Cascade City, British Columbia
Encyclopedia
Cascade City or Cascade was a Canadian Pacific Railway
construction era boom town in the Boundary Country
of the West Kootenay
region of British Columbia
, Canada
. Because of its location near the Canada–United States border, it was also called the "Gateway to the Boundary Country".
Founded in 1896, it was named after the nearby Cascade Falls
on the Kettle River
.
Cascade City was located 1 km north of the Canada–United States border, 6 km south of Christina Lake
and 20 km east of Grand Forks
.
, Aaron Chandler, from North Dakota
. Seeing the potential of the area, Chandler formed the Cascade Development Company and with his agent, George Stocker, subdivided the land into town lots and began selling them to enterprising businessmen.
Impetus for the decision to promote Cascade City was the local mining and rail construction, but the future looked even brighter when the Cascade Water and Power Company was formed and a hydro electric dam
and powerhouse
was built on Kettle River in 1897. The powerhouse would provide electricity to Grand Forks, Phoenix
and Greenwood
.
The early townsite only had two buildings: a general store
and a restaurant. Chandler himself slept in a tent
. However, by the time the railway construction crews arrived in 1898, Cascade City was booming and although there were fourteen hotels, there was rarely a room available.
There were numerous brothels where an estimated 60 ladies of the evening, such as "Scrap Iron Minnie" and "Rough Lock Nell" plied their trade.
The first local government began with the creation of the Tax Payer's Association in December, 1897. The members petitioned the provincial government at Victoria
for schools, roads, bridges, a provincial police constable
and a jail.
and one shotgun
.
The store's manager, Stanley Mayall, realized that the thieves intended to sell the tobacco and informed every nearby store and mining camp of the crime. It wasn't long before the owner of a tobacco shop approached Mayall with the news that he had a rough-looking salesman in his store trying to sell him a large quantity of tobacco. Because there were no local police, Mayall's book-keeper was swiftly armed and deputized and sent to make the arrest.
The book-keeper, a man by the name of Morgan, successfully made the arrest and detained the suspect, John Doon, in a sturdy house that belonged to a local carpenter. Later that evening, Morgan found his new found duties were called for again, when the storekeeper came back to tell Mayall that a second man was in his store inquiring after the first. The second arrest was also successful, but not as peaceful, as Morgan had to wrestle a 12 inch long Bowie knife
away from the man. Back at the carpenter's house, this second man turned to Doon and asked, "Where are the other three?", alerting Mayall and Morgan to that fact that they had three more arrests to make before the case was closed.
The two in custody were sent to Grand Forks to stand trial and then a third man was arrested in Cascade. While he was incarcerated at the carpenter's house, the final two men tried to free him. The town watchman, an Irishman by the name of Pat Kennedy tried to arrest them but was shot in the chest. Nevertheless, he doggedly pursued the three robbers and captured one, while the other two escaped across the border. The last member was taken to Grand Forks to join the other two in custody, and they were all given $50 fines and sentenced six months in jail.
When it was announced that the CPR intended to build a smelter at Cascade, the town's future seemed assured. The local newspaper, the Cascade Record raved about the potential employment opportunities that the $500,000 smelter brought to the town and predicted that it would employ 500 to 2,000 men. The town's hopes would soon be shattered, however, when the railway chose to build the smelter in Trail
instead.
On August 12, 1899, the Columbia and Western Railway
, later CPR, arrived in Cascade City from the Kettle River Bridge. The town held a celebration and $25 was donated for refreshments for the railway's labourers.
by using dynamite
on some of the threatened buildings. One man's life was lost when he rushed into a hotel to rescue some patrons. Few of the hotels that were lost had fire insurance.
In 1899 a newspaper called the Cascade Record reported the fire on the front page. In the article it was stated "The Chinese cook at the Grand Central carefully carried a ham out to safety, and left $70 in money to be burned up in his room" . Local historian Bill Barlee
believes the money was in gold and silver coinage. Bill states the coins lay where they fell during the fire. The coins may still be at the Cascade site. Bill Barlee
has recovered a number of silver coins from the Cascade site. The original $70 would be worth about $1,400 today.
