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| Trail
Net BC British Columbia |
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Located
in the land of legend and pioneers, and steeped in rich mining history,
Trail is one of B.C.'s important economic centres in the industrial
heart of the Kootenays. Known as the City of Silver, Trail had not
yet come into being when the Dewdney Trail was started in 1860 to
serve as a trade route from the coast to the BC interior. The town
now takes its name from the Dewdney Trail, and was earlier known as
Trail Creek, maintaining the legacy of other mining towns that have
since fallen silent.
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| Trails's transition
from frontier to settlement began in 1895 when interest in locating
a smelter in the area to serve the rich mines in Rossland was sparked.
Augustus Heinze completed a small copper smelter on a bench above
the townsite in 1896, named the British Columbia Smelting and Refining
Company. Heinze sold the trail smelter and railway holdings to the
Canadian Pacific Railway in 1898, and the company known as Cominco
today was on its way. Over
the years, Trail has become the home of a very large Italian community
that has contributed to the city's distinctive character, giving
it a definite Old World feel. Some say the best Italian food in
the province is to be enjoyed here.
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Location:
Trail is located at the junction of Highway 3B and Highway 22, 16
miles (26 km) southwest of Castlegar and 6 miles (10 km) east of
Rossland.
Trail's Cominco
smelter is the world's largest zinc and lead smelting complex, processing
an astonishing 700,000 tonnes of concentrates annually. The Giant
on the Hill, Cominco, conduct regular free guided tours of its huge
smelting operation, with hands-on exhibits and video presentations.
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Visit City Hall, and its unique metal sculptures, and the fascinating
Trail Museum housed in the same building.
Take a look at Trail's sports history, downtown in the Trail Memorial
Centre, on Victoria Street right next to the bridge. The Sports Hall
of Memories celebrates the growth of all sports in Trail, from early
days to the present.
Fishing is popular on the mighty Columbia River - well known for its
rainbow trout. Fishing in British Columbia.
Take a hike on the historic Dewdney Trail that ran between Hope, at
the east end of the Fraser Valley, and Wildhorse, near Creston in
the East Kootenays. Although much of the original 4 foot wide pathway
that Edgar Dewdney blazed in 1865 has been neglected, its still possible
to hike portions of it that have been maintained between Christina
Lake and Rossland. Dewdney was a young civilian surveyor who was originally
hired by Colonial-Governor Douglas in 1860 to build a trail between
Hope and the gold fields in the Okanagan Valley region. With the discovery
of gold in Stud Horse Creek (later named Wild Horse Creek), Dewdney
was asked to extend the trail east to Wildhorse in 1865. With help
from the weather, he was able to complete the route from the Kootenays
in five months. Dewdney's legacy can be touched in several places
and by several modes of exploration. In addition to hiking, you can
drive a section of the trail as Hwy 3B passes through Trail, which
takes its name from the Dewdney Trail.
Excellent swimming and camping facilities are available at Champion
Lakes Provincial Park, 18 km northwest of Fruitvale, to the east of
Trail. Its three small lakes form the headwaters of Landis Creek,
which flows northward to join Champion Creek, a tributary of the Columbia
River.
Enjoy a cool night's rest away from the heat in the valley at the
Nancy Greene Provincial Park. A self-guided nature trail encircles
the sub-alpine Nancy Green Lake, the last known address of the rainbow
trout you'll have for dinner. Camping facilities are available, and
in summer and fall, hikers can use the more than 20 km of low-elevation
trails to view mule deer and black bear.
Unsurpassed snow conditions and ideal ski slopes have made nearby
Rossland, 10 km away, a winter mecca for skiers. Rossland boasts the
Olympic renowned Red Mountain Ski Club, site of the 1968 World Cup
Races, the first ever to be held Canada, and a world-class ski facility
offering outstanding alpine and cross-country skiing. Rossland is
also the home of World Champion skier Nancy Greene and Kerrin Lee
Gartner who stepped onto their first skis on the slopes of Red Mountain.
Red and adjoining Granite Mountain now attract thousands of winter
sports enthusiasts from around the world. Skiing and Winter Recreation
in the Kootenays.
Golf: The Redstone Golf Resort, formerly the Rossland Course, is a
new signature Les Furber design championship course expected to rank
within the top 10 resort courses in Canada. Situated in a beautiful
alpine valley, and part of the charming town of Rossland, the hilly
course has been designed to deliver a much sought-after mountain golf
experience. The Rossland Trail Country Club, just outside the beautiful
alpine community of Rossland offers the 18-hole Birchbank Course,
located on the banks of the Columbia River with spectacular views
of the Selkirk and Monashee Mountains. The mature, tree-lined course
is loaded with holes that seem like they've been there forever. Opened
in 1967, this championship course promises and delivers a true test
of golf. Known for its large manicured greens and contoured fairways,
this well maintained course offers plenty of length and some thrilling
elevation changes. Golf Vacations in the Kootenay Rockies.
Join Trail in celebrating its proud Italian heritage with the annual
Silver City Days, an Italian Celebration held over the second weekend
in May.
See the best of the area on The Okanagan and BC Rockies Circle Tour.
Travel the sunny interior of British Columbia, north through the Okanagan
to Sicamous, following Highway 1 into the mountains of the BC Rockies.
From Golden, head south through the Columbia Valley to Creston, and
west through Boundary Country and the Southern Okanagan to complete
the loop. Circle Tours in BC.
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