Trail, British Columbia
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Trail
Trail Creek | |
---|---|
City of Trail | |
Motto: Explore Your Trail | |
Location of Trail inBritish Columbia | |
Coordinates:49°05′40″N117°42′33″W/ 49.09444°N 117.70917°W | |
Country | Canada |
Province | British Columbia |
Region | Kootenays |
Regional district | Kootenay Boundary |
Government | |
• Type | Elected city council |
• Mayor | Colleen Jones[1] |
• Governing body | Trail City Council |
•MP | Richard Cannings(NDP) |
•MLA | Katrine Conroy(BC NDP) |
Area | |
• Total | 34.93 km2(13.49 sq mi) |
Elevation | 440 m (1,440 ft) |
Population (2023) | |
• Total | 8,286 |
Time zone | UTC-8(PST) |
Forward sortation area | |
Area code(s) | 250,778,236,672 |
Highways | 3B 22 |
Waterways | Columbia River |
Website | trail |
Trailis a city in theWest Kootenayregion of theInteriorofBritish Columbia,Canada. It was named after theDewdney Trail,which passed through the area.[3]The town was first called Trail Creek or Trail Creek Landing, and the name was shortened to Trail in 1897.[4]
Geography
[edit]Trail has an area of 34.78 km2(13.43 sq mi). The city is located on both banks of theColumbia River,approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) north of theUnited Statesborder. This section of the Columbia River valley is located between theMonashee Mountainsto the west and theSelkirk Mountainsto the east. The Columbia flows directly north-south fromCastlegar,turns east near downtown Trail, and then meets theCanada–United States borderat Waneta and thePend d'Oreille River.
Summer climate in Trail is generally hot and dry with moderately cool nights. Temperatures often exceed 35 °C (95 °F) during summer afternoons, average 29 °C (84 °F). Thunderstorms are common during the late-spring and summer season, often moving into the valley from the south. The fall months bring dense river fog, especially overnight and in the morning, as a cold airinversionlingers above the relatively warm river surface. Winters are mild to cold with periods of moderate snowfall. Nearby villages such asWarfield,Fruitvaleand especiallyRosslandreceive greater amounts of snow due to higher elevation.
The Monashee Mountains are the first major mountain range east of the Coastal Mountains to intercept moisture laden westerly flow from thePacific Ocean.As a result, areas west of Trail, including the Christina Range, Rossland Range, the city ofRossland,and the Blueberry-Paulson section of theCrowsnest Highway(Highway 3) receive greater amounts of winter precipitation, mostly in the form of heavy snow. Vegetation in the Trail area, although still fairly lush, is noticeably drier than other areas of the West Kootenay, with a more westerly aspect.
Demographics
[edit]In the2021 Census of Populationconducted byStatistics Canada,Trail had a population of 7,920 living in 3,736 of its 3,973 total private dwellings, a change of2.7% from its 2016 population of 7,709. With a land area of 34.9 km2(13.5 sq mi), it had a population density of226.9/km2(587.8/sq mi) in 2021.[5]
Ethnicity
[edit]The city is noted for its largeItaliancommunity. Persons ofItalian ancestrynumbered 1,856 and formed 16.2 percent of the total population according to the1951 census,[6]: 525 decreasing in number but increasing in proportion to 1,790 persons and 23.2 percent as per the1991 census,[7][8]decreasing to 1,515 persons or 20.2 percentin 1996,[9]falling furtherby 2011to 1,290 persons or 17.4 percent of the population,[10]prior to a slight increase to 1,320 persons or 17.8 percent according to the2016 census.[11]
Panethnic group |
2021[12] | 2016[13] | 2011[10] | 2006[14] | 2001[15] | 1996[9] | 1991[7][8] | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
European[a] | 6,425 | 84.54% | 6,475 | 87.26% | 6,775 | 91.49% | 6,330 | 90.82% | 6,685 | 91.26% | 7,160 | 95.85% | 7,110 | 92.34% |
