Fort Steele Crawford Bay

Day 3 Fairmont to Crawford Bay

Nice to wake up to not freezing, easy to pack up and get on the road.  It was a strange day full of low clouds, dark skies and the threat of big rain which was worrisome but the sky was sometimes spectacular. 

For awhile it cleared up at Fort Steele probably because I was so happy to be at the Fort named after Sam.  He has been my hero for years. The third to join the NWMP a leader in everything he did to establish peace, order and good government whether it was in Saskatchewan, the Kootenay's, the Klondike gold rush, the Boer War and finally WW1. Before I go on with too much detail there are several books written about him and you can find a quick summary on Wikipedia.  What Wiki doesn't capture is the respect people had for him. At any rate like any groupie I was glad to see his room and office and read in his own words what he felt about this part of the country.  Fort Steel boomed through the gold/silver rush and continued growing until the railway chose to bypass them and go through Cranbrook.  After falling on hard times it regenerated itself with tourism. 

In the early days a mix of soldiers, cultured opera houses, agriculture 

and industrial development 

The dregs of what was left behind is hidden from view except from the water tower

These are mostly for my horse loving friends and family

For such a small town there were a lot of churches first the Catholics, with the Anglicans hot on their heels and the Presbeteriens not far behind.  The Anglican minister took it as his mission to bring culture to the place and prepare students to be ready for University.

The most interesting thing I leaned today was that letters and other documents usually arrived all squished up and wrinkled. Sam had a letter press to make them smooth before he read them.  Who knew there was such a thing.

This sextant was used to survey the valley, sort out land and claim disputes, lay out towns and generally make the business of settling a new part of the country with good order. 

By the time I left the morning was long gone and I was lucky that the time change gave me another hour. There was a lot of delays along the Crowsnest and it took longer than I expected to get to Creston.  I was really tired and it was starting to rain for real.  tried a couple of RV places but the sites were small and unappealing so I pressed on up Kootenay Lake. It was a beautiful drive and without the clouds and good light it would have made for some great images. I found a lovely place on Crawford Bay.  

The lady at the desk said the bears are terrible right now, hungry, pooping everywhere and making it impossible for people to get out. Surprisingly, In spite of the fresh dropping next to my campsite I felt quite relaxed, about it  or maybe too exhausted to care. I went for a walk around the area and found a great mural and a pretty happy woman.  

In this town it seems everyone has a sign at the end of their driveway saying they are  an artist, potter, healer, soap or candle maker. It isn't a very expensive area but everything looks comfortable and I like all the art around.