136 Spruce Avenue |
British Columbia Tourism Region : Kootenay Rockies
Description From Owner:
Natal Ridge
- Crowsnest Pass - In very early days, a band of Crow Indians, making a horse-stealing raid into Blackfoot territory, camped here.
- The Blackfeet, catching them by surprise in their 'nest,' massacred them. A Palliser Expedition map of 1859 shows 'lodge des Corbeaux' at the head of the 'Crow River.'
- Another map of the same expedition in 1860 shows 'Crow Nest' river and pass. Captain Palliser, the first white man to learn of the pass, referred to it at times as the 'British Kutanie pass.'
- Crowsnest became a CPR divisional point during the building of the railway's Crowsnest line in 1897.
- Natal Ridge - This preserves the name of Natal, which with its sister village of Michel, has been absorbed into the District Municipality of Sparwood.
- Natal was apparently named at the time of the Boer War in honour of the British Crown Colony of Natal. Natal and the Cape Colony were engaged in hostilities with the Boer republics of Transvaal and Orange Free State.
- With permission from G.P.V and Helen B. Akrigg 1997 British Columbia Place Names. UBC Press.
Address of this page: http://bc.ruralroutes.com/Sparwood