Indigenous | 675 | 8.88% | 645 | 8.69% | 390 | 5.27% | 450 | 6.46% | 290 | 3.96% | 130 | 1.74% | 235 | 3.05% |
South Asian | 255 | 3.36% | 45 | 0.61% | 0 | 0% | 15 | 0.22% | 100 | 1.37% | 65 | 0.87% | 60 | 0.78% |
Southeast Asian[b] | 95 | 1.25% | 65 | 0.88% | 15 | 0.2% | 65 | 0.93% | 70 | 0.96% | 45 | 0.6% | 135 | 1.75% |
East Asian[c] | 60 | 0.79% | 95 | 1.28% | 110 | 1.49% | 45 | 0.65% | 135 | 1.84% | 40 | 0.54% | 95 | 1.23% |
African | 20 | 0.26% | 40 | 0.54% | 90 | 1.22% | 30 | 0.43% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 35 | 0.45% |
Latin American | 15 | 0.2% | 30 | 0.4% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.14% | 30 | 0.41% | 10 | 0.13% | 10 | 0.13% |
Middle Eastern[d] | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 15 | 0.2% | 25 | 0.36% | 20 | 0.27% | 0 | 0% | 20 | 0.26% |
Other/Multiracial[e] | 55 | 0.72% | 20 | 0.27% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.14% | 0 | 0% | 10 | 0.13% | — | — |
Total responses | 7,600 | 95.96% | 7,420 | 96.25% | 7,405 | 96.41% | 6,970 | 96.31% | 7,325 | 96.7% | 7,470 | 97.06% | 7,700 | 97.23% |
Total population | 7,920 | 100% | 7,709 | 100% | 7,681 | 100% | 7,237 | 100% | 7,575 | 100% | 7,696 | 100% | 7,919 | 100% |
Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses |
Religion
[edit]According to the2021 census,religious groups in Trail included:[12]
- Irreligion(3,865 persons or 50.9%)
- Christianity(3,455 persons or 45.5%)
- Sikhism(95 persons or 1.3%)
- Hinduism(75 persons or 1.0%)
- Buddhism(15 persons or 0.2%)
- Other (80 persons or 1.1%)
Education and employment
[edit]Trail is the location of the head office of theKootenay Boundary Regional District,which is one of the city's employers.
Trail is part ofSchool District 20 Kootenay-Columbiaand schools in the town include:
- Glenmerry Elementary School(Public elementary school K-7)
- J. Lloyd Crowe Secondary School(Public secondary school 8–12)
- James L Webster Elementary School(Public elementary school K-7.)
- St. Michael's Catholic School (Independent elementary school K-7)
- Kootenay-Columbia Learning Centre(Public school 6–12)
School district
[edit]The school district in the Greater Trail area is focused on improving the district and schools and has a focused, well organized improvement plans in place.[citation needed]The strategies selected to achieve the goals are a blend of research, best practice, and innovative thinking.
In 2007, the J. Lloyd Crowe Secondary School Replacement program started the construction of a new facility in Trail to replace the existing school that was built in the late 1950s. The new facility opened in September 2009.[citation needed]
Education
[edit]Trail’s education statistics differ sharply from that of the province in the percentage of the population aged 45–64 with a trades certificate or diploma: Trail—26%, compared to BC—14%. This is directly attributable toTeck Resourcesand the diversified mining and metals company's presence in the area. The percentage of this age group with a university level education is also very different: Trail—12%, compared to BC—22%. The general picture is a working population heavily geared to the trades and historically very reliant on Teck Resources for employment.
Economic situation
[edit]Employing approximately 1,800 people,Teck Resources(formerlyCominco) is the region’s largest employer. The average age of an employee at Teck Resources' Trail operation is 47. It is anticipated that within 15 years Teck Resources' Trail operation will have a completely new and different labour force.[citation needed]A younger and perhaps more technical labour force will most likely replace those that are retiring. The big picture for the area is one of an aging population which brings about ongoing employment opportunities in the area.
