Cottonwood Falls has been a picturesque presence since Nelson’s earliest days, but its appearance has changed over time for industrial and transportation purposes.
In 1896, this was the site of British Columbia’s first hydroelectric power plant.
A dam was constructed on Cottonwood Creek—from below Hoover Street to the neighbourhood of Rosemont—with a reservoir behind it. The creek travelled its natural course, thanks to a sluice gate, and passed under the Latimer Street wagon road bridge and a railway line that ran to the Hall Mines Smelter. Water destined for the generating station was diverted through a gatehouse and along a wooden flume, where it dropped into a steelpenstock pipe down to the powerhouse.
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Today, Highway 6 passes through the site of the former dam and reservoir. The bridges, rail line, and smelter have disappeared. Remnants of the buildings and the dam were destroyed in the early 1970s during construction of the highway interchange. Cottonwood Creek now runs partly underground before spilling out here in Cottonwood Falls Park. A glimpse of the creek and canyon can still be seen from the exit linking Highway 3A toHighway 6. These stone foundations and two artifacts are all that remain here on the site of the 1896 powerhouse.
This model of Cottonwood Creek in 1896 (right) was made by Bert Learmonth. He was a meticulous model builder who also created detailed replicas of sternwheelers, including the SS Moyie (below), which is displayed in Izu-shi, Japan, Nelson’s sister city. |
The Nelson Izu-shi Friendship Society thanks JP Stienne and Riley Stewart of the Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery, Greg Nesteroff, Tara Cunningham, Will Taylor, Bernie Zimmer, and John Armstrong, as well as the late Bert Learmonth, for contributing to this story.