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Connecting The Kootenays

Connecting The Kootenays

Connecting The Kootenays chronicles a century of ferry service across Kootenay Lake BC. This book follows the ferry service from its beginnings in 1921, when it first linked the East and West Kootenays together as part of the visionary Southern Trans Provincial highway, right up until its 100th anniversary in 2020, when the existing two ferry operation was turning another page with the introduction of a new electric ready ferry with state of the art technology. The story starts with coal-fired CPR sternwheelers with graceful and luxurious accommodations and then moves through the post Second World War era of modern diesel roll on, roll off ferries and finishes the promise of ultra modern electric propulsion.

This is a book youll want to take the time to read. Its 330 pages are professionally designed, filled with colourful stories from crewmembers, and richly illustrated with photos, many of which will be new for even the most ardent BC nautical historians. It will also serve as a reference text for the future, with its extensive chapter notes.

Michael Cone became captivated by the history of navigation on Kootenay Lake when, as a youngster, he peered down at the underwater remains of the Kuskanooks hull. As a young adult, he had the good fortune of spending time with men and women whose careers spanned the twilight years of steam and the introduction of diesel. Their recollections provided not only an invaluable insight into what life was like on the boats but also a level of detail into particular events not found in contemporary newspaper accounts. After more than fifty years of research, Michael has compiled an extensive collection of photographs, documents and personal interview notes.Over the years he has written several articles in newspapers and periodicals.

The book sells for $45.00 (shipping extra – please enquire) (ISBN9781778350511) and is available at most bookstores in Nelson BC, and through MaaPress Book Publishing and Distribution at info@maapress.ca or by contacting the author at klfbook@shaw.ca.


Nauticapedia

Site News: May 08, 2024

The vessel database has been updated and is now holding 92,807 vessel histories (with 15,646 images and 13,442 records of ship wrecks and marine disasters). The mariner and naval biography database has also been updated and now contains 58,616 entries (with 4,013 images).

In 2023 the Nauticapedia celebrated the 50th Anniversary of it’s original inception in 1973 (initially it was on 3" x 5" file cards). It has developed, expanded, digitized and enlarged in those ensuing years to what it is now online. If it was printed out it would fill more than 300,000 pages!

My special thanks to our volunteer IT adviser, John Eyre, who (since 2021) has modernized, simplified and improved the update process for the databases into a semi–automated processes. His participation has been vital to keeping the Nauticapedia available to our netizens.

Also my special thanks to my volunteer content accuracy checker, John Spivey of Irvine CA USA, who has proofread thousands of Nauticapedia vessel histories and provided input to improve more than 11,000 entries. His attention to detail has been a huge unexpected bonus in improving and updating the vessel detail content.

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