The City of Trail is also home to the largest hospital in theWest Kootenayregion.
Teck Cominco lead-zinc smelter
[edit]Trail is home to one of the largestleadandzincsmelterin the world and the smelter is the largest employer in Trail, providing 1,400 jobs in the town of 7800.[16]The smelter has been in operation for over a hundred years and has provided many well-paying jobs that do not require more than a high school education. Intergenerational families worked at the smelter and Teck Cominco became Trail's "economic and cultural centre."[16]
The Teck Cominco Interpretive Centre in downtown Trail provides a history of Cominco's Trail smelting operations with displays, a mini-science centre, hands-on exhibits, and videos, as well as a 2.5 hour industrial tour of the Teck Cominco smelter.[17]Presentations include exhibits of sophisticatedenvironmental monitoringsystems installed in the Trail area by Teck.
In February 1896,Fritz Augustus Heinzeopened his British Columbia Smelting and Refining Companysmelterat Trail to process ore brought from Rossland on hisColumbia and Western Railway.The concentrate from the smelter was transported toButte, Montana,for refining. The plant capacity was soon increased from about 150 to 400 tons per day. However, with the supply of Rossland ore largely going south toNorthport,the plant was unprofitable. The output was 50 per cent pure copper at best, and the yellow clouds ofsulfur dioxidebecame health hazards for the region.
When theCanadian Pacific Railway(CP) expressed interest in buying theColumbia and Western Railway(C&W), Heinze insisted the package include the Trail smelter. In February 1898, CP bought the C&W for $600,000, and the smelter for $200,000. Heinze retained several other holdings. CP created the Canadian Smelting Works to run the plant. CP's newCrowsnest Passbranch supplied cheap coal, and the newBonnington Fallsdam provided electricity. That August, new blast furnaces increased efficiency and tall chimneys lifted the toxic smoke farther above Trail.
Since lead was the most common ore in the region, the company built two lead furnaces, which were operational by the end of 1901. The next year, the federal government offered a subsidy of five dollars for each ton of lead smelted in Canada. However, the concentrate still required refining at theAmerican Smelting and Refining Company's plant inTacoma, Washington.To address this problem, by the end of 1902, Trail opened the first commercialelectrolytic refiningprocess in the world, producing pure lead, pure copper, fine silver and gold. In 1906, the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada (CM&S), a consortium comprising the smelter and certain Red Mountain mines at Rossland, was formed. CP had a 54 per cent holding. After the Northport smelter closed in 1921, Trail remained the sole operator in the region.
By 1925, the 250-acre plant employed 2,100 men and comprised a lead plant, an electrolytic zinc plant, a copper smelter, a copper refinery, a silver and gold refinery, plants for making bluestone, hydrofluosilicic acid and sulfuric acid, a foundry, a machine shop and round-house, and a copper rod mill. That year, CM&S processed 380,000 tons of ores and concentrates at Trail to recover 21,352 ounces of gold, nearly 4.5 million ounces of silver, 9,500 tons of copper, 117,500 tons of lead and almost 50,000 tons of zinc.[18]
Trail smelter arbitration (1938–1942)
[edit]By the end ofWorld War I,the smoke pollution had devastated the surrounding district. During the following decades, this triggered theTrail Smelter dispute,which resulted in decades of legal action. This case, known commonly as the "Trail smelter arbitration", is a landmark in environmental law,[19]as it helped to establish the "polluter pays" principle for transnational pollution issues.[20]
In 1966, the company name changed toCominco.Over the following decades, the smelter spent millions on pollution control.[18]In 1975, the soils in some parts of Trail were found to be contaminated with lead and certain other heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, zinc) to levels above regulatory limits.[21]The monitored lead levels in the blood of local school children fell from high that year to insignificant 30 years later.[18]
