Fort Steele, British Columbia, flourished in the1890s, and then began to decline when the railroad by-passed the town in 1898.Today Fort Steele is a Heritage Village in which visitors can experience what life was like in the 1890s. The Heritage Village includes restored buildings, replica buildings, and buildings which are allowed to decay naturally. The Fort Steele Heritage Town Museum is located in the second floor of the replica of the Wasa Hotel. The original structure was located about 19 kilometers north of Fort Steele in the community of Wasa, B.C.
The display shown above documents the decline of Fort Steele which began when the railroad by-passed the community in 1898. In 1904, government offices moved to Cranbrook and many businesses and residents also moved out. By the end of World War II, the population had declined to about 50, and most of the buildings had disappeared to fire, decay, or vandalism.
Archaeology
One of the displays in the museum is about archaeology at Fort Steele. According to the display:
“Since Fort Steele is a designated historic site, anything and everything that is found in the ground is kept. Occasionally some of our staff find objects when they are working in the gardens around the site, and Fort Steele has hosted a few archaeological digs that have uncovered interesting objects.”
Fur Trade
The fur trade between the First Nations and European corporations started in British Columbia in the late eighteenth century. David Thompson of the North West Company was the first European fur trader in the Kootenay River country. Thompson explored the area in 1808 looking for the source of the Columbia River. He was followed by Joseph Howse in 1810, Sir George Simpson and James Sinclair in 1841 and Father De Smet in 1845.
Museums 101
Museums 101 is a series of photo tours of museum exhibits. More from this series:
Museums 101: The Fort Steele Blacksmith Shop (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Churches of Fort Steele (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Cheap Cash Store (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: World Museum of Mining (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: An Overview of Hell Roarin' Gulch (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Hagerman Valley Historical Museum (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Historic Auburn (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: White River Valley Museum