

PEOPLE AR TS HOMES FOOD CULTURE RECREATION HISTORY SUMMER 2018

Life in the West Kootenay/Boundary Region

Little but mighty CELEBRATING 65 YEARS OF TRAIL LITTLE LEAGUE

Something to crow about WHY HIGHWAY 3 ISN’T THE RAVENSNEST ROUTE

Peony preparations CASTLEGAR SET TO HOST NATIONAL SHOW

ROUTE 3 SUMMER | 2018

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PHOTO SUBMISSIONS FROM AROUND THE WAY

Fishing for rainbo ws near Nelson.

Swamp area by Oasis, off of Hw

(Sandy Brown ph

oto)

y 22. (Bryanne Labute photo) Castlegar double vision. (Bryanne Labute photo)

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ROUTE 3 SUMMER | 2018

contents PAGE

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Distilled wisdom

A GRAND FORKS BUSINESS MARKETS WHISKEY TO WOMEN

By Kathleen Saylors

Trail’s Little League 9 roots run deep

PAGE

CITY SET TO HOST BC PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN JULY

By Jim Bailey

A passion for 14 peonies

Dynamic summer

PAGE

CASTLEGAR PREPARES TO HOST A NATIONAL FLOWER SHOW IN 2019

By Betsy Kline

Second-hand 17 knowledge

PAGE

A TOUR THOUGH SOME OF THE REGION’S BEST THRIFT SHOPS

By John Boivin

Flocking to the 20 Crowsnest

PAGE

HOW A 159-YEAR-OLD TRANSLATION ERROR HAS SHAPED THE COMMUNITIES OF HIGHWAY 3

sibling duo. (Lucy

Bailey photo)

PUBLISHER Eric Lawson eric.lawson@blackpress.ca EDITOR Greg Nesteroff PRODUCTION Sandy Leonard, creative@castlegarnews.com

ROUTE 3

is published by Black Press 91 Baker Street, Nelson, BC V1L 4G8 250-352-1890 Printed in Canada. Copyright 2015

by Black Press. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of any article, photograph, or artwork without written permission of the publisher is strictly forbidden. The publisher can assume no responsibility for unsolicited material.

By Jensen Edwards COVER PHOTO Little League Baseball in Trail started in 1953 and remains a key part of the local sports scene.

Photo courtesy of Trail Historical Society

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s’ True North Distillerie rk Da r Black Dog Afte young ey whisk won a best 18. in whiskey award 20

A GRAND FORKS BUSINESS MARKETS WHISKEY TO WOMEN PHOTOS AND STORY BY

Kathleen Saylors

Grain is sourced locally, and organically when possible. The by-product is given to organic farmers as feed.

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True North uses a model for a still handed down from Scot Stewart’s great-grandfather, constructed specifically for the distillery by Stewart and others.

raft distilling is an art, and one that Scot Stewart, owner of True North Distilleries in Grand Forks, takes seriously.

Stewart comes from a whiskey family — his grandparents used to distill when they lived on the Prairies, and it is his great-grandfather’s recipe he has adapted into some of what the brewery sells today. The whole family loves whiskey, and Stewart has been involved in the liquor industry on and off for most of his career.

Ultimately, starting True North was an idea without a place, until the family moved to the Boundary in 2012.

The lack of a commute, availability of space for a large farm, and the general “breathing room” made a move to the Boundary a good business decision, he says.

“There’s a lot more space, it is quieter, with the Internet there is no detriment except shipping costs to being further out,” he says.

True North is officially a “craft distillery”— a designation that did not exist until five years ago. It means the distillery must produce less than 50,000 litres of spirits a year, and use 100 per cent BC agricultural products.

True North got its start in whiskey, Stewart says, but a few things set it apart. To start, he has sisters, and they never loved a good whiskey like the rest of the family.

