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Aerial
View of Revelstoke 1 |
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Home to the last
spike of the Canadian
Pacific Railway, the first North American ski jump and a gold rush that
was worth about 3 million dollars, the community of Revelstoke is a place that
celebrates its diverse past and present. Surrounded by mountains and the world's
only temperate inland rainforest, Revelstoke is also an all season destination
that offers a multitude of summer and wintertime activities.
Travellers typically enjoy
outdoor activities such as backcountry skiing,
river canoeing
and kayaking,
golfing
and mountain
biking. Visitors to this mountain town will find Mount
Revelstoke National Park to the northeast, the Revelstoke
Hydro Dam in the north, countless museums
within and a wide range of sights
and attractions scattered throughout.
HISTORY AND ECONOMY
Originally known as Farwell,
this Interior BC community
was used as a transportation and supply centre for the mining industry. When
construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway began in this area, the CPR decided
to establish one of the main offices and maintenance facilities here. Thus in
1886, the CPR requested the community's name be changed to Revelstoke in honour
of Lord Revelstoke, a prominent man whose banking firm had provided needed funds
for the completion of the railway. It was not until 1899 that Revelstoke became
incorporated as a city.
With the completion of the
railway and the new CPR station, Revelstoke became a major town and a magnet
for new businesses, tourism and several industries, including the timber industry.
Immigration also began to pick up, with many Scandinavian families choosing
to settle here. With this came a popularity in skiing and winter sports resulting
in the construction of North America's first ski-jump, the Nels
Nelsen ski jump. It was built in 1915 and has been home to an array
of ski jumping records.
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Constructing
the Railway 2 |
In 1965, construction for
three hydroelectric dams began in the area. Completion of these dams helped
feed the agriculture industry in Revelstoke. Today, the city's economy is a
diverse one with forestry, tourism, transportation and mineral excavation being
the most prominent.
TRANSPORTATION AND GEOGRAPHY
Bordered by the Columbia
River and Mount Revelstoke National Park, Revelstoke is located within
the Monashee and Selkirk Mountains of Interior BC. It is about 641 km (398 mi)
east of Vancouver and
415 km (258 mi) west of Calgary.
East and west access is
easily available via the Trans-Canada
Highway, while access from the north and south is provided via Highway
23. While no commercial airline service is available, the Revelstoke
Airport offers charter aircrafts as well as helicopter services. The
nearest commercial airports can be found in Vancouver and Calgary. When in the
city, visitors may opt to rent
a car, take a taxi
or use Revelstoke
Transit, the community's public transportation system. The system offers
fixed route bus service as well as door-to-door transit for those with disabilities.
CLIMATE
Fairly isolated and bordered
by high peaks, Revelstoke offers a temperate climate characterized by warm Pacific
air and heavy rain during the winter and spring months. On average, the town
sees about 1,278 mm (50 in) of rain per year. Snow is expected from October
to January, with heavy snow occurring during December and January. Summers are
warm and sunny with August usually being the driest month. However, due to the
town's location within the Columbia Mountains, weather can be unpredictable
and visitors should prepare for the unexpected.
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Revelstoke
Hydro Dam 3 |
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FEATURED ATTRACTIONS
Grizzly Plaza
With countless summertime events
and free live concerts,
downtown Revelstoke's Grizzly
Plaza is the cultural and entertainment hub of the community. Summertime
in the plaza is filled with free nightly entertainment events such as live performances,
theatre productions and acts for kids. Festivals
and special
events are also held here, including Revelstoke's celebration of the
railway during Railway
Days in August as well as the annual Mountain
Arts Festival held in September.
Specialty shops,
boutiques,
restaurants
and bars
also line the streets of Grizzly Plaza. Many are even housed within historic
buildings that date as far back as the Victorian Era. Guests may find anything
from art
galleries and gift
shops to florists
and sporting
gear. A special farmer's market and bazaar is also held on Saturday
mornings during the summer.