In 2007, a free testing program was instituted, with removal of above-limittop soilin residential yards (with a priority focus on families with young children).[22]Teckprovides funding for this ongoing operation. Because of improvements in smelting processes and emissions controls over the years, the existing contamination is attributed to smelting activities that pre-date the 1997 adoption of newer technologies.[23]
Pakootas v. Teck Cominco Metals
[edit]TheTrail lead and zinc smelteris located 10 miles (16 km) north of the United States-Canadian border. Over the decades it has discharged approximately 10 million to 20 million tons of smelting byproduct containinglead,arsenicandmercuryinto the Columbia River andFranklin D. Roosevelt LakeinWashington.[24]In 2004, acitizen lawsuitwas filed under the 1980Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act(CERCLA) against Teck Cominco—, nowTeck Resources[25][26][19]TheSupreme Court of the United States(SCOTUS) rejected Teck Metals' Petition forcertiorarion June 10, 2019 inTeck Metals Ltd. v. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.[27]In 2018, the Supreme Court rejected Teck's appeal and found in favor of the litigants.[27]
Manhattan Project
[edit]As its contribution to the Manhattan Project'sP-9 Project,Cominco built and operated a 1000 to 1200 pound per month (design capacity) electrolyticheavy waterplant at Trail, which operated from 1943 to 1956. Lt-ColNicholsnoted environmental damage from emissions to the "beautiful valley and mountain slopes" in the first half of 1943.[28][29][30][31]: 97
Attractions
[edit]Trail Memorial Centre & Sports Hall of Memories
[edit]The Trail Memorial Centre currently plays host to the Trail & District Public Library, theTrail Smoke Eatershockey team, the Trail Museum, and the Sports Hall of Memories, in addition to many local sports facilities. This historic landmark, located at 1051 Victoria Street, was home to two world championship Smoke Eaters teams.
The Trail Memorial Centre is a hub of civic activity year-round, and has been a focal point of the community since its inception.[citation needed]
River Activities and Music in the Park at Gyro Park in Trail
[edit]Located at 1090 Charles Lakes Drive in East Trail on the route to Sunningdale, Gyro Park is the home to Music in the Park during the summer.
"The Onions" and other popular river currents that wind between the rocks on the East banks of the Columbia River, are a popular summer magnet for river activity.[citation needed]
The Historic Gulch
[edit]In the early 1900s a large influx ofItalianimmigrants lent a distinctive character to "The Gulch" which is located at the entrance to Trail accessed by the Schofield Highway which drops down the long grade from the city of Rossland and the village of Warfield and sub-division of Annabel onto Rossland Avenue.
This neighbourhood which runs the length of Rossland Avenue is known as "the Gulch." Originally called the "Dublin Gulch" in the very early days, it eventually became known as "The Gulch" as it filled up with Italians who chose not to live on the original Trail townsite. The Gulch starts as throat of Trail Creek narrows between the high, sandy slope of Smelter Hill on its left bank and the West Trail bank where early pioneer houses were built by immigrants as they purchased properties along the west bank steep terrain.
In the early pioneer days industriousChineselaunderers and cooks spent time gardening in thedefileof the Gulch. Few of these immigrants ever acquired rights to own land[citation needed]in the Gulch and their gardens were gradually displaced by Italians and otherEuropeanworking families who terraced their properties into level plots. Despite the steep terrain, these immigrant families planted vegetable gardens reminiscent of theold countrysustained by water from Trail Creek and a hot summer sun.
The Gulch is home to shops and the Terra Nova hotel, located at the entrance to Trail’s central business district at the foot of Rossland Avenue.
Home of Champions
[edit]The Greater Trail Area is known as theHome of Champions,in recognition of those who reside in the area, or are from the area, and have excelled in their chosen field of endeavour.