“When I opened, the first whiskey we made, [we wanted to see the] flavour profile, so we separated it out from the oak to see how it would settle, and they tried it and really liked it. We realized there might be a market out there for un-oaked whiskey for people who think they don’t like whiskey. Turns out, we were right.” ➤

Scot Stewart, owner of True North Distilleries in Grand Forks. The distillery began operating in 2013, and opened a retail location in 2016.

ROUTE 3 SUMMER | 2018

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Silver Tip Bench Vineyards in

Grand Forks grows 10 tons of grapes over 3.5 acres for True North every year.

As a craft distillery, he had to figure out a niche — which is why True North markets its products to women.

It’s the consumer group underserved by current liquor marketing despite controlling 60 per cent or more of household spending. It’s also a group that will try new things in liquor, Stewart says, unlike men, who have a habit of picking a favourite whiskey for life.

“When you are breaking into the industry, if I am making my own whiskey … who am I making it for? The guys drinking [J.P. Wiser’s]? Because they won’t stop drinking Wiser’s. My plan was easy. I come from a Scottish matriarchal family and I have four sisters.

“Why everyone is not marketing to women is the mystery,” he adds.

The whiskeys True North produces are low or un-oaked, meaning you taste more of the flavour of the barley or rye, he says. Whereas in a commercially produced whiskey about 80 to

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85 per cent of the flavour comes from the wood, in a True North whiskey it’s more like 10 per cent, he added.

“Now [my sisters] take [my whiskey] to family reunions. It’s all good, they’re whiskey people again,” Stewart laughs.

His own taste and the tastes of the people around him by and large guide what True North makes and how. He makes whiskey because he likes it, and rum because his wife likes it. His sisters gave him the idea for a low-oak product; he also makes a gin the likes because the juniper punch is toned down and brandy because it was a favourite of his grandmother’s.

Stewart says he carries a few values with him in his business model: buy local, buy organic, buy from people you know. There are no sulphites or colourings used in any of the liquors, meaning they’re better for you, Stewart says. The bottles are recycled glass, and the labels, designed by artist Maria Tangas, are printed with eco ink. ➤

Rossland ROSSLAND A selection of the spirits on offer from True North Distilleries. The ingredients are sourced locally in the Boundary, and organically whenever possible.

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True North is as low impact and environmentally friendly as they can possibly be, Stewart says. This is most apparent in the sourcing of products — the grapes used to make the distillery’s brandy and Muscat, for instance, come from Silver Tip Bench Vineyards, less than a 10-minute drive from the distillery. Other inputs, like rye, are sourced from Grand Forks or Rock Creek.

Other things, like the sugar cane for the rum they produce, they grow themselves.

Stewart claims it makes them the only craft distillery in BC, if not Canada, to produce a true sugar cane rum.

True North currently makes five varieties of whiskey, of which two are in stock while others age. Earlier this year, True North’s un-oaked Black Dog After Dark whiskey won the Canadian Artisan Spirit Competition’s silver award for best Canadian young whiskey.

But regardless of whether you like his liquor, Stewart encourages you to buy craft.

The money, jobs and flavour are created locally, and stay local.

“People are employed here, farmers and truckers work here to make craft liquor and that is kind of important,” he says. There are currently 51 craft distilleries in BC, he says, and it’s a rapidly growing industry.

Whiskey doesn’t have to be the chokeit-down, acquired taste many people are led to believe it has to be, he says. It can be enjoyable to drink, and should never require the aid of a soda to choke down.

“Most people [think] they have to learn, like listening to jazz or eating truffles. ‘If you are a person of substance you learn how to do these things.’ The thing is, there is a point where if you don’t like what’s in the bottle, you shouldn’t drink it,” he says.

“If you don’t like it, you should pick a different bottle.

“Doesn’t matter what you like, but own it. You shouldn’t have to drink what I want you to drink, or your mother, your grandfather, your boyfriend or your uncle or anyone else.”

True North Distilleries can be found online at truenorthdistilleries.com or in Grand Forks at 1460 Central Ave.

