Revelstoke's History

Revelstoke was born when Lord Revelstoke saved the Canadian Pacific Railway's (CPR’s) transcontinental railway across Canada with last minute financing in the late 1800’s. The 'Last Spike' ceremony to complete the railway took place about a half-an-hour drive East of Revelstoke at Craigellachie in 1885. The town of Revelstoke is perched almost 1,500 feet above sea-level between the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges and two national parks. Tourism is Revelstoke's third most-important economic sector thanks to the Trans Canada Highway’s construction through Rogers Pass in 1962. According to Statistics Canada’s 2006 Census Revelstoke Community Profile, the community's population is 7,230 and its median family income is $64,562. