We
stopped by the local museum in Creston,
British Columbia. One of the things that grabbed my attention was this
old wooden water pipe. I have always been intrigued by wooden water pipes. I was
surprised by the dates this wooden pipe was in use. I included the information
provided so that you would believe it --- 1935 to 2001. Now I am really impressed.
I had no idea that there were any wooden water pipes in use in 2001.
After
visiting the museum in Creston we decided to explore north of Creston on PH 3A
which travels on the eastern side of what locals call "the flats". The
flats happens to be the valley on both sides of the Kootenay
River that flows through the middle of the valley.
"The
Flats" north of Creston, British Columbia
When white men laid eyes on this valley it was a vast swamp
that flooded each spring. It was the dream, in the 1880's of W.A. Baillie-Grohman,
British sportsman and financier, to reclaim these fertile flats from the annual
river floods. His canal diverted part of the Kootenay
River into the Columbia River but it was abandoned.
The
first successful reclamation came in 1893. Now 25,110 acres lie secure behind
53 miles of dikes.
Kootenay
River and "The Flats" near Creston
The
Kootenay River still flows through this lovely valley but now it is controlled
between two dikes.
From this vantage point we can see fields
with bales of hay, bright green fields of grain and equally bright yellow
fields of canola.
"The
Flats" Creston
This
appears to be a plant/tree nursery in the "flats".
The
Flats as viewed from PH 3A north of Creston
The views from PH
3A on the eastern shore of Kootenay
Lake are stunningly beautiful.
