Castlegar

Castlegar is a city of 8,000 people (2016) in British Columbia on the southern tip of the Arrow Lakes chain. It sits at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers, and is a perfect base for a wide range of outdoor activities. The surrounding lakes and mountains offer unlimited outdoor possibilities. There is tremendous fishing on both big rivers and on the Arrow Lakes, and Syringa Creek Provincial Park is nearby.

Understand
The city's population includes a large number of Doukhobors, who were largely responsible for much of Castlegar's early development and growth.

A sizeable Portuguese community grew as workers, mainly from the Azores islands, moved in to take up employment in the area. The area which was to become Castlegar was an important centre for the Sinixt (Lakes) Peoples. Outside the city limits are the small surrounding communities of Ootischenia, Brilliant, Robson, Robson West, Raspberry, Tarrys, Thrums, Glade, Shoreacres, Fairview, Genelle, Pass Creek and Krestova. There are also the much smaller communities of Deer Park, Renata, and Syringa on Lower Arrow Lake.

Taken together, these outlying areas comprise an approximate population of a further 8,000 people.

History
On 5 September 1811, David Thompson arrived at the location where Castlegar now sits, where he camped near the mouth of the Kootenay River. A plaque dedicated to David Thompson can be found on the east bank of the Columbia River overlooking the present day site of Castlegar.

The first settlement in the area was West Waterloo, now known as South Castlegar. There was widespread provincial interest in gold prospecting in the late 19th century, and by 1895 there were 40 houses in Waterloo. The town boomed until the end of the century when interest in the local mines declined.

Castlegar takes its name from Castlegar, County Galway, Ireland, the ancestral home of townsite founder Edward Mahon. (Castlegar is on the eastern boundary of the city of Galway.) The city was planned in 1897. Around 1902, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) built the bridge at Castlegar and laid the wide gauge railway tracks to Trail. There was little in Castlegar until after the completion of the CPR bridge.

First Nations history
Castlegar is in the border area between the Sinixt (Interior Salish) and the Ktunaxa Indian bands. Experts cannot agree where the Ktunaxa range ended, and where the Sinixt began. There was much overlapping of cultural and territorial activity between the two peoples. The Sinixt were the original people in the area, and that the Kootenai arrived several hundred years ago from central Canada.

"Qepitles" was a site on the north side of the Kootenay River, just above the junction with the Columbia River. Native implements (arrowheads, pestles, etc.) have been found along the nearby Arrow Lakes. A reconstructed kekuli dwelling was established on Zuckerberg Island, at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia rivers.

Doukhobor history
The Doukhobors put a ferry into operation near Brilliant on the Kootenay River in 1910 and the Christian Community of Universal Brotherhood (CCUB) made an application to the CPR for a railway station and siding to this point. Brilliant was the centre of the CCUB commercial enterprises. Located on the site was the Brilliant Jam Factory, a grain elevator, and a flax seed mill.

Climate
Hot days and cool nights in summer, with moderately dry weather and cold winters with heavy snowfall due to the mediterranean tendencies of high winter precipitation. Castlegar is wetter than most places in the Southern Interior of BC, as the city receives around 400 mm more precipitation than nearby Kelowna, Penticton and Kamloops (which are in the dryer Okanagan region of British Columbia, while Castlegar is in the Kootenay region).

By car

 * Castlegar is about 600 km from Calgary and from Vancouver on Highway 3.

By plane

 * Nearby airports include Trail Airport, which is 40 km to the south. Pacific Coastal Airlines operates flights between Vancouver and Trail. This airport is less prone to flight cancellations caused by fog.
 * Nearby airports include Trail Airport, which is 40 km to the south. Pacific Coastal Airlines operates flights between Vancouver and Trail. This airport is less prone to flight cancellations caused by fog.

By public transit

 * Route 33 travels between Castlegar Community Complex and Selkirk College via West Kootenay Regional Airport (10 minutes). Route operates Monday to Saturday.
 * Route 99 travels between Nelson and Castlegar (40 minutes). From Castlegar Community Complex (the main bus exchange), take bus 33 to Selkirk College (10 minutes) and transfer to route 99. These routes operate from Monday to Saturday.
 * Route 98 travels between Castlegar and Trail (25-30 minutes). Route operates Monday to Saturday.
 * Route 98 travels between Castlegar and Trail (25-30 minutes). Route operates Monday to Saturday.

Summer

 * Climbing: an up-and-coming climbing area with the potential to grow, great rock around try the "waterline" and some other local spots,
 * Hiking and mountain biking: some unreal trails and secret spots that will blow your mind. Locals are friendly and helpful.
 * Golfing:
 * Boating: Great boating and fishing on the Arrow Lake, west of Castlegar.
 * Boating: Great boating and fishing on the Arrow Lake, west of Castlegar.
 * Boating: Great boating and fishing on the Arrow Lake, west of Castlegar.
 * Boating: Great boating and fishing on the Arrow Lake, west of Castlegar.

Winter

 * Downhill skiing near Rossland or Nelson.
 * Cat and heli-skiing:
 * Snowmobiling: Hundreds of kilometres of groomed and ungroomed trails located around Castlegar.
 * Cross-country skiing
 * Snowmobiling: Hundreds of kilometres of groomed and ungroomed trails located around Castlegar.
 * Cross-country skiing

Cope

 * The nearest hospital is in Trail.

Go next
Check out cities of Nelson and Rossland nearby.