Cascade City

{{For|the unincorporated community formerly known as Cascade City|Cascade, California}} {{Infobox settlement |official_name = Cascade City, British Columbia |other_name = <small>aka: Cascade, British Columbia</small> |native_name =  |nickname = Gateway to the Boundary Country |settlement_type =Ghost town |motto = |image_skyline = Cascade City.gif |imagesize = |image_caption =American freight wagons at Cascade City in 1898 |pushpin_map =Canada British Columbia geo |pushpin_mapsize =220 |pushpin_map_caption =Location of Cascade City in British Columbia |pushpin_label_position = none |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = Canada |subdivision_type1 = Province |subdivision_name1 = British Columbia |subdivision_type2 = Regions of Canada#British Columbia |subdivision_name2 = Boundary Country |subdivision_type3 = Regional District |subdivision_name3 = Kootenay Boundary |subdivision_type4 = |subdivision_name4 = |government_footnotes = |government_type = |leader_title = |leader_name = |leader_title1 = Governing body |leader_name1 = |leader_title2 = |leader_name2 = |leader_title3 = |leader_name3 = |established_title = Founded |established_date = 1896 |established_title2 =  |established_date2 = (town) |area_magnitude = |unit_pref =  |area_footnotes = |area_total_km2 = |area_land_km2 = |area_water_km2 = |population_as_of = |population_footnotes = |population_note = |population_total = 0 |population_density_km2 = auto |population_blank1_title =1890s <ref name="paterson"/> |population_blank1 =1,500 |timezone = PST |utc_offset = -8 |timezone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = |coordinates = {{coord|49|01|00|N|118|12|00|W|region:CA-BC|display=inline}} |elevation_footnotes =  |elevation_ft = 1660 |postal_code_type = Postal code span |postal_code = |area_code = |website = |footnotes = }} '''Cascade City''' or '''Cascade''' was a Canadian Pacific Railway construction era boom town in the Boundary Country of the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. Because of its location near the Canada–United States border, it was also called the "Gateway to the Boundary Country".<ref name="paterson"/>{{rp|163}}

Founded in 1896, it was named after the nearby Cascade Falls<ref>{{cite web|author=Waterfalls West|title=Cascade Falls |url=https://www.waterfallswest.com/bc-cascade-falls.html|access-date=2007-07-24}}</ref> on the Kettle River.<ref name="ramsey">{{harvnb |Ramsey |1963|pp="various"}}</ref>

Cascade City was located 1 km north of the Canada–United States border,<ref>{{BCGNIS|29225|Cascade (locality)}}</ref> {{convert|6|km|abbr=on}} south of Christina Lake and {{convert|20|km|abbr=on}} east of Grand Forks.

==History== The property at Cascade City was originally owned by an American, Aaron Chandler, from North Dakota. Seeing the potential of the area, Chandler formed the Cascade Development Company and with his agent, George Stocker,<ref name="turnbull">{{harvnb|Turnbull|1988}}</ref> subdivided the land into town lots and began selling them to enterprising businessmen.<ref name="kootenayrockies">{{cite web|author=Kootenay Rockies |title=Ghost Towns |url=http://www.kootenayrockies.com/partners/partner.html?id=339&catid=6 |access-date=2007-07-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009191551/http://www.kootenayrockies.com/partners/partner.html?id=339&catid=6 |archive-date=2007-10-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Image:Powerhouse in Cascade.gif|thumb|left|300px|Powerhouse on Kettle River in 1910]] Impetus for the decision to promote Cascade City was the local mining and rail construction, but the future looked even brighter when the Cascade Water and Power Company was formed and a hydro electric dam and powerhouse was built on Kettle River in 1897.<ref name="paterson">{{harvnb |Paterson |1963|pp="various"}}</ref>{{rp|160}} The powerhouse would provide electricity to Grand Forks, Phoenix and Greenwood.<ref>{{cite web|author=Travel British Columbia|title=Christina Lake History|url=http://www.travel-british-columbia.com/kootenay_rockies/christina_lake.aspx|access-date=2007-07-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070816130411/http://www.travel-british-columbia.com/kootenay_rockies/christina_lake.aspx|archive-date=2007-08-16|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The early townsite only had two buildings: a general store and a restaurant. Chandler himself slept in a tent. However, by the time the railway construction crews arrived in 1898, Cascade City was booming and although there were fourteen hotels, there was rarely a room available.<ref name="ramsey"/>{{rp|166}} thumb|right|300px|Cascade Hotel There were numerous brothels where an estimated 60<ref name="paterson"/>{{rp|166}} ladies of the evening, such as "Scrap Iron Minnie" and "Rough Lock Nell" plied their trade.<ref name="ramsey"/>{{rp|166}}

