Arts & Heritage
Take a walk into the past.
For generations, the valley that is now home to the City of Fernie has been part of ɁamakɁis Ktunaxa, the land of the Ktunaxa people, whose homelands stretch from Montana, Idaho & Washington, to South-Eastern British Columbia and South-Western Alberta.
In the 1800’ s explorers, Catholic priests, and prospectors began arriving in the Elk Valley. This led to the discovery of coal seams and a series of settlements that became modern towns with two train lines, elegant hotels, multiple opera houses and a thriving mining industry.
Founded in 1898 and incorporated in 1904, Fernie became the largest of these settlements and was once nicknamed‘ The Pittsburgh of the North,’ with a grand Customs building which now houses the Fernie Heritage Library. Step inside to view an interpretive display on the grand staircase which describes the history of the building.
The Fernie Museum features a timeline of the history of Fernie, with artifacts and displays highlighting Fernie’ s connection to the land, industry and development. Interpretive walking tours are held seasonally and tell stories of built heritage, wartime activity, rum-runners, and the characters who have inhabited the city.
With buildings formed from locally-pressed bricks and trails lined with coal dust, heritage seeps from every pore. Take a stroll and discover‘ ghost signs’ – painted heritage advertising from times gone by, or look for evidence of the Great Fire of 1908 in the soot stains that are still visible on local brickwork.
Pick up a Heritage Walking Tour Brochure to discover more heritage under your own steam.
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