Rebuilding had scarcely begun when the town was hit by another major fire in 1901. All but 75 of the residents left and the town faded into obscurity.
For many years, Cascade survived as a customs
port. In 1920 there were 150 residents and a store. The powerhouse closed in that late '20s and the final blow came in 1947, when the historic Ritchie store and the post-office burned down.
The CPR station was abandoned by 1968 and the post office was amalgamated with the Christina Lake Post Office in 1973.
Today, the only remainder of Cascade City is the old cemetery
on the opposite side of the Kettle River. The Christina Lake Golf Club's 18 hole golf course
sits on much of what was the original townsite.
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
construction era boom town in the Boundary Country
Boundary Country
The Boundary Country is a historical designation for a district in southern British Columbia lying, as its name suggests, along the boundary between Canada and the United States. It lies to the east of the southern Okanagan Valley and to the west of the West Kootenay. It is often included in...
of the West Kootenay
Kootenays
The Kootenay Region comprises the southeastern portion of British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Ktunaxa First Nation first encountered by explorer David Thompson.-Boundaries:The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay Land...
region of British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Because of its location near the Canada–United States border, it was also called the "Gateway to the Boundary Country".
Founded in 1896, it was named after the nearby Cascade Falls
Cascade Falls (Kettle River)
Cascade Falls is a waterfall on the Kettle River in the Boundary Country of the Southern Interior of British Columbia. They are located just south of Christina Lake and just north of the Canada-United States border in a gorge 200-300 yards long and just below the railway bridge over the Kettle by...
on the Kettle River
Kettle River (Columbia River)
The Kettle River is a tributary of the Columbia River in northeastern Washington in the United States and southeastern British Columbia in Canada. Its drainage basin is large, of which are in Canada and in the United States.-Course:...
.
Cascade City was located 1 km north of the Canada–United States border, 6 km south of Christina Lake
Christina Lake, British Columbia
Christina Lake is an unincorporated recreational area in the Boundary Country of the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Highway 3, 12 miles east of Grand Forks and 44 miles southwest of Castlegar....
and 20 km east of Grand Forks
Grand Forks, British Columbia
-Schools:Schools in the region are operated by School District 51 Boundary which has its main office in Grand Forks but also serves Midway, Greenwood, Beaverdell, and Rock Creek....
.
History
The property at Cascade City was originally owned by an AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Aaron Chandler, from North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
. Seeing the potential of the area, Chandler formed the Cascade Development Company and with his agent, George Stocker, subdivided the land into town lots and began selling them to enterprising businessmen.
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
and powerhouse
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
was built on Kettle River in 1897. The powerhouse would provide electricity to Grand Forks, Phoenix
Phoenix, British Columbia
Phoenix is a ghost town in the Boundary Country of British Columbia, Canada, 11 km east of Greenwood. Once called the “highest city in Canada” by its citizens it was a booming copper mining community from the late 1890s until 1919...
and Greenwood
Greenwood, British Columbia
Greenwood is a small city in south central British Columbia.It was incorporated in 1897 and was formerly one of the principal cities of the Boundary Country smelting and mining district. It earned "city" status and has retained that stature despite the population implosion following the closure of...
.
The early townsite only had two buildings: a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
and a restaurant. Chandler himself slept in a tent
Tent
A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or attached to a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using guy ropes tied to stakes or tent pegs...
. However, by the time the railway construction crews arrived in 1898, Cascade City was booming and although there were fourteen hotels, there was rarely a room available.
The first local government began with the creation of the Tax Payer's Association in December, 1897. The members petitioned the provincial government at Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
for schools, roads, bridges, a provincial police constable
British Columbia Provincial Police
The British Columbia Provincial Police was the policing body for the Canadian province of British Columbia until 1950. The force is usually dated from the appointment of Chartres Brew in 1858 with the formation of the Colony of British Columbia and associated appointments...
and a jail.
The Doon gang and the tobacco robbery
The need for police and a jail had become evident just the previous month before the Association was formed when a gang broke into the British Columbia Mercantile and Mining Syndicate's store, relieving them of 150 pounds of tobaccoTobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
and one shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
.
