Gerrard barely made it on the map before the mining boom was over. Thanks to a unique species of fish, mapmakers kept it anyway.
Gerrard, located at the top of the Lardeau River, north of Kootenay Lake, in B.C.’s Interior, was one of dozens of towns that sprang up during the mining heyday of the late 1800s. Situated where Trout Lake drains into the Lardeau River, the town became the terminus of the Arrowhead and Kootenay Railroad, which transported gold, silver and copper from the mines at Trout Lake to the steamboats on Kootenay Lake heading to Bonner’s Ferry, ID, and American markets. It had at least a railroad station and steamboat landing, as well as the Persian Hotel, which is not as exotic as the name suggest - it was named after its owners.
The Lardeau region in the West Kootenay of B.C. is a naturalist’s dream. Last I was there was 2010, when we spotted bears, eagles, osprey and a wolf (see video). Wolves don’t look much like the Disney version - thin and lanky with long hair. Seeing one was both exhilarating and terrifying.
I can’t say much more about the Gerrard townsite. Like its fellow boomtowns, when the ore ran out, the people left. Nothing was left standing in the town, save a bronze marker “dedicated to the pioneering spirits of the residents of Gerrard and to the memory of Esther Brandon and her three sons Malcolm, James and William who were the last residents of this townsite.”
Gerrard is better known for the trophy-sized rainbow trout that spawn nearby. Gerrard rainbow trout are a unique genetic species that nearly went extinct in the 1940s. Fish population dropped to just 150, but thanks to conservation efforts, fish now number more than 1,200.
To see these exceptionally large (fish frequently exceed 20 pounds) fish spawn, visit Gerrard and the Lardeau River in late April to early May each year.
