Fort Steele

Gold miners poured into this area in the 1860’s, crossing the Kootenay River at the foot of this street. The settlement that grew up here was first called Galbraith’s Ferry. In 1887 the N.W.M.P. established a post here when friction developed between local natives and newly arrived ranchers. Spt. Sam Steele and 75 men maintained order, and when they left one year later, the village changed its name to Fort Steele. Fort Steele boomed in the 90’s as a center of river traffic and speculation; however, when the railway bypassed the town in 1898, its population plummeted.

British Columbia · Canada