In 1995,Kootenay Savings Credit Unionwas seeking a project that would represent their commitment and appreciation to the Greater Trail community. The Credit Union decided to sponsor the construction of a monument which was constructed in the summer of 1996 outside their offices in Trail's downtown that would honour the "Champions" of the Greater Trail area in Sports, Industry and Lifestyle.
A society was formed to establish criteria for selection of the persons to be honoured on the monument. The monument was constructed in the summer of 1996 and forty-three champions were selected to be honoured at the inaugural dedication ceremony which took place on September 28, 1996. To date, eighty-nine individuals and organizations have been honoured with a place on the Home of Champions monument.[32]
The Home of Champions monument project is an ongoing one, managed by the City of Trail. Additional persons will be honoured regularly for their special contribution to the social, cultural, economic and educational fabric of the community.
Notable people
[edit]- John Rogers Anderson,chief of the Defence Staff
- Jason Bay,former MLB player
- Lauren Bay,Canadian National Softball Team and National Pro Fastpitch pitcher
- Ed Cristofoli,former NHL player
- Craig Cunningham,former NHL Player
- Frenchy D'Amour,1948 Brier champion curler
- Adam Deadmarsh,former NHL player, won Stanley cup in 1996 with theColorado Avalanche
- Dallas Drake,former NHL player, wonStanley Cupin 2008 with theDetroit Red Wings
- Landon Ferraro,current NHL player for theMinnesota Wild
- Ray Ferraro,former NHL player and currentTSNanalyst
- Derek Haas,retired WHA player
- Jake Lucchini,current NHL player for theOttawa Senators
- Bruno Freschi,architect forExpo 86
- Ken Georgetti,former president of theCanadian Labour Congress
- Robert Hampton Gray,one of the last Canadians to die in WWII and the last Canadian recipient of theVictoria Cross
- Tom Harrison,former MLB pitcher for the Kansas City A's, now known as theOakland Athletics
- Shawn Hook,singer
- Shawn Horcoffformer NHL player, most notably a former captain of theEdmonton Oilers
- Barret Jackman,former NHL player
- Hal Jones,hockey player who won gold at the1961 Ice Hockey World Championships
- Mike Koblukof the Chad Mitchell Trio
- Richard Kromm,former NHL player
- Kerrin Lee-Gartner,CanadianOlympicWomen's Ski Team, Downhill Olympic Gold Medal 1992
- Gary Lunn,former Canadian MP and Cabinet minister
- Cesare Maniago,former NHL player
- Seth Martin,former NHL player
- Mike Matteucci,former NHL player
- Steve McCarthy,former NHL player
- Tom McVie,former professional hockey player and NHL Coach and current Scout forBoston Bruins
- Ben McPeek,composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist
- Bill McEwan,President and CEO ofSobeys
- Faron Moller,President of theBritish Colloquium for Theoretical Computer Science
- Martin Popoff,heavy metal music journalist
- Garth Rizzuto,former NHL player
- David Sylvester,President ofUniversity of St. Michael's College,University of Toronto,Canada.
- Steve Tambellini,former NHL player & former GM of theEdmonton Oilers
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.
- ^Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.
- ^Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.
- ^Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.
- ^Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority,n.i.e."and" Multiple visible minorities "under visible minority section on census.
References
[edit]- ^"Inside City Hall".Trail BC.Retrieved2014-11-16.
- ^Statistics Canada(2016 Census).Trail, City [Census subdivision], British Columbia and Canada [Country]
- ^Barman, JeanThe West Beyond the West,University of Toronto Press, 2007, p. 130.
- ^Hamilton, William (1978).The Macmillan Book of Canadian Place Names.Toronto: Macmillan. p. 51.ISBN0-7715-9754-1.
- ^"Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), British Columbia".Statistics Canada.February 9, 2022.RetrievedFebruary 20,2022.