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There are 19 campsites and the Gazebo located in the Day Picnic area can be rented for weddings, family gatherings, business parties, etc.

Located 3km south of Highway 3 on Highway 22, Trail

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ROUTE 3 SUMMER | 2018

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CITY SET TO HOST BC PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN JULY STORY BY

Jim Bailey

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ROUTE 3 SUMMER | 2018

Opening day for Trail’s first Little League at Tadanac Park, May 30, 1953. (Courtesy Trail Historical Society)

he Trail Little League All Stars will look to win their 12th provincial title when they host the BC Little League Championship at Andy Bilesky Park, July 22-30.

The tournament welcomes the best BC has to offer from seven districts including Vancouver West Side, Vancouver East Side, Fraser Valley, North Shore, Vancouver Island, Northern BC, and the Kootenays.

Coached by D.J. Ashman, Mike Boisvert, and Darrell Boisvert, this year’s complement of 13 baseball All Stars hail from Trail, Nelson, Castlegar, Salmo and Beaver Valley.

Ashman has coached the Trail Little League team for the past nine years, and is a product of its rich history. Ashman played on the last Trail team that won a Canadian championship and played in the Little League World Series in 1990.

It’s a history that all began 65 years ago.

A meeting, an election and an Opening Day parade signaled the start of a bond between Trail and Little League baseball.

It was at that first organizational meeting where Bart Pope was elected president. By May 30, 1953 the first of so many

Opening Day celebrations was held and Little League baseball took root in the community.

Of course no story on the history of Trail Little League could begin without mentioning Andy Bilesky. He was there in that first year as one of four managers of the teams.

In fact, Bilesky, who passed away in 2008, was there for most of Trail’s greatest baseball moments.

He led Trail to 28 district titles, 11 BC championships and five Canadian championships, which included trips to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn.

Valleyfield, Que. is the league with the most Canadian titles (eight), while Trail, Glace Bay, NS and Whalley, BC, are all tied for second with five. And don’t forget Trail lost in the Canadian title game twice, giving it a total of seven appearances in the Canadian final.

In one of his final interviews, Bilesky, who was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984, told Trail Times sports editor Guy Bertrand that his

foray into coaching, which lasted over half a century, was rather unexpected.

“They were looking for coaches and it was just something to do,” Bilesky said in his usual gruff manner.

Bilesky’s rough exterior always hid a soft spot he had for kids who often went unnoticed by outsiders who saw him as a stern disciplinarian.

Trail native Jason Bay, who played 10 years in the Major Leagues and became the first Canadian to win a Rookie of the Year honour in 2004, can attest to Bilesky’s style.

“Everyone was kind of scared of him,” Bay recalled in a 2004 interview. “But he did a lot for the community. Without that program, I don’t know if baseball would have been such a big part of my life.

“And when you did something well, he’d let you know.”

Trail won its first BC title in 1962, defeating Victoria 7-4, but it took a few trips to the Canadian championships before the team reached the final game. And even then winning the Canadian title took a little longer. ➤

ROUTE 3 SUMMER | 2018

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Kootenay Women Representing Kootenay Values

Trail claimed its first Canadian title over 50 years ago in 1967.

(Courtesy Trail Historical Society)

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Michelle Mungall, MLA Nelson-Creston 1-877-388-4498

Michelle.mungall.mla@leg.bc.ca www.michellemungall.ca 10

ROUTE 3 SUMMER | 2018

}

In 1965 in Dundas, Ont., Stoney Creek from Hamilton defeated Trail 4-0 in front of 7,000 fans for the Canadian championship. Stoney Creek went on to finish second at the World Series, the best showing ever for a Canadian team.

In 1985 in Brockville, Ont., Glanbrook, Ont., defeated Trail 3-1 in a game that still bothered Bilesky over a decade later. Trail was so close to getting to the World Series with the tying run in scoring position in the Canadian finale only to come up one hit short.

