Vol. 93 No. 6 February 15, 2023
Looking Back ... If those walls could have talked John Kinnear Pass Herald Community Reporter Recently the old dance hall at Crowsnest Lake was dismantled and levelled and all that remains now is a bare patch where this remarkable old pavilion once stood. It was just too much to try and save it and the time has come for a gazebo or small facility with wash rooms to take its place. The popularity of the east shore of Crowsnest Lake has grown hugely in recent years and really deserves some attention. There were in-depth discussions on Facebook as far back as October, facilitated by myself and others, on its impending demise. It caught the attention of almost 300 viewers and with it came 107 comments. The comments were mostly a heart-warming blend of memories and warm reflections, some of which I would like to share. They revealed a deep appreciation for the old girl by people of all ages. Before doing that though let’s take a little harder look at the site history, which reveals, through its heritage interpretive sign and lingering remains, some rather interesting facts. Firstly, the site area is ancient and archaeological inspections nearby in the early 1970’s revealed that the lakeshore attracted peoples as far back as 8,500 years ago. Several different ancient cultures gathered there, the last of which, known as the Pelican People, were direct ancestors of the K’tunaxa First Nation (formerly known as the Kootenay). That interpretive sign has a wonderful picture of the hall in its heyday and it was interesting to note that the hall had a tall pole with a flag and a weather vane on top of the roof. A big prominent sign also on the roof announced “Cabins for Rent, Dancing, Sailing” and above that was another sign that says “Coleman Motors, Expert Mechanics”. So it seems that people have been gathering there, for one reason or another, for a very long time and will continue to do so. One of the lingering remains of the dance hall that I came across après it’s dismantling was a special refractory brick used in the base of one Cont’d on page 13
John Kinnear photo
The old dance hall at the Crowsnest Lake was dismantled and levelled recently and all that’s left is a bare patch of land .