Revelstoke Hydro Dam
A few minutes north of town, travellers will find the Revelstoke Hydro Dam,
one of Canada's largest hydroelectric projects. The dam, which serves to regulate
the Columbia River and provide power to several areas in BC's interior, is made
up of a few stages. These include a 175-metre-high (574 ft) concrete gravity
dam, a 122-metre-tall (400 ft) earthfill dam and a powerhouse that contains
four generating units.
Guests to the Revelstoke
Hydro Dam will find a Visitor
Centre complete with gift shop and theatre. Exhibits also demonstrate
the history and production of the dam. Visitors are encouraged to take self-guided
tours along with an audio information system that offers direction through the
dam.
Museums
Revelstoke is home to several museums that celebrate the community's diverse
past. Visitors looking to learn about how the community came to be may stop
by the Revelstoke
Museum and Archives. This museum focuses on the history and collection
of artifacts from Revelstoke and the surrounding area. Located in a 1926 building,
the museum holds an array of unique items in its collection including a fur
press from the early 1900s, a 15-kg (33-lb) buffalo coat and gold scales used
during the gold rush of the 1860s.
The Revelstoke
Railway Museum offers a glimpse into Canada's railway past. Here, visitors
can view the restored CPR locomotive #5468, a large steam train originally built
in 1948. Numerous other locomotives are also on display, as well as railway
gear and tools, CPR china and silverware, and worker uniforms. In strolling
through the various galleries, guests will learn what it took to build and operate
the railway. The museum also operates the Last Spike Historic Site, located
45 km (28 mi) west of Revelstoke.
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Lake
Revelstoke 4 |
Other museums include the
Forestry
Museum, which offers a historical look at the forestry industry in the
area, the Firefighters
Museum, which is home to Revelstoke's first fire truck, and the Revelstoke
Nickelodeon Museum, which honours the history of mechanical music.
Mount Revelstoke National
Park
Found just across the highway from the community of Revelstoke is Mount Revelstoke
National Park, a unique area that is unlike any other in the world. The land
protected by the park is known as a temperate inland rainforest -- the only
one of its kind. Visitors to this area will find an array of geographical zones
including ancient rainforest growth, arid tundra and vibrant wildflower meadows.
With the help from citizens
of Revelstoke, Mount Revelstoke National Park was founded as a national park
in 1914 due to its many possibilities for recreation as well as for the land's
distinct geology. This 260-square-kilometre (100 sq mi) park offers an abundance
of trails filled with spectacular scenery, including ancient cedar trees that
are more than 1,000 years old. Home to grizzlies, mountain goats and caribou,
travellers also have the chance to view a few of these creatures in their natural
habitat.
Summertime in the park is
known for its natural displays of wild mountain flowers. These vibrant flowers
begin to bloom in the spring and are visible until about mid-August. The fields
are accessible via the aptly named Meadows in the Sky Parkway, a paved road
that begins just off the Trans-Canada
Highway and rises to an elevation of 1,500 m (4,921 ft). This scenic
drive ends at Balsam
Lake where visitors may enjoy a picnic lunch, take in the vistas and
hike the mountain. Other summer activities in Mount Revelstoke National Park
include fishing,
backcountry camping
and bicycling.
Originally brought to Revelstoke
by Scandinavian immigrants, ski sports in Mount Revelstoke National Park have
been popular since the beginning. The Nels Nelsen ski jump is also found on
Mount
Revelstoke. This popular and internationally renowned jump has been
home to some of the world's greatest ski jumping records ever set. Winter guests
of the park have plenty of opportunities to enjoy activities such as cross-country
skiing, snowshoeing and ski
touring, as well as visiting the Nels
Nelsen Historic Area, which is located at the base of Mount Revelstoke.
PHOTO COURTESY
- Evan Batke;
c/o Revelstoke Tourism; Aerial view of Revelstoke; Revelstoke, BC, CAN
- Constructing
the railway; Revelstoke, BC, CAN
- Revelstoke
Hydro Dam; Revelstoke, BC, CAN
- Evan Batke;
c/o Revelstoke Tourism; Lake Revelstoke; Revelstoke, BC, CAN
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