Fur farming in the Basin
Queen Brothers, Fort Steele Trappers #0015.0005 ca.1910The Queen Brothers of Fort Steele showcase a piece of a winter's harvest at their cabin on Riverside Avenue. The fur industry was booming in the early 1920s, and by 1923 the market in British Columbia was worth an estimated $5,000,000. B.C. was climatically ideal for...
Rossland Women's Hockey Team
In 1900 a women's hockey team was created as a "novelty" for Rossland's 3rd Winter Carnival. All Rossland women were invited to join for a fee of 50 cents each, a considerable price for the time. Interest increased, and two teams, the Crescents, and the Stars resulted. Rossland Ladies Hockey Team c. 1912 Collection # 2285.0004...
Nurse Helen
Of 209 graduates from the St. Eugene School of Nursing, Helen Faulkner was one of the first from Cranbrook. Born in 1916, Helen moved to Cranbrook at the age of six months with her parents, Marion and Cornelius VanBraam. When Helen turned eighteen, her wish was to go to University. Limited finances influenced her decision to...
How a swamp was transformed
George John Spreull graduated Law at Glasgow University, Scotland, and arrived in Cranbrook in 1918. He set up a legal practice with Alan Graham that lasted until 1945, with Mr. Spreull becoming part of the King's Council in 1936. The youngest of three daughters, Elizabeth, was born in Cranbrook at the family home at 203-14th...
Spirit Wrestlers
Doukhobor Gathering ca. 1920. Collection #0131.0314. Image courtesy of Kootenay Gallery of Art, History & Science Spirit Wrestler is the original meaning of the term Doukhobor - one who wrestles with the spirit. It depicts one who stands to account in the face of temptation, material corruption, and military power. One ...
