The Basin Record Newsletter Vol.7 Issue 1

Published by the Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History CBIRH Newsletter : Vol. 7 No.1 The Columbia Basin Institute of Regional History (CBIRH) has recently partnered with B.C.’s Ministryof SocialDevelopment& Social Innovation, and the East Kootenay Employment Centre to initiate a project titled ‘The Co- lumbiaBasinPortal.’ CBIRH has employed a skilled team to research several com- munities including: Corbin, Wil- mer, Renata, Trout Lake, Arrow- head, Ryan and Wardner to con- structon-lineportal pages. The project will profile each of the existing Basin communities while featuring ghost towns like Brooklyn, Peterborough, Tracy, Waldo and Flagstone. This edi- tion showcases articles reflect- ing thestartof this initiative. The portal pages will be designed to reflect histories of three major Columbia Basin industries including: railway, hydro-electric power and lumber. Future targets such asmining, agriculture and ranching will be explored by The CBIRH and how it brought settlers to the ColumbiaBasin. Our work will promote the historical facts of these rich communities. The CBIRH will strive to offer access to deeper photographic and textual resources contained in the web- site. The objective of this under- taking is to remind the whole Basin of the roots from which it has sprung. The web project will promote local museums and heritage groups, also providing access to resourcesnot seenbefore. Theportals arepart of a plan to unify thehistoryof TheColumbia Basin to enhance pride in our communities. Through this initia- tive, CBIRH, will provide access to aglobal audience. The CBIRH is pleased to show- case our talented team through thesenewsletters. John Cole was murdered June 4, 1902 on the shore of the Columbia River (Upper Arrow Lake), roughly two miles south of Nakusp. Cole was a young 35-year-old rancher who resided five miles north of Nakusp; the area today is known as Shoreholme. At the time of his demise John Cole had recently joined Nels Demars and his partner Henry Rose in a con- tract to cut trees for tele- graph poles. Demars had been in the Nakusp area for over 40 years. At 78 he made his living trapping, prospecting, andpolecutting with Henry Rose, a proven competent woodsman. With a reputation for brutishness when he was intoxicated, HenryRosewasnot liked. No one could dispute the facts that led the threemen out on the river, in a row boat, on a stormy day, with fourbottlesofwhiskey. They had met in Nakusp and after becoming suffi- ciently inebriated together at the saloon, Rose invited Mr. Cole and Demars to his home down the river. Cole was reluctant as he did not care for Rose but agreed to go ifDemars camealong. As they made their way down the stormy Columbia River, Demars soon steered theboat toshore. Court proceedings were held in Nelson on Oct 3 – 4, 1902beforeJusticeHunter. Suite #105 105-9th Ave South Cranbrook BC VIC 2MI | E-mail: info@basininstitute.org | Telephone 1-250-489-9150 Top of Page 2 Cont... Float Plane on Columbia River - 2360.0137 John Cole’s homestead on Shoreholme built by Nels Demars. 2001-037-147 Arrow Lakes Historical Society 0014.0005— Norbury Hotel Fire, 1924 C Grave Pumper