Eastgate is a small cabin community located at the Eastern portal of Manning Provincial Park in the Cascade Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the Similkameen-Okanagan Forest District. The community store and gas station, and formerly the now closed restaurant, are popular for visitors of Manning Park Resort and ski area. The settlement is located along the uppermost Similkameen River. Access to Eastgate is limited solely to east–west travel along the

Hope-Princeton Highway The Crowsnest Highway is an east-west highway in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. It stretches across the southern portions of both provinces, from Hope, British Columbia to Medicine Hat, Alberta, providing the shortest highway connection b ...

. The community has one gas station, a Canco gas station, a cabin rental and a bed and breakfast. The gas station was formerly host to the Eastgate Canada Post Office. The Eastgate Volunteer Fire Department, with three trucks, provides fire protection for the area and frequently participates in forest fire control in the region. The small town shows up on some government maps (such as topographical maps) as Manning Park. The ARC (Alpine Rescue Centre) is located in Eastgate and is the residence of the Canadian Ski Patrol during the winter, and is rented to groups during the summer. The ski patrol provides safety services to the

Gibson Pass Ski Area Gibson Pass Ski Area, more commonly known as Manning Park Ski Area or simply Manning Park, is a small ski area located within E. C. Manning Provincial Park. The hill itself is not owned or operated by BC Parks, instead by the current park facility ...

. On August 8th 2022 government workers began repaving

History

Since at least 1905, Charlie Bonnevier owned and lived on the land now occupied by East Gate. In 1944, a parcel of was sold to the Tower Family, which became the Tower Ranch. As this property was one of the few private plots along the soon-to-open highway, and the highway's aesthetic qualities were of serious concern to the

BC Parks BC Parks is an agency of the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy that manages all of the, as of 2020, 1,035 provincial parks and other conservation and historical properties of various title designations within t ...

, the family agreed not to clear-cut or otherwise make the property unpleasant for motorists. Little of the original ranch remains, however one original house stands, and the roads are named in memory of the ranch. The ranch formerly maintained an airstrip which is now decommissioned and is now home to several houses. Near the gas station, the historic Pasayten Cabin stands. It is currently uninhabited.

Businesses

The primary business is the Canco gas station that includes a food store and previously included a diner called "Dave's Diner" and a mechanic service. Up until 2022 it was an

Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (the phonetic p ...

. Other businesses include a rental cabin called "Whiskey Jack In

two campgrounds ("Eastgate Escap

and "Similkameen Fall

, and two Airbnb, Airbnbs ("Manning Castl

and “Manning Park Hideaway�

.

Eastgate Volunteer Fire Department

The community is served by the Eastgate Fire Protection Society, which maintains three fire trucks. One of these trucks was stolen in May 2010 and was quickly recovered, albeit without vital components stolen by thieves, by a paramedic using a helicopter for the search. The fire department formerly used a mid-1930s fire truck, and until 2014 was in possession of a 1970s era firetruck until it was purchased for use at Manning Park Resort.

Natural Disasters

2021 Garrison Lake Wildfire

During the summer of 20 21 the Garrison Lake Wildfire threatened Eastgate. The fire was first discovered on July 23, 2021, and by September 8 had grown to an estimated 14,564 hectares. At its closest, the fire was 1-2 kilometers (estimated) away from Eastgate. Eastgate had already been on evacuation alert but was put on evacuation order on July 31 when the fire was 8,175 hectares in size.

2021 Flood

The

November 2021 Pacific Northwest floods The 2021 Pacific Northwest floods comprise a series of floods that affected British Columbia, Canada, and parts of neighboring Washington state in the United States. The flooding and numerous mass wasting events were caused by a Pineapple Expr ...

caused flooding throughout lower Eastgate leading to an evacuation order, a collapsed house, and countless property damage mainly due to flooded basements.

Photos

File:Eastgate9.jpg File:Eastgate 10.jpg File:Eastgate12.jpg File:Eastgate7.jpg File:Eastgate8.jpg File:Eastgate5.jpg File:Eastgate6.jpg File:Eastgate4.jpg File:Eastgate1.jpg File:Eastgate3.jpg File:Eastgate2.jpg File:Canco Eastgate.jpg File:Eastgate Sign.jpg

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eastgate, _British_Columbia Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Canadian Cascades Populated places in the Similkameen