A short history of Kootenay Lake
From the Ktunaxa and Sinixt territory the lake sits within, through the sternwheeler era and the mines at Ainsworth and Riondel, to the dam order that still sets its maximum level today — each fact below with the source it comes from.
Whose land this is
Kootenay Lake sits within the territory of the Ktunaxa Nation and the Sinixt, named here in each nation’s own words rather than paraphrased.
Ktunaxa Nation
The Ktunaxa Nation's own site states its traditional territory, ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa, "covers about 70,000 square kilometres (27,000 square miles) within the Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia."
Verified 2026-09-22 against the Ktunaxa Nation's own site.
Ktunaxa Nation (Lower Kootenay Band)
Of the Ktunaxa Nation's four member communities, the Lower Kootenay Band's own page states: "Since time immemorial the Yaqan Nuʔkiy people have occupied this beautiful valley which is now known as the Creston Valley" — the valley at the south end of Kootenay Lake.
Verified 2026-09-22 against the Ktunaxa Nation's own site.
Sinixt
The Sinixt's own site states: "Our territory includes Kootenay Lake, the Purcell Mountains and the Lardeau and Duncan River valleys, a region we have more recently shared with the Yaqan Nukiy-Ktunaxa." The same page places a documented village at Grohman Narrows and "numerous seasonal camps along the West Arm of Kootenay Lake," and notes a Sinixt village site near Johnson's Landing where a resident "discovered a rich deposit of stone tools and fragments on his beach."
Verified 2026-09-22 against the Sinixt's own site.
The sternwheeler years
The Kootenay Lake Historical Society's own history of the S.S. Moyie states: "In the 1890s the mountainous southern part of British Columbia attracted the attention of miners and investors searching for silver, lead and zinc. Transportation of equipment and supplies, and the shipment of ores, depended on the lakes and rivers, connected to the outer world by rail lines. A consortium of companies led by the Great Northern Railway competed with the Canadian Pacific Railway for boat and rail traffic on Kootenay Lake." The Moyie's predecessor as the CPR's passenger "Crow boat" was the S.S. Kuskanook, which took over the run in 1906.
Verified 2026-09-22 against the Kootenay Lake Historical Society’s own history of the S.S. Moyie.
The S.S. Moyie
The Kootenay Lake Historical Society, which owns and operates the ship as a museum in Kaslo, is the source for every figure below.
| Built | 1898, in Nelson, BC |
|---|---|
| Launched | 22 October 1898 |
| Retired | 1957 |
| Years in service | 59 |
| National Historic Site designation | 1958 |
The Kootenay Lake Historical Society, which owns and operates the ship, states it was "built in Nelson, B.C., for the Canadian Pacific Railway and launched on 22 October 1898," and "started in 1898 to carry railway passengers from the newly completed Crowsnest line's western terminus at Kootenay Landing to Nelson and Procter. It was known as the 'Crow boat' and continued this service until 1906," when "the S.S. Kuskanook took over as the Crow Boat, and the Moyie began her long career carrying freight, excursions and other duties." "With lake traffic much reduced, and a major overhaul due in 1957, the S.S. Moyie was retired from service"; she "was sold to the then City of Kaslo for $1.00" and, "in July 1958[,] she was pulled ashore." She was "designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1958, and added to the BC Register of Historic Places," and "today the S.S. Moyie is the oldest known intact vessel of her type in the world."
Verified 2026-09-22 against the Kootenay Lake Historical Society’s own S.S. Moyie page.
Mining at Ainsworth and Riondel
Ainsworth Hot Springs
Wikipedia states Ainsworth Hot Springs was "founded on May 31, 1883," making it "the oldest surviving community on Kootenay Lake," and that "from 1884, the mountains above Ainsworth were alive with mining activity and prospectors had staked nearly every inch of ground from the townsite to the glacial summits. By 1889, several mines including Number One, Skyline, Little Donald and Krao were operating." The 1891 ore discoveries at nearby Slocan Lake "would be the catalyst for the Slocan Silver Rush and the region would become known as the 'Silvery Slocan.'"
Verified 2026-09-22 against Wikipedia’s Ainsworth Hot Springs article.
Riondel (Bluebell Mine)
Wikipedia states: "In 1882, Robert Evan (Bob) Sproule staked four claims along the Riondel Peninsula, which included the Bluebell Mine." Ownership passed through Dr. Wilbur A. Hendryx's Kootenay Mining and Smelting Company, then in 1905 "the Canadian Metal Company purchased the mine," and in 1907 "the settlement was renamed Riondel after Count Edouard Riondel, the company president." The mine "was abandoned in 1921" when pumping could not keep pace with flooding; "beginning in 1950, the mine and the settlement were refurbished," and it "operated from 1952 until exhausted in 1971."
Verified 2026-09-22 against Wikipedia’s Riondel article.
The ferry
The province's Kootenay Lake Ferry page ("Last updated on September 13, 2026" as read today) states the current route — "The Kootenay Lake ferry runs across Kootenay Lake, 35 kilometres east of Nelson on Highway 3A, between Balfour (west side) and Kootenay Bay (east side), 70 kilometres from Creston" — and today's two vessels, but no year for when ferry service on this crossing began, and no build year for either vessel.
See today’s ferry schedule for the current route, vessels and sailing times this site reads from the same province page.
Verified 2026-09-22 against the province’s own Kootenay Lake Ferry page.
The dam and the 1938 order
"The Board is responsible for the supervision of the operation of the Corra Linn Dam and ensures that conditions set for Kootenay Lake are maintained." The International Joint Commission's 1938 Order of Approval sets the maximum lake level through operation of the Corra Linn Dam on the outflowing Kootenay River. "The Order does not prescribe a minimum lake elevation."
See lake facts for today’s reading at the Queens Bay gauge the Board of Control’s order still governs.
Verified 2026-09-22 against the International Joint Commission’s Kootenay Lake Board of Control page.
Read more
This site keeps no separate lake-wide chronology page of its own. For the fuller history of Kootenay Lake’s sternwheelers, the S.S. Moyie and the region’s steamboat era, the Kootenay Lake Historical Society’s own site is the source this page draws from above.
See klhs.bc.ca for its full collection.
Common questions
When was the S.S. Moyie retired?
kootenaylake.org is an independent guide published by Delcaro Media in Kitchener, BC. It is not affiliated with Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism, the Kootenay Lake Chamber of Commerce, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Transit, Western Pacific Marine, BC Parks or any business listed on it.