Trail’s first Canadian title came in 1967 when they defeated Windsor 5-0 in Valleyfield, Que. That year one of their toughest games was a 1-0 nailbiter over Whalley for the BC title. Murray Levick struck out 10 Whalley batters and scored the lone run of the game. Trail went to Williamsport again in 1976 and finished with a 1-1 record.

The team captured the Canadian title in Sherbrooke, Que., defeating the Parkdale Lions from Toronto 3-0 before going 1-1 at the World Series. A member of that team went on to professional sports success. However, Ray Ferraro made his name in the NHL, not the Major Leagues.

Then came what Bilesky described as the most impressive achievement for Trail Little League — winning back-to-back Canadian titles in 1980 and 1981.

“Can you imagine that? Going to the World Series two years in a row,” said Bilesky in 1999. “That’s impressive.”

In 1980 in Copper Cliff, Ont., Trail narrowly defeated Centennial from Calgary 1-0. The team posted a 1-2 record at the World Series. In 1981 in Vancouver, Trail defeated Lancaster, NB 8-0 and followed that with a 1-2 record at the World Series.

It wouldn’t be the end of remarkable achievements for Trail Little Leaguers.

Bay, arguably one of Canada’s most successful Major Leaguers, was a member of the last Trail team to reach the World Series in 1990. That year’s team defeated Confederation Park from Edmonton 9-6 in Stoney Creek, Ont. Trail went on to a 2-1 record at the World Series with a couple of notable moments. ➤

Transform your favourite SUMMER MEMORY into a

Canvas Print Trail hosted the BC Little League championships in 2012 and is ready to do it again in 2018. (Trail Times file photo)

Trail’s Little League program has been the envy of small communities across Canada for generations. (Trail Times file photo)

Kelly Craig became the first female starting pitcher at the Little League World Series. She is one of only 18 girls to ever play in the series.

And teammate Matt Mason had everyone searching the record books after he batted 1.000 over three games.

Bilesky, like every other citizen of Trail, had a lot to be proud of when you look at the city’s success over the years.

On its way to five Canadian titles, Trail defeated teams from much larger centres such as Toronto, Hamilton, Edmonton and Calgary.

Who could have imagined a small town in southeastern BC becoming a baseball factory? Bilesky could.

“You could see it,” said Bilesky. “It was dedication mostly. We used to practice a lot when we just had Little League. We didn’t have soccer back then.”

The wins and losses come and go in baseball but Andy Bilesky Park will forever be remembered for its namesake and for the thousands of kids and parents who have stepped on that hallowed field to enjoy a summer past-time that transcends the ages.

Greater Trail players selected in the Major League Draft (Overall pick in parenthesis) 2008: Ashton Florko, 45th round (1,359) Chicago Cubs 2007: Chris Kissock, ninth round (293) Philadelphia Phillies 2003: John Hurd, 23rd round (682) Chicago White Sox 2000: Jason Bay, 22nd round (645) Montreal Expos 1998: Kareem Johnson, 12th round (349) Minnesota Twins

1997: Todd Thompson, 44th round (1,303) Toronto Blue Jays 1996: Matt Mason, 70th round (1,653) Los Angeles Dodgers 1994: Daryl Craig, 46th round (1,274) New York Yankees 1989: Barry Parisotto, ninth round (238) Los Angeles Dodgers Canadians were not included in the baseball draft until 1985

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CASTLEGAR PREPARES TO HOST A NATIONAL FLOWER SHOW IN 2019 PHOTOS AND STORY BY

Betsy Kline

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Many varieties of

peonies are seen

during last year ’s

fter four years of hosting the highly successful BC Yukon Peony Show, organizers in Castlegar have set their sights on a higher level.

Next year the BC Yukon branch of the Canadian Peony Society will host the National Peony Show and the society’s AGM, June 21-23, 2019.

The shows are open to amateurs and organizers encourage anyone with a peony growing in their yard to enter. Local participation in the Castlegar shows has been exceptional.