- ^Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2013-04-03)."Ninth census of Canada, 1951 = Neuvième recensement du Canada Vol. 1. Population: general characteristics".www12.statcan.gc.ca.Retrieved2023-12-30.
- ^abGovernment of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-03-29)."1991 Census Area Profiles Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions - Part B".www12.statcan.gc.ca.Retrieved2023-03-10.
- ^abGovernment of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-03-29)."Data tables, 1991 Census Population by Ethnic Origin (24), Showing Single and Multiple Origins (2) - Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions".www12.statcan.gc.ca.Retrieved2023-03-10.
- ^abGovernment of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-06-04)."Electronic Area Profiles Profile of Census Divisions and Subdivisions, 1996 Census".www12.statcan.gc.ca.Retrieved2023-03-10.
- ^abGovernment of Canada, Statistics Canada (2015-11-27)."NHS Profile".www12.statcan.gc.ca.Retrieved2023-03-10.
- ^Ethnic Origin, both sexes, age (total), Trail, 2016 Census
- ^abGovernment of Canada, Statistics Canada (2022-10-26)."Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population".www12.statcan.gc.ca.Retrieved2022-11-11.
- ^Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2021-10-27)."Census Profile, 2016 Census".www12.statcan.gc.ca.Retrieved2023-03-10.
- ^Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-08-20)."2006 Community Profiles".www12.statcan.gc.ca.Retrieved2023-03-10.
- ^Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2019-07-02)."2001 Community Profiles".www12.statcan.gc.ca.Retrieved2023-03-10.
- ^abFriedman, Gabriel (January 22, 2018)."'A shock to all of us': Teck Resources' dam sale upsets workers, community in Trail, B.C. "Financial Post.RetrievedMarch 23,2021.
- ^"Teck Cominco Interpretive Centre".Kootenay Rockies Tourism.Retrieved11 May2015.
- ^abc"Trail".crowsnest-highway.ca.
- ^abParrish, A. (2005)."Trail Smelter Deja Vu: Extraterritoriality, International Environmental Law, and the Search for Solutions to Canada-U.S. Transboundary Water Pollution Disputes".ssrn.
- ^"Trail Smelter Arbitration, 1938/1941".University of Idaho. Archived fromthe originalon 2004-08-22.
- ^Profiles on Remediation Projects, Teck Cominco Lead-Zinc Smelter, Trail, BC, BC Ministry of Environment, January 2009
- ^"Trail Area Health and Environment Program. Soil Management Program".thep.ca.
- ^"Canadian Environmental Health Atlas: Trail BC".ehatlas.ca.
- ^Geranios, Nicholas K. (August 27, 2004)."Teck Cominco Seeks Dismissal of Suit Over Pollution in Lake Roosevelt".
- ^Pakootas v. Teck Cominco Metals,2578982 (District Court for the Eastern District of Washington 2004).
- ^"Joseph A. Pakootas, Donald R. Michel (Plaintiffs) v. Teck Cominco Metals, Ltd. (Defendant) | InforMEA".2004.RetrievedMarch 23,2021.
- ^abTeck Metals Ltd. v. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation,18-1160(June 10, 2019) ( "Petition for certiorari denied" ).
- ^Chris Waltham (20 June 2002). "An Early History of Heavy Water".arXiv:physics/0206076.
- ^"Project '9' – Heavy-Water (Deuterium) Production".The Manhattan Project Heritage Preservation Association.Retrieved2007-12-06.
- ^Manhattan District History, Book III, The P-9 Project(PDF)(Report).United States Department of Energy.1947-04-08. p. 99.Retrieved2019-02-16.The original design production was 1000 lbs./month, later increased to 1200 lbs./month. Maximum production was 1330 lbs./month.
- ^Nichols, Kenneth (1987).The Road to Trinity.New York: William Morrow.ISBN068806910X.
- ^Trail Historical Society
External links
[edit]Media related toTrail, British Columbiaat Wikimedia Commons