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Fort Steele, British Columbia is a heritage town in the East Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located near the intersection of Highway 93 and Highway 95, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Cranbrook.^[1]

Fort Steele (1910)

Fort Steele was a gold rush boom town founded in 1864 by John Galbraith. The town was originally called "Galbraith's Ferry", named after the ferry set up by the city's founder over the Kootenay River. It was the only ferry within several hundred miles so Mr.Galbraith charged very high prices to get across. The town was renamed Fort Steele in 1888, after legendary Canadian lawman Superintendent Sam Steele of the North West Mounted Police solved a dispute between a settler who had unjustly accused one of the local First Nations men with murder. This dispute had caused a great deal of tension between the town and the native people. Sam Steele found the real killer and the innocent man was set free. Both the town and the First Nations people were so grateful that they renamed the town Fort Steele. Much to Steele's dismay, the "Fort" part of the name comes from the N.W.M.P setting up a station in the town, whereas the town itself was never a real fort. As the economy declined after the end of the gold rush, Fort Steele eventually became a ghost town. In 1961, the province of British Columbia bought the site and converted it to a heritage town.

Fort Steele offers many interesting activities to observe and participate in. Some of the activities include an old style theater show, horse drawn carriage rides and 1800s household activities such as blacksmithing demonstrations, ice cream making, gold panning, leather working, and several other demonstrations. Other attractions include an old style candy shop, a store with old-fashioned goods for sale and a full service restaurant. The town also has several vintage buildings on display.

Fort Steele currently offers seasonal train rides behind one of three preserved steam locomotives, two of which are in operation.

• The 1077, a 2-6-2 prairie class locomotive built in 1923 for logging services on Vancouver Island. The 1077 served with several companies over her career and was retired in the early 1960's with the purchase of a diesel locomotive, but remained with the company until 1969 as a back up locomotive for the diesel. This makes 1077 one of the last steam locomotives in active service in Canada. After being sold to the B.C government, The 1077 was re-built and used to run a rolling museum train until it was put into storage in 1979. The 1077 was moved to Fort Steele in 1989 as a replacement for the 115 Shay which was experiencing major problems.
• The "Dunrobin" a 0-4-4 type built in 1895 for the private use of the Duke of Sutherland. The "Dunrobin" served in both world wars pulling light freight and switching duties.[1]
• The 115, a massive Pacific Coast Shay locomotive built for logging operations on Vancouver Island, which unfortunately is not in operation.

The railway operates between June through September, starting on Father's Day and ending on Labor Day.

• Barkerville, British Columbia, another ghost town purchased by British Columbia and operated as a heritage site.
• Snow Queen (2002 film), a fantasy film shot in Fort Steele.

• official website

Coordinates: 49°37′N, 115°38′W