Alone in the Gulch

The city of Trail British Columbia is FULL of character. This West Kootenay community clings to the side of a hill and here we’re looking at one of the most interesting parts called the Gulch. The Historic Gulch. It’s a fine evening, in spite of the stifling heat, the sky is all aglow (thank you forest fires) and as we like it, the whole place is ours. There’s no one about – not a car, not a single person and for our time here it felt as though we we’re alone in the world.

This is just a stupid little photo-tour captured during a leisurely stroll and nothing too serious. We might have to come back and do something with more meat another time, so think of this as an introduction to the Gulch for both of us. The more we looked around the more we fell in love, so we have to come back. We simply wandered about to see what there was to see to post here and then babble on endlessly as we often do. Enjoy.

The city of Trail is known for is sprawling smelter complex and that giant stack is hard to miss. It looms over town and taller than anything around. The city dates back to the 1890s and the Gulch established about that time. Our subject community sits in a narrow draw – the whole town has no level sections and if you go out for a walk in Trail you’ll give the glutes a good workout. That’s not a stairway to heaven over there, but to Binns Street (so almost heaven I guess – we smell BBQ up there).

Welcome to the Gulch in Trail BC – smelter stack in back.

A good number of people living here have connections to Italy, and one need only look up and down the street for that to be obvious. There’s Star Grocery, selling old country specialties and Colombo Lodge (Societa Cristoforo Colombo di Mutuo Soccorso Italiana, Loggia #1 according to their website) home to an Italian-Canadian society. The Catholic Church is also a dead-giveaway, although it looks like St Anthony’s might not function as such anymore. Being turned into a house?

Clearly, most of the buildings in the Gulch date back to the early days (1900-1930 period). Included is the Trail Hotel, home to the Smelter Pub, a building shut down on our visit and for sale. Another Covid casualty? We shot this during the pandemic, so it’s possible. Or perhaps its time was up regardless…and there we were hankering for a cold one and with no one to help.

We’re not sure if Trail is a particularly quiet community or if the then ongoing health crisis was responsible for the deserted streets. If we were betting types, we’d pick the latter. Anyway, it was just us walking the streets, there on Rossland Avenue, the connecting road between the city and surrounding towns of Warfield and Rossland, and it was eerily calm and quiet.

Incidentally, it’s quite the climb up once you’re on that road and it has an unrelenting grade for some ten kilometres, while gaining over six hundred metres before reaching Rossland. With all the hills around here the brake shop must do a killer business.

Trail has transit, and given the precipitous nature of roads in the area, their buses must be part mountain goat. Not only are there insanely steep grades to contend with, but sharp bends and narrow streets are likewise par for the course. The bus drivers of Trail are fearless heroes! Trail is very terraced.

There’s a number of business in the Gulch, but it appears just as many buildings are vacant or used in other capacities. Like for storage or perhaps as homes. There’s one that stands out, and it’s lit up like a pinball machine. We’re speaking of the Gulch General Store. It says they’re open 24hrs, but we thought the sign in error since it clearly looked closed and dark inside. But I guess you call on the intercom and someone will come down and open up for you. The owners reside upstairs and this tied-to-work arrangement must consume their entire lives.

The Gulch General Store is eclectic as all hell and seems to sell or offer a little bit of everything. A short list: general groceries, smokes, smoker’s paraphernalia, movie rentals & sales, there’s a candy counter, a pizza joint inside and a coffee bar. Yum, crispy chicken too. But wait, now it gets interesting. Plumbing parts? Dry cleaning? Jewellery? Custom signs and a printing service? A floor cleaning service? They rent rooms upstairs? This is epic!

They go on to say: “We buy, sell, trade everything from electronics to video games, movies and more!”

This little gem is from their website: “OPEN 24 HOURS means we are available on a 24 basis. Please follow instructions on the main store door. First, knock on door. If no one lets you in then use the intercom on the upper left side of the door. Press talk then speak, then release the talk button. If no one answers then please call XXX-XXX-XXXX and we will either meet you at the store or set a time to meet you there, as we could be out on a delivery. WE VALUE EVERY CUSTOMERS BUSINESS!” These guys, if anything, are some ambitious dudes, chaotic and all over the map, but admirable in their drive.

All the preceding quotes and info all comes first hand from their website.

The Google reviews are in: “There’s a lot I can say about this place about being an eyesore/public nuisance with their gaudy signs, and sketchy business practices; what really gets me is that their clock isn’t even close to displaying the right time.” – Graeme Salmon. This person’s biggest beef is a faulty timepiece and we find that funny. The Gulch General Store is a treasure to be celebrated and they get an A for effort.

