Shipwrecks on the West Arm

Spring has come and that means the lake is at its lowest levels.  Now is the time to walk the beaches and discover the hidden history along the shoreline.  Some of the highlights include the SS Hosmer, the pilings from the CPR Transfer wharf and the SS Kuskanook.

The wreck of the SS Hosmer is located at Bealby Point.  The tugboat was in service for the CPR on Kootenay Lake from 1909 to 1931 hauling barges from Procter to Kootenay Landing.  When it was retired after the completion of the rail line from Procter to Kootenay Landing, it was destined to be a houseboat until it burnt to the waterline.  Today the boiler is visible year-round, but the hull only appears when the water is low.

The old sternwheeler stop at Kokanee Landing is the resting place for the SS Kuskanook.  Parts of the hull, frames and keelsons are visible now that the water levels are low.  The large timbers and planks resting on the muddy shore are impressive to see when you compare them to images of the boat when she was launched in 1906 from the CPR Shipyard in Nelson.  The Shipyard was located where the RCMP station is today, and you can see the remnants of the ways used to launch the ships when you stand on the bridge and look down.

At the airport along the shoreline, the cut-off pilings that are visible forming a large arc into the water are the remnants of the CPR Transfer Wharf.  This is where the sternwheelers and tugs and barges met the trains coming from the west until the barge slip was built in Procter in 1901.  The waterfront in Nelson has gone through many changes in the last 118 years when the first major sternwheeler, the SS Nelson, was launched on Kootenay Lake.

Before the snow in the mountains begins to melt and the lake begins to fill again, now is the time to dust off your wellies and start exploring the mud (just don't get stuck like I did!) And watch out for the launch of the newest virtual exhibit coming next month on the Sternwheelers of Kootenay Lake.