Grand Forks
Grand Forks, population 4,049, is a city in the Boundary Country of the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Granby and Kettle Rivers, a tributary of the Columbia River. The city is approximately 500 km (310 mi) from Vancouver and 200 km (120 mi) from Kelowna and 23 km (14 mi) west of the resort area of Christina Lake by road.
Grand Forks was established in the late 19th century when copper mining dominated Boundary and Kootenay regions of BC. The city was laid out in 1895 and Grand Forks was officially established as a city on 15 April 1897. The adjacent City of Columbia was incorporated on May 4, 1899. By 1900, Grand Forks boasted three railways, lumber mills, a smelter, mines, a post office, a school and a hospital. Grand Forks and Columbia amalgamated in 1903.
Between the years of 1909 and 1913, a group of pacifist Russian immigrants known as Doukhobors settled in the area because of the fertile farm land. Today, many residents of Grand Forks are descendants of the Doukhobors. In 1991, the Canadian Pacific Railway abandoned the railway through Grand Forks and the former right of way became part of the Trans Canada Trail.