Canada's First World War Internment Operations

Fernie

Heart of the Elk Valley


The Elk Valley has been inhabited for over 10,000 years by the people of the Ktunaxa Nation. Their traditional territory stretches over 70,000 square kilometres including most of southeastern British Columbia and southwestern Alberta, and extends down into the modern United States, including chunks of Idaho, Washington and Montana. As European traders, missionaries, ranchers, and miners poured into the region over the course of the 19th Century, the Ktunaxa were largely dispossessed of their land. The discovery of coal in the region led several entrepreneurs, including William Fernie, to successfully advocate for the construction of a railway into the Elk Valley. After the railway was completed in 1897, the town of Fernie became the hub for mining operations in the valley, and it grew rapidly until the outbreak of the First World War. In the summer of 1915 the growing public pressure led the government to arrest miners that originated from nations Canada was at war with, and interned them at the town's ice rink. In the autumn they were moved to the abandoned townsite of Morrissey just south of Fernie, which was repurposed as an internment camp. <<>> *Video credit: Armistice Films*

This project has been made possible by a grant from the Endowment Council of the Canadian First World War Internment Recognition Fund.

We respectfully acknowledge that Fernie lies within the ancestral, traditional, and unceded territory of the Ktunaxa First Nation.

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 Fernie

Then and Now Photos

Victoria Hotel


Victoria Hotel Victoria Hotel
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00177

1898

The Victoria Hotel in 1898, shortly after the founding of the town. A crowd of people brave the winter temperatures to pose for a photo out front of the hotel. Scaffolding all around the hotel indicates it was still under construction at the time. The hotel would be burned down in one of the several gigantic fires that swept through Fernie in the 1900s.

Postcard of Victoria Avenue


Postcard of Victoria Avenue Postcard of Victoria Avenue
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00514-03

ca. 1900s

A postcard view of Fernie's Victoria Avenue, which we today call 2nd Avenue. You can see a great crowd of people on the sidewalks, but surprisingly little vehicle traffic.

Pedestrians on Victoria Ave


Pedestrians on Victoria Ave Pedestrians on Victoria Ave
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00101

ca. 1900s

A large crowd of pedestrians crowd the sidewalks of Victoria Ave. On the right is P. Burns & Co. Meats. The rancher turned businessman Pat Burns was one of the richest men and most successful entrepreneurs in British Columbia at the time.

2nd Ave in Winter


2nd Ave in Winter 2nd Ave in Winter
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00033

ca. 1900s

Two men stand amid great drifts of snow on Victoria Avenue, or as we know it today, 2nd Avenue.

Fernie Across the Tracks


Fernie Across the Tracks Fernie Across the Tracks
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00166

1908

A view of Fernie just after the great fire of 1908, which shows the only part of the city to have escaped the great conflagration.

Manager's House


Manager's House Manager's House
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00512

1908

This was the home of J.D. Hurd, General Manager of the Crowsnest Pass Coal Co. The home was built in 1901 and constructed in the Queen Anne style, which was popular at the time.

Rebuilding Fernie


Rebuilding Fernie Rebuilding Fernie
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00154

1908

Stacks of lumber and building materials in Victoria Ave (today's 2nd Ave.) show the rapid work of rebuilding underway after the devastating fire of 1908.

Temporary CPR Depot


Temporary CPR Depot Temporary CPR Depot
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00164

1908

This shows the temporary train depot quickly built just after the great fire of 1908. The station and water tower haven't been painted and have clearly just been constructed. The scaffolding around the water tower indicates that it hasn't been finished yet. These would be replaced shortly after once relief efforts had been completed.

Flooding at the Ice Rink


Flooding at the Ice Rink Flooding at the Ice Rink
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00435

ca. 1910s

Flooding on the Elk River has left Fernie's Ice Rink half submerged. The ice rink was used as a temporary internment camp in the summer of 1915 for miners from the Elk Valley and Crowsnest Pass who were deemed 'enemy aliens.'

Fernie Station


Fernie Station Fernie Station
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00306

This was Fernie's Canadian Pacific Railway station. The building has been preserved, but today it is a popular diner.

Fernie Brewing


Fernie Brewing Fernie Brewing
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00109

ca. 1910s

Fernie's Brewery, located on the western side of the Elk River. There is a Fernie Brewing Company that still operates today on the north side of town.

Kootenay Answers!'


Kootenay Answers!' Kootenay Answers!'
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00240

1915

A train departs Fernie's station carrying men local men off to fight in France. The banner on the car indicates that they are from the 8th Platoon of B Company of the Kootenay Battalion. Smiling men poke their heads out of the windows, unaware of the horrors that await them in the trenches.

Funeral Procession


Funeral Procession Funeral Procession
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00094

1928

A funeral procession proceeds from the Holy Family Catholic Church. It is led by a horsedrawn hearst and a number of men walking alongside, and followed by a long convoy of cars. At right is Fernie's Meat Market.

Municipal Buildings


Municipal Buildings Municipal Buildings
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00557

ca. 1930s

This was once the site of Fernie's Municipal Building. It was demolished in 1972.

The Church Choir


The Church Choir The Church Choir
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Fernie & District Historical Society FMP_00046

ca. 1940s

The choir of Knox United Church pose for a photo on the church steps.


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