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Past
By the early 1890s prospecting had spilled over from Rossland into the Christina Lake region. The Lake's original white residents were prospectors, trappers, or both. McRae Creek and Sutherland Creek are among the many local landmarks named for these pioneer prospectors.
In 1896, around the time settlement began at Cascade, F.A. Heinze, owner of the Trail smelter, chartered the Columbia & Western Railway. In 1898 the CPR bought out the C&W and began construction in Castlegar. The C&W railway was completed as far as Grand Forks by September of 1899, and reached Midway the following year. The rail lines were crucial to the success of the mining, smelting and lumber industries that were propelling the region's economic growth.
The arrival of the railroad brought more permanent settlement to the region, and by the turn of the century Christina Lake had multiple townsites, with a total of at least five hotels. Christina Lake first became a recreational area for day-trippers from Grand Forks and Phoenix, who were able to make use of the new railroad to visit the lake. Dominion Day was a favourite holiday, with special excursion trains running from Grand Forks to Christina Lake.
By the late 1890s Cascade City was a bustling community of approximately 1000 residents, with its own newspaper, The Cascade Record. The Cascade Water Power & Light Co. Ltd. was incorporated in 1898, and started building its dam across the Kettle River. The powerhouse at Cascade would provide electric power to Grand Forks, Phoenix and Greenwood, as well as to various local mines and smelters.
However, this prosperity was to be short-lived; on September 30, 1899 Cascade was hit by the first in a series of devastating fires. The business district of the town was severely affected, and the second major fire, in the summer of 1901, caused further damage, leaving only one store and one hotel standing. A town which had boasted over a dozen hotels only a few years earlier was on its way to becoming a ghost town. Today, the magnificent gorge can be seen from the bridge on Highway 395 or by following trails that lead to closer vantage points.
Source:http://www.christinalake.com/lakeliving/history.htm
Present
The rails and ballast were removed, a natural gas pipeline was buried down the right of way, and now the railbed is part of the Trans Canada Trail. The trail uses the old CPR/Columbia & Western Railway bridge to cross the gorge.
There is a rock-cut trench running almost perpendicular to the railbed at one end of the bridge. This may have been used in the 1890's to channel water from the dam to the powerhouse. Much of this rock-cut is still passible even though part of it was filled in when the gas line was buried, trees and bushes are growing in it and some of the rock walls have have started to crumble. Look for it on both sides of the Trans Canada Trail.
Future
The beauty of this gorge is currently threatened because of a proposed run-of-the-river power project.
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