The first local government began with the creation of the Tax Payer's Association in December, 1897. The members petitioned the provincial government at Victoria for schools, roads, bridges, a provincial police constable and a jail.<ref name="paterson"/>{{rp|160}}

===The Doon gang and the tobacco robbery=== The need for police and a jail had become evident just the previous month before the Association was formed when a gang broke into the British Columbia Mercantile and Mining Syndicate's store, relieving them of 150 pounds of tobacco and one shotgun.<ref name="paterson"/>{{rp|160}}

The store's manager, Stanley Mayall, realized that the thieves intended to sell the tobacco and informed every nearby store and mining camp of the crime. It wasn't long before the owner of a tobacco shop approached Mayall with the news that he had a rough-looking salesman in his store trying to sell him a large quantity of tobacco. Because there were no local police, Mayall's book-keeper was swiftly armed and deputized and sent to make the arrest.<ref name="paterson"/>{{rp|160}}

The book-keeper, a man by the name of Morgan, successfully made the arrest and detained the suspect, John Doon, in a sturdy house that belonged to a local carpenter. Later that evening, Morgan found his newfound duties were called for again, when the storekeeper came back to tell Mayall that a second man was in his store inquiring after the first. The second arrest was also successful, but not as peaceful, as Morgan had to wrestle a 12 inch long Bowie knife away from the man. Back at the carpenter's house, this second man turned to Doon and asked, "Where are the other three?", alerting Mayall and Morgan to the fact that they had three more arrests to make before the case was closed.<ref name="paterson"/>{{rp|162}}

The two in custody were sent to Grand Forks to stand trial and then a third man was arrested in Cascade. While he was incarcerated at the carpenter's house, the final two men tried to free him. The town watchman, an Irishman by the name of Pat Kennedy tried to arrest them but was shot in the chest. Nevertheless, he doggedly pursued the three robbers and captured one, while the other two escaped across the border. The last member was taken to Grand Forks to join the other two in custody, and they were all given $50 fines and sentenced six months in jail.<ref name="paterson"/>{{rp|163}}

===The coming of the railroad=== thumb|left|300px|Columbia and Western Railway Station at Cascade in 1899 When it was announced that the CPR intended to build a smelter at Cascade, the town's future seemed assured. The local newspaper, the ''Cascade Record'' raved about the potential employment opportunities that the $500,000 smelter brought to the town and predicted that it would employ 500 to 2,000 men.<ref name="paterson"/>{{rp|164}} The town's hopes would soon be shattered, however, when the railway chose to build the smelter in Trail instead.

On August 12, 1899, the Columbia and Western Railway, later CPR, arrived in Cascade City from the Kettle River Bridge.<ref name="paterson"/>{{rp|161}}<ref name="kootenayrockies"/> The town held a celebration and $25 was donated for refreshments for the railway's labourers.<ref name="ramsey"/>

===The fires=== On September 30, 1899, just over six weeks after the arrival of the railway, Cascade City was hit by a devastating fire. The blaze started in an empty shack and spread rapidly, burning down six hotels and several other structures within the space of half an hour. The town had no fire department and the decision was made to create a firebreak by using dynamite on some of the threatened buildings. One man's life was lost when he rushed into a hotel to rescue some patrons. Few of the hotels that were lost had fire insurance.<ref name="paterson"/>{{rp|165}}

In 1899 a newspaper called the Cascade Record reported the fire on the front page. In the article it was stated "The Chinese cook at the Grand Central carefully carried a ham out to safety, and left $70 in money to be burned up in his room".<ref name="N.L. Barlee 1976">{{harvnb |Barlee |1976}}</ref> Local historian Bill Barlee believes the money was in gold and silver coinage. Bill states the coins lay where they fell during the fire. The coins may still be at the Cascade site. Barlee has recovered a number of silver coins from the Cascade site. The original $70 would be worth about $1,400 today.<ref name="N.L. Barlee 1976"/>

