Columbia Gardens is in the
West Kootenay
The Kootenays or Kootenay ( ) is a region of southeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people.
Boundaries
The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay ...
region of southern
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. The locality is east of
Trail
A trail, also known as a path or track, is an unpaved lane or small road usually passing through a natural area. In the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, a path or footpath is the preferred term for a pedestrian or hiking trail. Th ...
, and near the
Boundary-Waneta Border Crossing.
William Parsons Sayward gave his name to
Sayward village on Vancouver Island, and also to the ghost town in this locality. The Kootenay settlement was established in 1893, about a quarter of a mile above Beaver Creek,
which would be over three quarters of a mile north of the
Sayward station, a
flag stop
In public transport, a request stop, flag stop, or whistle stop is a stop or station at which buses or trains, respectively, stop only on request; that is, only if there are passengers or freight to be picked up or dropped off. In this way, st ...
by 1897. In 1907, a much larger area called Columbia Gardens, described as being between Sayward and Trail, was surveyed. The chosen name aimed to attract buyers to a subdivision selling potential orchards. The existing Sayward settlement was renamed Columbia Gardens, evidenced by the post office name, which opened the next year. However, the train station name did not change until 1913.
The settlement and station are long gone. The Bouma dairy farm, which absorbed the townsite in the 1920s,
now only grows hay.
Columbia Gardens currently refers to the general area between Waneta and
Montrose, and includes an airport, industrial park, and winery. It is the most northerly point still served by the railway freight line.
See also
*
List of ghost towns in British Columbia
This is a list of ghost towns in the Canadian province of British Columbia, including those still partly inhabited or even overtaken by modern towns, as well as those completely abandoned or derelict. Region of location and associated events or en ...
References
Ghost towns in British Columbia
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