The response: “Dear Sir, we don’t know you and have never served you. Sorry you don’t like our business, but we don’t know you. I do invite you to come by and see us in action cause none of your comments match our store and service we provide thank you.” Touché!

Then there’s this exchange: “Constantly playing music at night on loud outdoor speakers, annoying eye sore of a store.” -Sierra Sharks. Response: “Sorry you feel that way, our radio is small we can turn it down.”

There’s many good ones too but these struck us as most out there. We just have to come back here and spend a day with these guys and shoot a few frames.

Sorry, got on a tangent there.

Smoke from distant forest fires (in the States and elsewhere in BC) painted the sky these incredible oranges and reds. Or maybe it’s fallout from the smelter – did I just say that – kidding – kidding! They cleaned up the town years ago and got rid of the five-legged dogs.

This post nuclear-esque setting upped the Omega Man quotient and on a weird scale this walkabout rates a pegged needle. It’s gloriously strange and twilight zone-ish and we were thrilled to be in the middle of it. Now which way to the trailer park? Oh wait, it’s at our motel!

Life is good and we’re some happy campers at our home for a couple days, the Ray Lyn. Such nice folks and very accommodating. That poor AC was struggling to keep up and at times its sound was indistinguishable from a heavily loaded train tackling Warfield Hill (they pass just behind the motel and it’s the steepest railway line around), but if you had to work as hard, you’d make noise too. It was 35-40c each day and the nights “cool” at 25-30c. Damn near melted into a pile of goo and it made for some brutal outdoor exploring (recall the BIGDoer-mobile has hillbilly AC – drive fast with the windows down).

Trail is home to about eight thousand people and seems to be a breeding ground for successful hockey players. A list of notable folks from town includes a disproportionate number of those who’ve played pro.

They are: Ed Cristofoli, former NHL player, Craig Cunningham, former NHL Player, Adam Deadmarsh, former NHL player, Dallas Drake, former NHL player, Landon Ferraro, current NHL player, Ray Ferraro, former NHL player, Shawn Horcoff former NHL player, Barret Jackman, former NHL player, Hal Jones, Hockey World Championship player, Richard Kromm, former NHL player, Cesare Maniago, former NHL player, Seth Martin, former NHL player, Mike Matteucci, former NHL player, Steve McCarthy, current AHL player and former NHL player, Tom McVie, former professional hockey player and NHL Coach and current hockey scout, Garth Rizzuto, former NHL player and lastly Steve Tambellini, former NHL player & former GM of the Edmonton Oilers (courtesy Wikipedia). Now take a breath.

There must be something in the water.

One of the newest buildings here houses offices of the regional district and a fire hall. That’s some fine fire fighting rigs inside. The structure might be modern but has design elements that let it fit in well with all the older structures here.

The eclectic Gulch General Store.

Look at that, over an hour has passed and we’ve been held mesmerized by the Gulch the whole time. It’s strange character is hard to resist and we’re going to have to come back and do something more in depth. There’s just too much here and a first date was not enough. We write, we photograph, and more than anything love to soak up the local vibe…and we’re itching for more.

We’ll see you again Gulch and the weird, wonderful historic thing that you are.

Know more (new tabs): Historic Gulch Trail BC and Gulch General Store Trail BC.

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They’re saying…

”Off the Beaten Path web page is a great discovery resource I’ve referred to over the years…” Chinook Canine.

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If you wish more information on what’s seen here, don’t hesitate to: contact us!

Date of Adventure: July, 2021.
Location(s): Trail, BC.
Article references and thanks: City of Trail, Fred Romano and Roland Perri of the Gulch Map Project, plus The Gulch General Store, just for being there.

It’s perhaps the strangest business collective ever.

We’re along Rossland Avenue.

You’ll work the glutes if you walk in Trail.

Columbo Lodge left – everything’s shoehorned into a narrow valley.

Road heads to Warfield and Rosssland.

Specular skies are thanks to forest fires elsewhere.

Newer building houses the fire hall, among other things.

The Smelter Pub, housed in an old hotel, was up for sale.

A fine fire fighting rig.

We’re just strolling about and soaking up the character.

The Gulch dates back to the 1890s.

Trail has transit and the buses are part mountain goat.

Many of the buildings date back to the early days.

Notice the lack of cars or people about.

Lit up like a pinball.

Out of nowhere, a house.

Old St Anthony’s Church.

Star Grocery caters to the large Italian population.

Our home – the Ray Lyn Motel and Trailer Park.