Downtown Trout Lake British Columbia

We’re in bustling “downtown” Trout Lake British Columbia armed with a photo from about seventy five years ago to shoot a BIGDoer.com Then & Now. The fun’s about to begin, so give us a big WOOHOO! Our goal is twofold, and out of the gate we want to get as close as possible to the original in composition. We want to stand where that photographer did long ago and yes, it’s a weird obsession.

We think, no we’re certain and that’s in hindsight, the mark got missed by a bit this time (more in a moment) even though the mountain matches up in back. So goes it. Second, we love to chat about what’s changed and what’s stayed the same when comparing the two. Shutting up ain’t an option, so get used to it.

The “then” photo comes thanks to the Royal BC Museum Archives and we’re thrilled to present it here. It shows a wonderful street scene in the remote mountain community in the East Kootenay region of the province. To say it’s an out of the way place would be the understatement of the year. It’s home to about forty full time residents and that number swells a bit during summer cottaging season.

The old photo dates from 1946 and shows Kellie Street, once the business district back in the day. Even by this time, however, the buildings were mostly empty and devoid of life.

Trout Lake (Trout Lake City in the early days) was built on mining and early on a beehive of activity. The hills around were swarming with prospectors, and while there appeared to be great potential overall, only a handful of mines of any appreciable size ever operated. Still, some were quite productive, albeit generally short lived.

Limited mining took place into the 1960s and exploratory work continues to present day. Will someone find the mother lode? Some say yes and others might call it a giant waste of time. Work’s made difficult due to the precipitous nature of surrounding mountains (seems the best deposits are often way up high), dense forest and the overall remote location. It’s a long haul to market or to ship in supplies.

A malaise period lasting over a century followed Trout Lake’s short live boom. While visitors today come in to hunt, fish and explore, there’s otherwise not a lot going on. We’re uncertain if anyone living here would want it any other way, either. They come for the isolation. Still, Trout Lake today has a larger population now compared to 1946, but still it’s a backwater in every sense. That’s not meant in a bad way and if only we could, we’d be mountain dwellers. If only…

Kellie Street was once home to many hotels and stores but by the 1940s, only the Windsor remained in business, with everything else otherwise empty. During World War Two many buildings in Trout Lake, and in other interior ghost towns, were used as a temporary interment camp for Japanese Canadians. That’s the busiest it had been in decades, but soon made quiet again after the end of hostilities. A large cherry tree, planted by these folks, survived into recent times and stood a few metres from our shooting position. A bear attractant, it came down recently about the biggest one we’ve ever seen.

The Windsor dates from the 1890s mining boom, when Trout Lake City shone fresh and new, and the only business left in downtown now. There’s store and gas station (with an old globe pump) a few blocks away, on the road through town, but that’s pretty much it. The only large community in the region with a real business district, Nakusp, comes in at some eighty clicks distant.

Team BIGDoer got to stay at the Windsor on this visit and it doesn’t function as a traditional hotel in the sense anymore, but more like a B&B. For groups and call ahead too. Had a band of motorcyclists not booked some rooms, we’d have been out of luck. Anyway, the Windsor’s an amazing place and let’s show you here: Windsor Hotel Trout Lake.

The hotel’s hidden from view in our photo and obscured by trees.

The false front building next in on the same side, old photo, was earlier home to the Imperial Bank and appears empty at the time. Soon after the then photo, however, it opened as Fowler’s Store and then became Peak’s Store (or Johnson’s after the fellow who ran it) and lastly the Trout Lake Resort Store (or simply Broemeling’s Store – after the the owner). The latter operated into the early 1970s when the building burned to the ground.

Broemling also rented cabins and some of these buildings, built ca 1960, exist to this day, off camera to the right. Fowler also similarly rented cabins but their location’s unknown. The Trout Lake Resort Store also functioned as a local museum of sorts. Old photos show the store sign in the shape of a large fish. Angling’s good in the lake, so why not promote it?

The next building forward is listed as Yuill’s Shop (watch repairs) and then it’s the Johnson residence. It’s doubtful these were in use in 1946. Present day, there’s still houses here (lived in too), some newer and a couple older buildings (Yuill’s and Johnson’s place respectively) fixed up and in the case of the latter, changed considerably in appearance.

These houses don’t line up with the old photo, so our position’s a tad off in that regard. We’re one lot too close in and too far right. Still, I doubt anyone would have noticed had it not been mentioned and take note we’re planning a do-over should we return. It’s driving us nuts even though at the time we thought it okay and only noticed the bad angle in post. Still, it works good and demonstrates much change.

For most of the last twenty years Yuill’s old place belonged to a friend and sometimes a summer cabin and later full-time home. It sold recently and had an sign noting an ice cream shop was coming soon. In Trout Lake? Population bordering on nothing Trout Lake? Note the boardwalk in the old photo and the dirt street.

We’ve had no luck IDing anything on the right so far, in the old photo, but they appears to be former commercial buildings of some sort. Trout Lake was a happening place (and home to 1000+ people too) and these may have been some of the businesses mentioned in early 1900s papers. A barber shop makes note, a furniture and hardware store, newspaper office, several general stores and many others. Clearly they had stood empty for some time by this point and derelict looking.

The car in the old photo’s a little too distant and blown out to ID, but consistent in design with models produced in the late 1930s. In hindsight we should have posed our car in roughly the same location. Not like there’s any traffic to block in town. It’s fun to up the game and we’ve included our econo-box car as a prop in some Then & Nows before, but not here for some reason. Absent mindedness, yeah?

You’ll note the mighty BIGDoer-mobile does show in the Windsor Hotel photo, however, so it still managed to be included. It’s legendary!

The southwest flanks of Great Northern Mountain are seen in back in both images. Some mining took place on its far side, but the best diggings in the Trout Lake Mining District were directly south and along “Silver Cup Ridge”. It’s pockmarked with old mine workings and stuff left behind. We’re going find a way to get up there one day. It’ll happen.

As you guessed, silver made up an important component of ore in the area, but it generally included lots of lead and zinc too. A smattering of other metals, usually gold and/or copper, could often be found as well, but in lesser quantities. These five metallic minerals, or some mix thereof, are often seen in association with each other. Silver in particular is almost always mixed with lead in these parts and can be an impurity in galena (lead ore).

Trout Lake, not the community but the lake for which it’s named, is just a bit south of our shooting position. It’s deep, cold and full of fish.

Know more: (new tabs): Trout Lake BC and Windsor Hotel Trout Lake.

There’s always something cooking here, so be sure and drop by often.

They’re saying…

”Love the variety and always look forward to seeing the places they visit. Brian Brandon – River City Classics and Eamon’s Garage.” Brian Brandon.

The Windsor (our home the night before)…
Windsor Hotel Trout Lake.

BC Then & Nows…
Main Street Slocan BC.
Sandon BC Then & Now.

Something to say and no one to say it to? Go here: contact us!

Date of adventure: July, 2021.
Location: Trout Lake, BC.
Article references and thanks: Trout Lake Hotel Trout Lake “City” BC, Royal BC Museum Archives, the Centennial Series Book Circle of Silver and Arrow Lakes Historical Society.

Trout Lake BC, about seventy five years apart.

Still there but obscured by trees now.