Want to learn the art of turn of the century dressmaking?
Want to learn blacksmithing? Come to Fort Steele.
Want to learn the trade of tin smithing? Come to Fort Steele.
Want to learn the art of leather making? Come to Fort Steele.
Want to learn how to pan gold? Come to Fort Steele.
Want to ride on an early 20th century steam train?
Come to Fort Steele.
Yes, this is a very hands on heritage town, with all the turn of the century tradesmen - those above as well as farriers and farmers, furriers and miners - and all of the turn of the century trappings.
The exhibits are extensive, and eclectic - from a recreation of the original Fort Steele Police barracks to the Wasa Hotel Museum, from operating farms to an operating steam powered railroad.
They have over 60 heritage buildings, some recreations, most restorations, antique tractors and farm equipment, a restored water wheel from one of the local mines, antique vehicles, and just antiquities of all manner. Fort Steele is a complete community, with a school, church, houses, drug store, black smith, livery stable, hotel, pool hall, police detachment, telegraph, dry goods store, clothing store, gardens, a farm, and more.
The town is actually a resurrection of the original Fort Steele which, after the mining booms of 1865 and 1892, fell on hard times. When the railway bypassed the town in favour of Cranbrook, a few miles to the south, it spelled the death knell for the town which was eventually deserted and fell into disrepair. In the late 1950s local citizens wished to protect the old town and restore it as a historic site and museum. In 1961 the government
declared Fort Steele an historic park with a mandate “to preserve, present, and manage for public benefit the historic settlement of Fort Steele . . .”. Today Fort Steele is an important landmark in southeast British Columbia, drawing 80,000 visitors annually. In 1925 Fort Steele was designated a
National Historic Site.
Following is a synopsis of the book,
Fort Steele: Gold Rush to Boom Town, written by local resident Naomi Miller. It gives a quick insight into the history of Fort Steele and area. 240 pages in length, the soft cover book was published by Heritage House Pub Co. Ltd. in 2002.
Fort Steele began in 1864 as the site of John Galbraith's ferry, which transported eager gold seekers across the Kootenay River to nearby Wild Horse Creek. Major Sam Steele's "D" Division of the North West Mounted Police built Kootenay Post here in 1887 and helped alleviate tensions between white settlers and the Native Ktunaxa people. With all disputes settled peacefully and Steele recalled to Alberta to take on a new challenge, the appreciative residents renamed the town in 1888 to honor the highly regarded Mountie.
As more settlers came, trails became roads. In summer, riverboats ran north and south to link with railways. Government offices made Fort Steele the administrative centre for East Kootenay. A bustling business community developed, and a newspaper was born. A school, three churches, an Opera House, and a hospital soon followed. Fort Steele boomed until the BC Southern Railway bypassed it. Naomi Miller, a local resident and interpreter at Fort Steele Heritage Town, provides many insights into the lives of the citizens of the town and district.
From Abe Books