Castlegarpeony.com is the place to go for information on past and future shows, growing tips and instructions for preserving blooms for shows.

The Castlegar peony show blossoms bigger and brighter each year and local

BC Yukon Peony

Show in Castlega

interest in peony gardening continues to grow.

Previous shows have featured judges and speakers well-known in gardening circles and next year’s show continues that trend.

At the show’s inaugural year, Oregon peony grower Carol Adelman did an excellent job educating her audience on the finer points of successful peony cultivation and inspiring many to give peony growing a try. Adelman is a director of the American Peony Society and the list of Best of Show winners from recent years at the American Peony Society’s National Show is filled with Adelman Peony Gardens entries.

The judge for 2016 was the vice president of the BC Council of Garden Clubs, Cindy Tataryn.

Blaine Marchand took on the task of judging the 2017 show. Marchand has had a career as a Canadian diplomat, is a

r.

published writer and is a prolific peony gardener with more than 600 peonies growing on his Osceola, Ontario property. He was president of the Canadian Peony Society from 2009-12 and editor of the CPS journal Paeonia Nordica from 2012-15.

The most recent show was judged by a pair of BC floral and horticultural judges, Janet Stoll and Alicja Paradzik.

The judge for the 2019 National Show is already sparking interest from near and far. Reiner Jakubowski is a wellknown peony expert and the international registrar for all new peony variety introductions in the United States and Canada.

Inquiries for next year’s show have already come from as far east as Ontario and from several US states.

“We could have double the number of entries that we have had in the past,” said show chair Holly Pender-Love. ➤

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Organizers plan to showcase more than peonies during the national show. They plan to put together a package highlighting things to do and see while visitors are in the area, such as Sculpturewalk, the Kootenay Gallery and Doukhobor Discovery Centre in Castlegar, the rock walls in Trail, the hot springs, a Nelson heritage tour, Yasodhara Ashram, local art hot spots and nature experiences.

“We want to expand to the region — so when these people are coming from across Canada and the United States, we are really showing them what we have in the Kootenays,” explained Pender-Love.

They also want to promote the potential agricultural opportunities of the area.

“There are many opportunities for small niche specialty markets like peonies, herbs, or organic produce,” said Pender-Love. “We actually have a fair number of people earning a living in these small specialty fields and there is still lots of room in the peony field.”

The shows have been having an impact on the local economy for several years by encouraging tourism and community participation and next year’s national show promises to grow that impact even more.

“It is quite an honour to host the Canadian show,” concluded Pender-Love. “We are planning to put our best foot forward for Castlegar.”

A TOUR THROUGH SOME OF THE REGION’S BEST THRIFT SHOPS PHOTOS AND STORY BY

John Boivin The weekly Tuesday lineup outside the Arrow Lakes Health Care Auxiliary thrift store.

very Tuesday, rain, snow or shine, just about noon, a lineup forms outside a store on Broadway Avenue in Nakusp.

It’s friendly enough, neighbours and friends gossiping and joking, looking at the goods on display in the storefront window. A few minutes before opening, a worker comes out, and hands out domino chips to the early birds.

It’s new stock day at the Arrow Lakes Health Care Auxiliary Thrift Store. And people are looking for deals.

“If you want something in the window, you have to take a chip — the number on your chip is the order you can pick the items,” explains Dora Yano, a regular at the Thrift Store. “Sometimes if you don’t get what you want, you can barter with someone with a lower number.”

Then the store’s doors unlock, it’s all business:

the crowd gets quiet, and moves in quickly to the cramped confines of the little store, spreading out among the rows of goods.

“It’s a nice social thing,” says Yano. “Everyone is really nice, and if someone needs something in pinch, you can get what you need.”

Yano loves going to the store.

“You can often get things of really good quality there. I’m into purses,” she says. “I got a Baggallini — a high-end purse — there for $6. They usually go for $120.”

