Crowsnest Highway

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The Crowsnest Highway is the southernmost of the three significant the Rocky Mountains in Canada traversing highways . In both Alberta and British Columbia it is designated as Highway 3 ( BC Highway 3 , Alberta Highway 3 ).

history

The Oregon Compromise in 1846 stipulated that the trading posts of the Hudson's Bay Company on the lower Columbia River , Fort Okanagan and Fort Vancouver came to the territory of the United States. This cut off the easy route to the Pacific and forced the exploration of alternative routes north of the 49th parallel for British interests. Therefore, a fort was built in 1848 at the confluence of the Coquihalla River in the Fraser River , which became the nucleus of today's city of Hope . Gold discoveries on the Fraser River in 1858 and on the Kettle River and the Similkameen River in 1859 contributed to the growth of the importance of this place, in addition, the governor of the British colony of British Columbia, James Douglas , the engineers Edgar Dewdney and Walter Moberly to explore a mule trail Vermillion Forks, now Princeton , which was completed in 1861.

It was agreed that the newly developed path should have a width of four feet (1.3 meters) and be free of vegetation and debris; Water hazards and swamps had to be overcome by suitable means. Compensation of 37,500 Canadian dollars was awarded for the total distance of 75.6 miles (121.6 kilometers).

Fort Steele

When gold was also found in Wild Horse Creek near what is now Fort Steele in 1863 , the new governor Frederick Seymour commissioned the expansion of the connection to this place in order to prevent the gold from being transported over the Kootenay River to the United States of America . After a construction period of only seven months, the approximately 300-mile (approx. 480 km) long trail was completed in September 1865 for the amount of 75,000 Canadian dollars. However, gold mining in Wild Horse Creek was largely stopped at the end of the 1866 season, as the Cariboo region attracted a large number of prospectors with promising finds .

Explorations from the east were carried out in 1874 by a mounted squad of the North West Mounted Police , who, coming from Fort MacLoed in the south of Alberta, largely followed today's road to Galbraith's Ferry - near today's Fort Steele - and from there used the Dewdney Trail .

Since finds of silver and carbon in the Rocky Mountains and the expansion of agriculture favored climate in, in north-south direction extending valleys carried the potential for economic development, was initially 1897, the construction of a line of the Canadian Pacific Railway from Lethbridge to Nelson over the Crowsnest Pass , parallel to this, the existing paths were expanded. As far as Creston , the railway line and the highway still run almost parallel to this day, and they only separate before crossing the Nelson Range .

The Crowsnest Highway still follows the Dewdney Trail over a distance of around 80%, which is also a well-known long-distance hiking trail .

course

The Crowsnest Highway is the southernmost of the highway connections between the prairies of central Canada and the ports on the Pacific . Due to the geographical conditions, the scenic highway, which is sometimes very attractive, stretches close to the border with the US states of Montana , Idaho and Washington and crosses five mountain ranges on passes that reach up to 1774  m .

British Columbia

South of the city center of Hope, Highway 3, which has been developed like a freeway, continues to the east, while the Trans-Canada Highway - following the valley of the Fraser River - turns north. Near the confluence of the Sumallo River with the Coquihalla River , Highway 5 ( Yellowhead Highway 5 or Coquihalla Highway ) follows the latter, while the Crowsnest Highway leads southeast through the valleys of the Sumallo River and the Skagit River.

Orchard on the Crowsnest Highway near Osoyoos

The northern cascade chain is overcome with the Allison Pass ( 1352  m ) and the valley of the Similkameen River is reached, shortly before reaching the Okanagan Valley , the southern foothills of the Thompson Plateau are crossed. The Monashee Mountains are reached on the steep ascent to Anarchist Mountain , which offers a magnificent view of the southern Okanagan Valley . On the way to the southern end of Arrow Lake there are two passes to overcome - Phoenix Mountain Summit ( 1105  m ) and Bonanza Pass ( 1535  m ).

The chain of Selkirk Mountains is crossed between Arrow Lake and Kootenay Lake , the highest point in the road is the Kootenay Pass . After crossing the valley of Kootenay Lake, the road follows Kitchener Creek and Moyie River and thus crosses the Purcell Mountains without overcoming higher passes . After crossing the Kootenay River , the highway runs through the valley of the Elk River before it reaches its highest point in the Rocky Mountains and the provincial border with Alberta at the 1358  m high Crowsnest Pass .

The Crowsnest Highway is of essential importance for the development of southern British Columbia, the roads that cross or flow into it form important connections to other routes in western Canada or open up remote areas:

In addition to the towns that were connected to the road network when the Dewdney Trail was built, the Crowsnest Highway also touches the following towns today:

  • 0 km - Hope
  • 134 km - Princeton (formerly Vermillion Forks)
  • 204 km - Keremeos
  • 252 km - Osoyoos
  • 304 km - Rock Creek
  • 322 km - Midway
  • 335 km - Greenwood
  • 378 km - Grand Forks
  • 400 km - Christina Lake
  • 473 km - Castlegar
  • 512 km - Salmo
  • 596 km - Creston
  • 703 km - Cranbrook
  • 767 km - Elko
  • 812 km - Fernie
  • 843 km - Sparwood

Alberta

The Crowsnest Mountain seen east of the Crowsnest Pass from the highway
Frank Slide north of the Crowsnest Highway near the Crowsnest Pass

The top of the pass represents the continental divide and the provincial border. The Crowsnest River, which the highway now follows, flows at the foot of the Rocky Mountains into the Oldman River , which joins the South Saskatchewan River in southern Alberta . In Medicine Hat, near the provincial border with Saskatchewan , the Crowsnest Highway meets the Trans-Canada Highway after almost 1,163 kilometers.

The Crowsnest Highway is also one of the most important road connections for southern Alberta, and is crossed by numerous other important routes:

Red Coat Trail

The unofficial continuation of the Crowsnest Highway is the Red Coat Trail , which leads over back roads from Lethbridge to Winnipeg in Manitoba . In Alberta, he follows Highway 4 to Stirling, Highway 61 to Manyberries and Highway 501 to the provincial border. In the province of Saskatchewan, Highway 13 and in Manitoba, Highway 2 is known as the Red Coat Trail.