Arrow Lakes
Twenty-two wreck sites have been reported
or located on these lakes, of which nine have been confirmed by
UASBC divers. This small number of sites does not properly portray
the potential of the Arrow Lakes, which may exceed Kootenay Lake
in time. Diving efforts have been hampered by both the seasonal
fluctuation of water levels and low visibility.
To date the remains of two
sternwheelers, the Bonnington
and the Revelstoke,
have been located. At least three additional sternwheeler
wrecks have been rumored, one of which is the large Nakusp
at the old townsite of Arrowhead. The discarded hulls of other
ships may lie in the deep water off the Nakusp shipyard.
Two steam tugs have been located - the Irene
at Pingston and an unidentified hull on the Northeast Arm. The Irene
is documented in this report. The Whatshan has also been
located at extreme low water on the Northeast Arm. At least six
additional small steam tugs are rumored at various locations on
the Arrow Lakes; likely the true number is several times as large.
Fishfinder and local information have produced
a small number of additional sites, most of which are on the Nakusp
waterfront. An icebreaking barge, a railcar and a 1937 military
crash boat - the Skoda - with twin, 12 cylinder Packard engines,
are known.
Kootenay Lake
Forty-eight wreck sites have been reported
or located on this lake, of which 23 have been visited by UASBC
divers .
The largest number of reports concern barge wrecks,
of which five have been located, eight remain missing and one was
apparently salvaged at Riondel. The large wreck of a 15-car railway
transfer barge lies immediately in front of the RCMP station in
Nelson.
The next largest category of wreck is train cars
lost from the railway transfer barges. Seven of these sites have
been confirmed and two reports of wrecks in the south western corner
of the lake remain to be investigated. Many of these wrecks are
single boxcars and sets of trucks (wheel assemblies), but two major
wrecks have been located to date. A major wreck of six cars lies
at the mouth of the West Arm at Procter.
A second major wreck involving 3-4 cars is located
at Lewis Bay..
Two major steam tugs - the Hosmer
and Ymir - are known, and at least least nine more
small tugs were lost or sank as derelicts on the lake.
The remains of three sternwheelers - the City of Ainsworth,
the Kokanee and the Kuskanook
- are known to exist. An additional six sternwheelers may
still remain to be located in Kootenay Lake.
Slocan Lake
The inventory has located 15 sites on
Slocan Lake, of which 13 are steam-era wrecks and there is a rumor
of a sternwheeler hull as yet unlocated.
The majority of sites are barges, of which six
are known. Three of these wrecks are large 8-car wooden railway
transfer barges.
Two of the known sternwheeler sites involve same
vessel, the Slocan. The superstructure of this vessel was
placed on a new hull at one point and the first hull was scuttled
at Rosebery. The boiler lies on shore at the northwest corner of
the lake and the second hull - which was used as a miners’
camp - is rumored sunk to the south of that location.
There are four train wreck sites in the lake, of
which one is a large, 5-car wreck at Silverton. This site remains
unmapped and it is an excellent candidate for further work. A complete
train, including locomotive, tender and snow plow lies in over 200
m (700’) of water as the result of a barge accident.
Columbia River
Eleven sites are known or rumored on the
Lower Columbia River in the study area. The UASBC has information
on six additional sites in the Golden to Invermere area, but these
vessels lie outside the scope of this report.
Of the 11 sites, seven have been located by UASBC
divers and four are still unlocated. Machinery from the sternwheeler
dredge, the Nakusp, lies on land to the south of Revelstoke.
The large sternwheeler Columbia was lost immediately north
of the border but it has not been located.
Two steam tugs are known - the Elco II,
which is documented in this report, and machinery from another vessel
on land in Revelstoke. The remains of the "white" Columbia
tug are reported to lie buried in sand upstream of the Elco II
but this information remains to be confirmed in the field.
Three barges have been located during the course
of the project on the lower Columbia but are not documented to date.
Two train wrecks are reported but remain to be
found.
Trout Lake
Two sites are confirmed on Trout Lake.
Both lie near the old mill near Trout Lake City. One is the steam
tug Procter, which is documented in this report. The other
is the sternwheeler Victoria, of which small portions of
the hull remain on land, within 100 m (330’) of the Procter.