The Nakusp thrift store is among the grand dames of second-hand stores in the Kootenays.

Since 1962 the store has sold other people’s castaways, upscale and down. The volunteer-run non-profit provides a much-needed service to lower income residents of the community, and raises money for equipment at the local hospital. ➤ ROUTE 3 SUMMER | 2018

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Volunteers at the Arrow Lakes Health Care Auxiliary thrift store cut up clothing for rags.

KOOTENAY GALLERY OF ART & GIFT SHOP Fine Art. Unique Gifts.

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Open Jan. - Nov. Tues. - Sat. 10am-5pm December 1st - 24th 120 Heritage Way. Castlegar, BC And it’s done quite a job at that. Nakusp is lucky in not having the same kind 7days/week 10am-5pm 250.365.3337 | www.kootenaygallery.com of doctor shortage that plagues other communities — partly because physicians coming to this town can stay at a home bought and paid for by the hospital auxiliary from thrift store sales.

Thrift stores are ubiquitous in the Kootenays. Some are charities, others are private businesses. But the idea is the same: get stuff cheap, sell it cheap, move stuff by volume. In a region where both the unemployment rate and cost of living is high, they provide a necessary function. For many, thrift stores are a way to stretch your clothing budget, or find affordable presents for a child’s birthday.

In the past, thrift stores were often little more than glorified garage sales, with dozens of old coffee makers, piles of mistmached glassware and second-hand books, or baby clothes. Some had odd hours, or only opened a few days a week.

But the business is changing. The prices in thrift stores are rising, as goods become ITALIAN FAMILY-STYLE DINING more expensive in traditional retail shops. The Internet allows store operators to check the prices on obscure things that come through the door.

Thrift stores are growing — the newest in Trail, Ama-Dulla Discount Town Centre, resembles the love child between a Brick and a garage sale: high ceilings, bright lights, and merchandise placed carefully on the shelves to best market the goods.

“Basically people can come here and try on shoes or a jacket or what they want, rather than just seeing it online,” says the store’s co-owner, Bryson Amari. “They like the selection we have, a little bit of everything. It’s making people happy, and it’s a bit of fun.”

Sometimes the thrift store is an extension of the owner’s own collecting habits.

“My life is a combination of the TV shows Pawn Stars, Canadian Pickers and Storage Wars,” jokes Dave Hoskins, the co-owner of Time and Place, a Fruitvale thrift store.

Hoskins got tired of the automotive business, and turned his garage into a discount shop. He goes to auctions as far afield as Vancouver or Edmonton for his inventory.

Dinner: 4:30-8:30 daily “It’s a treasure hunt,” he says. “It’s part gambling, part business.”

Lunch: 11:30-2 weekdays Whether an ambitious treasure hunter, or a frugal family shopper, thrift stores provide that thrill of the unexpected deal. A box under a shelf might contain some old-school video games, or a stack of comic books. The remains of a family estate sale might include a rare 1950s nightstand or vintage leather jacket. And the best thing is, with new goods coming in weekly, they’re never the same store twice.

Next time you’re driving by a store with a handmade sign, looking a little rough around the edges, why not stop? You never know what treasures you may find. ➤

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Bryson Amari poses behind a unusual item for a discount store, a six-wheeled all-terrain vehicle.

Kootenay Thrift Stores Besides the stores mentioned above, here are some of of our favourites from across the region.

Rossland: Health Auxilliary Thrift Store. Under renovation at time of writing, but reopening soon. Great housewares section in the basement, but watch your head!

Trail: Thrifty Treasures. Small but packed with goods. Supports programs for homeless people. Not a bad selection of music and clothes.

Castlegar: The Treasure Shop. A hospital auxiliary store with a great selection of clothes for families on the second floor, huge book section and housewares.

Highway 3: Just Junk. Located outside Salmo, the name sort of says it all… lots of toys and knick knacks in somebody’s basement. Opened seasonally.

