| Canal Flats today has a population of 753,
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| | finally a compromise was worked out: the
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| not counting the local dogs and can lay
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| | BC government would allow the canal to be
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| claim to being one of British Columbia's
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| | built, with a lock. At 100 feet long by
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| newest municipalities and quite possibly
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| | 30 feet wide, the lock was completed in
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| one of the dullest. However, it has a
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| | 1888, but by this time the weary
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| very interesting past, dating back to the
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| | Baillie-Grohman had given up his dream and
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| early nineteenth century.The area was born
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| | retired to England. A year later the
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| McGillivray's Portage, so named in 1808 by
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| | government voted to close the canal.Only
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| mapmaker David Thompson. In 1883 and an
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| | two boats ever went through the canal.
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| English sportsman (read remittance man)
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| | The Gwendoline transited the canal in
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| named William Adolphe Baillie-Grohman
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| | 1894, going from Columbia Lake to the
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| dreamed of building a canal across
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| | Kootenay River and the North Star in 1902,
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| McGillivray's Portage from Columbia Lake
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| | headed to Golden from Montana. The North
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| to the Kootenay River. He envisioned
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| | Star was too big, however and the captain
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| being able to connect the Columbia River
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| | of the steamer, Francis Armstrong, had to
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| system with the Kootenay, allowing water
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| | blast the side of the canal to get this
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| traffic from the valley access to the
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| | boat through. The remains of the canal
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| Creston area.He had been given
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| | can still be seen today.During all this a
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| consideration for a grant of 48,000 acres
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| | small community had sprung up, named
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| of alluvial flat and planned to join the
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| | Grohman. It consisted of a sawmill, a
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| two great rivers in order to reclaim
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| | warehouse, a post office and a licensed
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| flooded lands. Columbia Lake was at the
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| | hotel. Eventually the community grew and
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| time only 11 feet lower than the Kootenay
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| | was called Canal Flat, with the "s" added
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| River, so the engineering problems
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| | several years later, apparently, according
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| surrounding the plan were not
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| | to locals, because it was mistakenly added
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| insurmountable. Baillie-Grohman planned
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| | to a highway sign and "it just
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| his canal to be 45 feet wide and 6700 feet
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| | stuck".Today the town is primarily
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| long to connect the two rivers across the
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| | supported by a large forestry product
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| gravel flat that lay between them. The
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| | mill. The "flats" as the locals call it,
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| outcome of the feat would be to drain the
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| | several restaurants, a pub, various
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| sloughs in the Creston Valley.The
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| | stores, a post office and a great nine
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| government of the time thought the plan
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| | hole golf course. The town also serves as
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| feasible and granted Baillie-Grohman
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| | a gateway to several world class
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| concession in both valleys and the
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| | backcountry parks, including Whiteswan,
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| Kootenay Valley Co. was formed. But when
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| | Top of the World and Premier Lake
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| the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) heard
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| | provincial parks. It is also the entrance
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| about the plans it feared the action would
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| | to Kootenay River Road, which leads
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| flood its main line along the Columbia
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| | backcountry explorers into a vast Rocky
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| River to the north.The government then
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| | Mountain wilderness area, renowned for
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| required a lock be constructed and for
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| | whitewater paddling, hunting, fishing and
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| this additional work Baillie-Grohman was
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| | camping. Canal Flats is the southern
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| to receive an additional 30,000 acres in
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| | gateway to the Purcell Mountain wilderness
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| the Upper Kootenay Valley. The CPR then
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| | area, with Whitetail Lake and Blue Lake
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| appealed to Ottawa, which in turn asked
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| | relatively short drives from the town.
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| Victoria, the seat of BC's provincial
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| | Although no one has as yet developed it
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| government, where it got the right to
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| | for the tourist trade, there is also the
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| interfere with an international river
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| | Ram Creek Hot Springs just south of town.
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| course.A long battle was raged until
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