Rebuilding had scarcely begun when the town was hit by another major fire in 1901.<ref name="ramsey"/>{{rp|169}} All but 75 of the residents left and the town faded into obscurity.<ref>{{cite web |author=Greenwood Museum |title=Surrounding Towns and Ghost Towns of Boundary Country |url=http://www.greenwoodheritage.bc.ca/History-Info/surrounding_towns_ghost_towns.html |access-date=2007-07-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070811235019/http://www.greenwoodheritage.bc.ca/History-Info/surrounding_towns_ghost_towns.html |archive-date=2007-08-11 }}</ref>

==Today== thumb|right|300px|Cascade in 1929 For many years, Cascade survived as a customs port. In 1920 there were 150 residents and a store.<ref name="turnbull"/> The powerhouse closed in that late '20s and the final blow came in 1947, when the historic Ritchie store and the post-office burned down.<ref name="paterson"/>{{rp|166}} The CPR station was abandoned by 1968 and the post office was amalgamated with the Christina Lake Post Office in 1973.<ref>{{BCGNIS|29225|Cascade}}</ref>

Today, the only remainder of Cascade City is the old cemetery on the opposite side of the Kettle River. The Christina Lake Golf Club's 18 hole golf course sits on much of what was the original townsite.<ref name="paterson"/>{{rp|166}}

==Television== Cascade City has been featured on the historical television series ''Gold Trails and Ghost Towns'', season 2, episode 3.