Creston: Second Hand Heaven.

Great housewares, videos and CDs, collectibles. Almost, but not quite, an antique store.

Nelson: Share Nelson. The Queen City is an old town, and a lot of cool used furniture and mid-20th century collectibles end up at this location, at a decent price.

Slocan City: Second Generation Second Hand Store. Odd hours and odd stuff, the castoff goods of tiny Slocan City end up here.

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STATION MUSEUM

SATURDAY DAY MARKETS May - October | 9am-1pm Free Wi Fi & Small Gift Shop

Castlegar’s first Police Station and Refurbished Caboose as added attractions.

Open 10am - 5pm Tuesday thru Saturday • April to October.

During July, August & September it’s open 7 days a week.

For winter hours, tours and all other info please call.

400 - 13 Ave, Castlegar, BC (250) 365-6440

Dog friendly

•

Admission to museum and chapel are by donation ROUTE 3 SUMMER | 2018

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HOW A 159YEAR OLD TRANSLATION ERROR HAS SHAPED THE COMMUNITIES OF HIGHWAY 3 STORY BY

Jensen Edwards

King of Crows.

(Sandra Leonard illustration)

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ROUTE 3 SUMMER | 2018

Highway 3, which passes through the West Kootenay/ Boundary, is also known as the Crowsnest Route, after the Crowsnest Pass, where the highway crosses the Continental Divide beween BC and Alberta. (John Boivin photo)

n John Palliser’s 1859 map of southern BC and Alberta appears the French phrase Lodgedes-corbeaux, roughly translated as crow’s nest or raven’s nest. Corbeaux is ambiguous.

But had the Scottish explorer consulted a French-speaking ornithologist, the region would have in all likelihood been named the raven’s nest instead.

According to ornithologists, the Crowsnest Pass is a mistranslation that would have been easily rectified by looking at where the two blackbird species prefer to live. Crows, experts say, rarely stray from human settlements, whereas ravens are more often found in the wilderness. And given that there were few substantial towns in the region in the mid-1800s, the blackbirds in the area explored by Palliser would have likely been ravens. Hence, raven’s nest.

Oneley, the one-legged resident crow of the Uphill neighbourhood in Nelson, prepares to take flight.. (Jensen Edwards photo)

What’s in a name?

Palliser wasn’t the first to make the crow-raven error. According to the same ornithological reasoning, Edgar Allen Poe conflated the two species over a decade earlier in his 1845 poem “The Raven.” In fact, Encyclopaedia Britannica scholar Gregory McNamee writes that in the poem, “the city-dwelling Poe would have answered the door not to a raven but to a crow.”

But what sort of poem would that have been? After all, a raven is unique, statuesque and dignified; a crow is commonplace, boring and the afterthought of who or whatever created its more regal cousin. A gathering of ravens is merely called an unkindness; a collection of crows is much more ominous: it’s a murder.

While crows fascinate us with their use of tools, they can terrify us with their craftiness. Author Lyanda Lynn Haupt explains the uneasy feeling the blackbirds bring. It’s “not a they-might-dive-bomb-your-head sort of disconcerting,” she writes, but rather

“an understated, intangible, evocative sort of unease.”

That sort of “evocative unease” is familiar. Whether it’s Hitchcock-level nightmares about swarming birds or just the slight cringe whenever a crow flies overhead with the fear you may get pooped on, people tend to get unsettled by crows. We see them as clever, sometime as conniving, and perhaps, we see them as just a little too much like us.

‘Little humans in black suits’ If you’re like amateur birder Dawn Snydmiller and “spend inordinate amounts of time on the deck watching crows,” you begin to look past the negative associations projected on crows and see the birds as individuals within the group.