The store's manager, Stanley Mayall, realized that the thieves intended to sell the tobacco and informed every nearby store and mining camp of the crime. It wasn't long before the owner of a tobacco shop approached Mayall with the news that he had a rough-looking salesman in his store trying to sell him a large quantity of tobacco. Because there were no local police, Mayall's book-keeper was swiftly armed and deputized and sent to make the arrest.
The book-keeper, a man by the name of Morgan, successfully made the arrest and detained the suspect, John Doon, in a sturdy house that belonged to a local carpenter. Later that evening, Morgan found his new found duties were called for again, when the storekeeper came back to tell Mayall that a second man was in his store inquiring after the first. The second arrest was also successful, but not as peaceful, as Morgan had to wrestle a 12 inch long Bowie knife
Bowie knife
A Bowie knife is a pattern of fixed-blade fighting knife first popularized by Colonel James "Jim" Bowie in the early 19th Century. Since the first incarnation was created by James Black, the Bowie knife has come to incorporate several recognizable and characteristic design features, although its...
away from the man. Back at the carpenter's house, this second man turned to Doon and asked, "Where are the other three?", alerting Mayall and Morgan to that fact that they had three more arrests to make before the case was closed.
The two in custody were sent to Grand Forks to stand trial and then a third man was arrested in Cascade. While he was incarcerated at the carpenter's house, the final two men tried to free him. The town watchman, an Irishman by the name of Pat Kennedy tried to arrest them but was shot in the chest. Nevertheless, he doggedly pursued the three robbers and captured one, while the other two escaped across the border. The last member was taken to Grand Forks to join the other two in custody, and they were all given $50 fines and sentenced six months in jail.
The coming of the railroad
Trail, British Columbia
Trail is a city in the West Kootenay region of the Interior of British Columbia, Canada.-Geography:Trail has an area of . The city is located on both banks of the Columbia River, approximately 10 km north of the United States border. This section of the Columbia River valley is located between the...
instead.
On August 12, 1899, the Columbia and Western Railway
Columbia and Western Railway
The Columbia and Western Railway was a historic Canadian narrow gauge railway located in southern British Columbia.Constructed in 1896, its route connected silver and gold mines at Red Mountain and Rossland and a smelter at Trail...
, later CPR, arrived in Cascade City from the Kettle River Bridge. The town held a celebration and $25 was donated for refreshments for the railway's labourers.
The fires
On September 30, 1899, just over six weeks after the arrival of the railway, Cascade City was hit by a devastating fire. The blaze started in an empty shack and spread rapidly, burning down six hotels and several other structures within the space of half an hour. The town had no fire department and the decision was made to create a firebreakFirebreak
A firebreak is a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire or wildfire. A firebreak may occur naturally where there is a lack of vegetation or "fuel", such as a river, lake or canyon...
by using dynamite
Dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
on some of the threatened buildings. One man's life was lost when he rushed into a hotel to rescue some patrons. Few of the hotels that were lost had fire insurance.
In 1899 a newspaper called the Cascade Record reported the fire on the front page. In the article it was stated "The Chinese cook at the Grand Central carefully carried a ham out to safety, and left $70 in money to be burned up in his room" . Local historian Bill Barlee
Bill Barlee
Neville Langrell Barlee is a Canadian politician who was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as a New Democrat in 1988...
believes the money was in gold and silver coinage. Bill states the coins lay where they fell during the fire. The coins may still be at the Cascade site. Bill Barlee
Bill Barlee
Neville Langrell Barlee is a Canadian politician who was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia as a New Democrat in 1988...
has recovered a number of silver coins from the Cascade site. The original $70 would be worth about $1,400 today.
Rebuilding had scarcely begun when the town was hit by another major fire in 1901. All but 75 of the residents left and the town faded into obscurity.
Today
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
port. In 1920 there were 150 residents and a store. The powerhouse closed in that late '20s and the final blow came in 1947, when the historic Ritchie store and the post-office burned down.
The CPR station was abandoned by 1968 and the post office was amalgamated with the Christina Lake Post Office in 1973.
Today, the only remainder of Cascade City is the old cemetery
Cemetery
A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...
on the opposite side of the Kettle River. The Christina Lake Golf Club's 18 hole golf course
Golf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
sits on much of what was the original townsite.