==Climate== Cascade City has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) bordering on an oceanic climate (Cfb), with cold winters and warm summers. Precipitation is dispersed roughly evenly throughout the year, though there is a slight maxima in May and June followed by a drier period in August. {{Weather box |location = Billings, British Columbia (normals 1981-2010) |single line = Y |Jan record high C = 11.0 |Feb record high C = 13.5 |Mar record high C = 24.0 |Apr record high C = 31.5 |May record high C = 37.5 |Jun record high C = 37.0 |Jul record high C = 41.0 |Aug record high C = 39.5 |Sep record high C = 39.0 |Oct record high C = 29.0 |Nov record high C = 17.0 |Dec record high C = 9.0 |year record high C = 41.0 |Jan high C = -0.6 |Feb high C = 3.2 |Mar high C = 9.9 |Apr high C = 15.9 |May high C = 20.3 |Jun high C = 24.1 |Jul high C = 29.2 |Aug high C = 28.9 |Sep high C = 23.7 |Oct high C = 14.0 |Nov high C = 4.1 |Dec high C = -1.0 |year high C = 14.3 |Jan mean C = -3.3 |Feb mean C = -0.8 |Mar mean C = 4.3 |Apr mean C = 9.1 |May mean C = 13.2 |Jun mean C = 16.8 |Jul mean C = 20.9 |Aug mean C = 20.4 |Sep mean C = 15.8 |Oct mean C = 8.2 |Nov mean C = 1.2 |Dec mean C = -3.5 |year mean C = 8.5 |Jan low C = -6.0 |Feb low C = -4.8 |Mar low C = -1.4 |Apr low C = 2.3 |May low C = 5.9 |Jun low C = 9.3 |Jul low C = 12.3 |Aug low C = 11.7 |Sep low C = 7.7 |Oct low C = 2.4 |Nov low C = -1.8 |Dec low C = -5.8 |year low C = 2.6 |Jan record low C = -27.0 |Feb record low C = -26.5 |Mar record low C = -16.0 |Apr record low C = -6.0 |May record low C = -3.0 |Jun record low C = 1.5 |Jul record low C = 5.5 |Aug record low C = 3.5 |Sep record low C = -2.5 |Oct record low C = -11.0 |Nov record low C = -25.0 |Dec record low C = -28.5 |year record low C = -28.5 |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 49.4 |Feb precipitation mm = 32.9 |Mar precipitation mm = 38.7 |Apr precipitation mm = 46.3 |May precipitation mm = 64.4 |Jun precipitation mm = 63.8 |Jul precipitation mm = 35.8 |Aug precipitation mm = 22.7 |Sep precipitation mm = 30.0 |Oct precipitation mm = 35.0 |Nov precipitation mm = 57.5 |Dec precipitation mm = 60.0 |year precipitation mm = 536.6 |Jan rain mm = 11.4 |Feb rain mm = 13.9 |Mar rain mm = 30.0 |Apr rain mm = 46.3 |May rain mm = 64.4 |Jun rain mm = 63.8 |Jul rain mm = 35.8 |Aug rain mm = 22.7 |Sep rain mm = 30.0 |Oct rain mm = 34.2 |Nov rain mm = 33.8 |Dec rain mm = 15.1 |year rain mm = 401.2 |Jan snow cm = 38.1 |Feb snow cm = 19.1 |Mar snow cm = 8.7 |Apr snow cm = 0.0 |May snow cm = 0.0 |Jun snow cm = 0.0 |Jul snow cm = 0.0 |Aug snow cm = 0.0 |Sep snow cm = 0.0 |Oct snow cm = 0.9 |Nov snow cm = 23.6 |Dec snow cm = 45.0 |year snow cm = 135.3 |unit precipitation days = 0.2 mm |Jan precipitation days = 11.8 |Feb precipitation days = 9.2 |Mar precipitation days = 10.6 |Apr precipitation days = 12.2 |May precipitation days = 13.9 |Jun precipitation days = 12.0 |Jul precipitation days = 7.7 |Aug precipitation days = 5.6 |Sep precipitation days = 6.4 |Oct precipitation days = 10.1 |Nov precipitation days = 13.8 |Dec precipitation days = 13.9 |year precipitation days = 127.2 |unit rain days = 0.2 mm |Jan rain days = 3.2 |Feb rain days = 4.5 |Mar rain days = 8.6 |Apr rain days = 12.2 |May rain days = 13.9 |Jun rain days = 12.0 |Jul rain days = 7.7 |Aug rain days = 5.6 |Sep rain days = 6.4 |Oct rain days = 10.1 |Nov rain days = 8.7 |Dec rain days = 3.8 |year rain days = 96.6 |unit snow days = 2 mm |Jan snow days = 9.7 |Feb snow days = 6.6 |Mar snow days = 2.5 |Apr snow days = 0.1 |May snow days = 0.0 |Jun snow days = 0.0 |Jul snow days = 0.0 |Aug snow days = 0.0 |Sep snow days = 0.0 |Oct snow days = 0.27 |Nov snow days = 6.1 |Dec snow days = 11.3 |year snow days = 35.5 |source 1 = Environment Canada<ref>{{cite web |url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_normals/results_1981_2010_e.html?searchType=stnProv&lstProvince=BC&txtCentralLatMin=0&txtCentralLatSec=0&txtCentralLongMin=0&txtCentralLongSec=0&stnID=1100&dispBack=0 |title=Canadian Climate Normals 1981-2010 Station Data - Billings |accessdate=March 1, 2021}}</ref> }}

==Bibliography== {{Refbegin}} *{{cite book |last=Barlee |first=N.L. |year=1976 |title=Historic Treasures and lost mines of British Columbia |publisher=Canada West Publications }} *{{cite book |last=Paterson |first=Thomas |title=Encyclopedia of Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of British Columbia |year=1963 |publisher=Sunfire Publications |isbn=978-0-88983-025-7 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofgh0001pate }} *{{cite book |last=Ramsey |first=Bruce |title=Ghost Towns of British Columbia|url=https://archive.org/details/ghosttownsofbrit0000rams |url-access=registration |year=1963 |publisher=Mitchell Press }} *{{cite book |last=Turnbull |first=Elsie |title=Ghost Towns and Drowned Towns of West Kootenay |year=1988 |publisher=Heritage House |isbn=0-919214-61-4 }} {{Refend}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{cite web |author=Crows Nest Highway |title=Cascade City |url=http://www.crowsnest-highway.ca/cgi-bin/citypage.pl?city=christina_lake |access-date=2007-07-24}} *{{cite web |author=Falling Rain |title=Cascade |url=https://www.fallingrain.com/world/CA/02/Cascade.html |access-date=2007-07-24}}

{{coord|49|01|N| 118|12|W|region:CA_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki|display=title}}

Category:Ghost towns in British Columbia Category:Populated places in the Boundary Country Category:Populated places established in 1896