Snydmiller first saw distinctive personalities within the birds 15 years ago when she looked out the kitchen window of her Calgary home and saw three crows at her bird bath. “They were all just sitting there like they were at some sort of hot tub party,” she says. ➤

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Hot Stone Therapy Massage Craniosacral Therapy

A crow calls out from a Nelson power line. (Jensen Edwards photo)

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ROUTE 3 SUMMER | 2018

Before the hot tub party, “the only thought I gave to crows was that they were here,” she says, “and the robins hated them.” They were a mass of nuisance and bother, “just birds in the background.” But today, the amateur birder imagines her feathery neighbours as much more, “little humans in black suits” she calls them. She sees them as individuals.

Being in a fairly rural place, Snydmiller’s vacation property in Yahk doesn’t offer the same crow-watching opportunities as her home in Calgary. But slowly and surely, she says, more are showing up to entertain her.

“About five or six years ago,” she says, “there were more people coming to the resort and the crows had come to realize, I suppose, that they had some humans to exploit.” Now, she says, crows are nesting in larger numbers in the community. Snydmiller welcomes her new neighbours.

Two hours’ drive northwest of Yahk, you’ll find Oneley hopping around the Uphill neighbourhood of Nelson. He’s only got one foot, hence his name. The bird’s

left leg juts sharply backwards, coming to a knobbly end where his ankle ought to be.

What happened to Oneley’s leg? Was he born without it? Did he lose it in a fight?

How does he feel about being different from other crows? Is he just a bird and these questions are a waste of time?

Regardless of your answer to the last question, you realize that the closer you get, the more the story of Oneley is revealed, just like the crows in Snydmiller’s back yard. When you begin to see the distinctions, you can’t help but project personality.

Palliser’s ornithologically inaccurate mistranslation that became “Crowsnest Pass” may be somewhat appropriate then, with the right projection of meaning.

See, were he to name it Ravensnest Pass, the region would have carried literary connotations of solitude like Poe’s poetic bird. As Crowsnest Pass, however, it signifies community and uniqueness together — a fitting description for the people and the place itself.

PHOTO SUBMISSIONS FROM AROUND THE WAY

Arrow Lakes paddleb

oarding adventure.

(Photo submitted)

te

n at Granite Poin e the ninth gree ov ab es ris w bo A rain t photo) elson. (Gary Poignan Golf Course in N

Curious about metals & mining?

Our story is innovative, informative and historic.

Teck Interpretive Centre 200, 1199 Bay Avenue, Trail 250 368-3144

Rossland Museum Hwy 3B, Rossland 250 362-7722

Trail Museum & Archives at the Riverfront Centre 1505 Bay Avenue, Trail 250 364-0821

trailriverfrontcentre.com rosslandmuseum.ca goldfeverfollies.com

Teck Trail Operations, www.teck.com

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RICT ART S CO

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2018 1988-

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Museum Archives Art Gallery Shop

JUNE 29 JULY 27 SEPTEMBER 7

2018

AUGUST 17-19 2018 Columbia Basin Culture Tour

The Capitol Theatre 30th Anniversary Summer Youth Production presents

Aug 11 & 12, 2018 10:00am - 5:00pm

Explore artists’ studios, museums, art galleries and heritage sites through this free, self-guided tour within the Columbia Basin.

Meet the artists, shop for fine art and craft, view demonstrations, special exhibitions, interpretive displays or chat with local historians during this cultural celebration!

For further information visit our website or call.

A project of

Funded by

Tia Reyden

www.cbculturetour.com

250-505-5505 • 1-877-505-7355

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ROUTE 3 SUMMER | 2018

July 26, 27, 28 at 7:30 pm & 2:00 pm on July 28. *

18-19 Season Launch September 2018! * THEATRE * COMEDY * MUSIC * DANCE * SNEAK PEEKS OF THE SEASON INCLUDE:

Martin O. DANCING VOICES Urban Ink CHILDREN OF GOD Metamorphosis WORLD OF PUPPETS Ali Hassan MUSLIM INTERRUPTED Info Tue-Fri 12-4:30 pm (250)352-6363 Websales and info online at capitoltheatre.ca