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