Ootischenia () is south of Castlegar on the east side of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...

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, ...

Background

In 1895, Hiram Landis arrived to clear and farm land soon named Waterloo Landing. The landing was about downstream from the confluence of the

Kootenay Kootenay, Kootenai, and Kutenai may refer to: Ethnic groups *The Kutenai, also known as the Ktunaxa, Kootenai, or Kootenay, an indigenous people of the United States and Canada **Kutenai language, the traditional language of the Kutenai **Ktunaxa ...

and Columbia rivers. The name came from the Waterloo mine, which was in a group of claims about from the landing on a ridge just north of Iron Creek (east of the present airport). In between were Monte Carlo, also named for a mine, and Montgomery, named for Robert Fowler Montgomery Horne-Payne, chair of company that owned the townsite. It is unclear if these three short-lived mining towns were distinct or largely the same place. In 1908, a Doukhobour advance party arrived at West Waterloo, and Landis rowed them across the river to the east side. Settling at an abandoned former

logging camp A logging camp (or lumber camp) is a transitory work site used in the logging industry. Before the second half of the 20th century, these camps were the primary place where lumberjacks would live and work to fell trees in a particular area. Many ...

, the group logged and farmed. In due course, a ferry was constructed, and the Landis farm purchased. The original name of the colony was ''Dolina Uteshenaya'' (долина утешения), meaning "Valley of Consolation" in Russian. However, being unsuitable for agriculture without extensive irrigation, Dolina Opustosheniye, meaning "valley of desolation", became the motto for some settlers. Numerous English transliterations have been used. Ootshenia is the known earliest in 1924. The BC government adopted Ootishenia in 1951, but changed to Ootischenia in 1959, the latter spelling first appearing in 1937. Over time, the neighbourhood has spread northward. In 2006, the population was 856. Nowadays, the northern part includes the

West Kootenay Regional Airport The West Kootenay Regional Airport (Castlegar Airport) is a small regional airport located south southeast of Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada. It serves the West Kootenay region, including Castlegar, Nelson and Trail. It is owned and operate ...

and Castlegar's two golf courses. The song "Ootischenia" by

The Be Good Tanyas The Be Good Tanyas are a Canadian folk music group formed in Vancouver in 1999. Their influences include folk music, folk, country music, country, and bluegrass music, bluegrass. The style of music they perform can be referred to as alt-country ...

on their album ''Hello Love'' is about singer

Frazey Ford Frazey Obadiah Ford is a Canadian singer-songwriter and actress. She was a founding member of The Be Good Tanyas. Her solo debut ''Obadiah'' was released on Nettwerk on July 20, 2010. Jenny Charlesworth of ''The Georgia Straight'' wrote that a ...

's childhood home in Ootischenia.

References

Doukhobors Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Designated places in British Columbia British Columbia populated places on the Columbia River Populated places in the West Kootenay {{CentralKootenay-geo-stub