Christina Lake, British Columbia

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Coordinates: 49°02′35″N, 118°12′30″W

Christina Lake, British Columbia
Aerial of Christina Lake in 1947
Aerial of Christina Lake in 1947
Location of Christina Lake in British Columbia
Christina Lake, British Columbia
Location of Christina Lake in British Columbia
Country Flag of Canada Canada
Province Flag of British Columbia British Columbia
Regional District Kootenay Boundary
Population (2006)
 - Total 986
  [1]
Time zone PST (UTC-8)
Postal code span
Highway Highway 3
Waterway Christina Lake

Christina Lake is an unincorporated recreational area in the Boundary Country of the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Highway 3, 12 miles (19 km) east of Grand Forks and 44 miles (70 km) southwest of Castlegar.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

Originally an important fishing ground to the Sinixt First Nations, pictographs can still be found around the north-east shore of Christina Lake.

The village and the lake were named after Christina McDonald, daughter of fur-trader, Angus McDonald, who ran the Hudson's Bay Company trading post at Fort Colville from 1852-1871.[2][3]

The arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the late 1890's brought a number of townsites to the area around Christina Lake and it became a popular recreational area for visitors who came by rail from places like Grand Forks or Phoenix.

In the early 1900's there were summer cottages, fishing and other activities. When the Cascade-Rossland Highway was completed in 1922, more tourists visited the region. During Prohibition in the United States, many American visitors from north-east Washington made the trip across the border to enjoy the local saloons and dance halls.[3]

During World War II, approximately 100 Japanese people were relocated in a summer resort hotel and its adjacent cabins, the Alpine Inn, on nearby English Point, where a school was established to teach Japanese and English.[4] After the war and the restrictions were lifted, some of the families remained in the area.[3]

Alpine Inn in 1950
Alpine Inn in 1950

[edit] Present day

Since the years following World War II, Christina Lake has again become a recreation community. Opened in 1963 and expanded in 1986, the Christina Lake Golf Course was built at the location of the old ghost town of Cascade City.[3] The course was designed by golf course architect Les Furber and it is the first course in Canada to offer the rare feature of black sand traps.[5]

The Trans Canada Trail and the historic Dewdney Trail and Kettle Valley Railroad Trail meet at Christina Lake, attracting hikers and tourists from around the world.[1]

[edit] Texas Point Campground

Texas Point is a campground in Christina Lake with a widely known and popular beach that includes cliffs that many residents and tourists scale and jump from. It is the only other public beach or public access to the Lake other than the Provincial Beach.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c British Columbia.com. Christina Lake. Retrieved on 2007-07-21.
  2. ^ Christina Lake (lake) in the BC Geographical Names Information System
  3. ^ a b c d christinalake.com. History of Christina Lake. Retrieved on 2007-07-21.
  4. ^ SunflowerInn. History of Christina Lake. Retrieved on 2007-07-22.,
  5. ^ Christina Lake Golf Club.com. Christina Lake Golf Club. Retrieved on 2007-07-22.


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