Palliser is a railway point which straddles the shores of the

Kicking Horse River The Kicking Horse River is in the Canadian Rockies of southeastern British Columbia, Canada. The river was named in 1858, when James Hector, a member of the Palliser Expedition, reported being kicked by his packhorse while exploring the river. Hec ...

in the

East Kootenay The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) is a regional district in the Canadian province of British Columbia, Canada. In the 2016 census, the population was 60,439. Its area is . The regional district offices are in Cranbrook, the large ...

region of southeastern

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. This

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

, off BC Highway 1, is by road about southwest of

Field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

and southeast of Golden.

Name origin

Although named after

John Palliser John Palliser (29 January 1817 – 18 August 1887) was an Irish-born geographer and explorer. Following his service in the Waterford Militia and hunting excursions to the North American prairies, he led the British North American Explorin ...

, leader of the Palliser expedition, he never visited this area. Sir

James Hector Sir James Hector (16 March 1834 – 6 November 1907) was a Scottish-New Zealand geologist, naturalist, and surgeon who accompanied the Palliser Expedition as a surgeon and geologist. He went on to have a lengthy career as a government employed ...

, another member of the party, explored this valley.

Railway

The westward advance of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

(CP) rail head passed through Palliser around September 1884. In 1906, the completion of the Palliser Tunnel about west of Palliser eliminated a 23-degree curve. At this location in 1884, a tunnel was completed, but collapsed in 1887. A diversion created the sharp curve and three smaller curves. For safety, passenger cars were clamped together to prevent uncoupling. The new tunnel was in length. In 1905, another tunnel was completed about east of Palliser. In 1921, an eastbound freight train struck a cave-in along the curve. Seven crew were killed, and three hours later, the wreck burst into flames. Traffic was diverted over the Kootenay Central and the

Crowsnest Pass Crowsnest Pass (sometimes referred to as Crow's Nest Pass, ) is a low mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta–British Columbia border. Geography The pass is located in southeast British Columbia an ...

until three trestle bridges and of new track were built around the tunnel. The present passing track is long.

Early community

By 1889,

Wilmer Cleveland Wells Wilmer Cleveland Wells (4 November 1839 – October 19, 1933) was a Canadian rancher, lumberman and political figure in British Columbia. He represented East Kootenay North from 1899 to 1903 and Columbia from 1903 to 1907 as a Liberal in ...

operated a sawmill. By 1890, a general store and hotel were also present. A post office existed 1894–1914. The store was short-lived, but a hotel accommodated visitors into the early 1900s. In 1901, a Pinkerton Detective agent tracked a bank robber to the community. That year, the population peaked at about 100. The sawmill closed about 1908 but a watchman remained until the completion of clearing the site around 1915. The 1911 Census lists eight residents. By 1918, the place was deserted.

Maps

* *

Footnotes

References

* *{{cite book , last=Palumbo , first=Colleen , title=2000 Golden Memories , year=2000 , publisher=Golden and District Historical Society, isbn=1-55056-715-2 Ghost towns in British Columbia