By the 1880s, the rich agricultural potential of the
Creston Valley, in south-eastern British Columbia,
had been recognized, provided the broad floodplain
could be reclaimed from the annual floods of the
Kootenay River which meanders through it. The first
attempt to do this began in 1883; even though it
failed, it set in motion a series of events that
have influenced the development of the Creston
Valley to the present day.
The floodplain was eventually dyked and | transformed into productive farmland, but not
without triggering heated arguments and disputes,
and a battle to save some of the marshes for
productive wildlife habitat. Along the way, the
Kootenay River has bankrupted one company, swept
away a few family fortunes, and destroyed the hopes
of many farmers. The river's resistance has left its
mark on the land, and on the memories of the people
who live here.
"Taming the Kootenay" is the story of more than a
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