Sculpturewalks and Birding : Exploring Castlegar

Since we didn't have the energy or daylight left to walk the trails of Castlegaryesterday evening, we took some time today to explore Castlegar.  It is a town of just over 8,000 people, which is home to Selkirk College, a regional airport, a pulp mill, and several sawmills.

Castlegar is located at the confluence of the Kootenay River, which our trail has been loosely following since we reached Koocanusa Lake eight days ago, and the mighty Columbia River.  The Columbia River is 2000 km long, flowing northwest from the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, south into Washington State, then west again along the border of Washington State and Oregon to reach the Pacific Ocean.  It is the largest waterway in the Pacific Northwest, with a drainage basin roughly the size of France.

The Columbia River has been used as a transportation corridor by First Nations groups since ancient times.  The first documented European to 'discover' the river was Bruno de Heceta in 1775.  In the late 18th century a private American vessel was the first non-Indigenous ship to sail the waterway.  In 1792, William Robert Broughton of the British Royal Navy piloted the HMS Chatham into the Willamette Valley as part of the Vancouver Expedition.  In the following decades the river way was used extensively by fur traders, and pioneers began to settle along its valley. Soon steamships began to link the communities along the waterway, and in the 1880's the railroad provided another means of transportation. 

In the 20th century the Columbia River has been widely developed.  Parts of it have been dredged to facilitate shipping, multiple dams have been built for power generation, irrigation, and flood control, and two nuclear power plants have been built along it in the US, one of which was used to produce weapons grade plutonium.

The area where Castlegar is now located was an important region for the Sinixt (Interior Salish) and Ktunaxa Peoples.  Evidence of both cultures have been found at sites throughout Castlegar, as well as along the nearby Arrow Lakes.

The town of Castlegar had its roots with the Doukhorbours, who were largely responsible for its early growth and development.  It was also heavily influenced by discovering of gold and silver in the area around Nelson, which prompted the Canadian Pacific Railway to develop infrastructure in the region to secure it against American incursion.  This included construction of a railway that was nicknamed a 'Railway from Nowhere to Nowhere.'

During our explorations of the town we saw some of the Castlegar Sculpturewalk, which gives the city one of its nicknames 'the Sculpture Capital of Canada.'  Now in its 12th year, this annual, rotating, outdoor exhibit features 29 pieces and attracts artists from around the world, while also supporting and promoting local talent. The sculptures are located throughout downtown, both in parks and green spaces and along busy, commercial roads.  This endeavour helps connect the community, and bring art and culture to areas that might not otherwise feature these things.

The sculptures we passed included a wide variety of topics and styles.  One was the 'Snowshoe Hare' created from re-purposed metal and timber by Dave Nando of Nelson, BC. Another piece, called 'Despair' by Rabi'a of Winlow, BC depicted a colourful pile of metal dishes.  A compelling pile of colourful homes by the same artist also caught our attention.  One of our favourites was 'Things Unseen' by Randall Bear Barnetson from Vancouver, BC.  It represented the 215 and the victims of the overdose crises affecting the Indigenous artist's home community.

Although it was apparently not part of the Sculpturewalk, we also enjoyed seeing the larger than life matryoshka Russian stacking doll outside city hall.  Six of these dolls are located throughout the city, haven been chosen and designed to honour Castlegar's Doukhabour and Russian heritage. The one we saw was decorated with natural scenes, seemingly fire and darkness on one side, but growth, trees, and light on the other.

After exploring downtown Castlegar and then followed the Trans Canada Trail over the Castlegar Robson Bridge, which gave us gorgeous views of the rocky, forested slopes of the Robson Ridge, and the Columbia River valley.  Interestingly, this used to be a swing bridge that let steamships and paddlewheelers down the river, and you can still see the complicated metal hinge that sits atop the stone supports. It looked like something from the time of steam engines and iron, which it was.

We then picked up the Waldie Island Trail, which was a lovely 1.5 km footpath that took us along the treed shores of the Columbia River to Brilliant.  Many families were down by the water fishing, and several kids were playing in the water on this hot, sunny, afternoon. The trail offered beautiful views down the river, the sun soaked slopes rising up around us.  It also featured interpretive signage along the route, which described local history.

A highlight for us was visiting the Waldie Environmental Reserve.  A wooden observation tower provided views over two wastewater management ponds, and to our delight, they were filled with waterfowl. We spotted American Coots, Northern Shovellers, Wood Ducks, Canada Geese, Blue-winged Teal, American Wigeons, and Canada Geese.  We were also very excited to spot nine Western Painted Turtles basking on logs out in the water.

As we continued around the shore we passed a small sandy beach which was protected by what appeared to be a sunken barge.  There was a metal wagon partially embedded in the sand, looking like it belonged in a previous era.  We also enjoyed seeing some interesting animal footprints in the wet sand.

Next, the cottonwood lined path took us to a small island that had been protected as a heron reserve.  There were six herons standing on the sandy shoals around the forested island, fishing in the shallow waters. Overall, the Waldie Island Trail provided a very nice way to experience nature and connect with the river in the middle of the city.  We enjoyed walking the urban pathway sections of the Trans Canada Trail through Castlegar by daylight, and it was a chance to recover a little from yesterday's exertions.

 

See you on the trail!

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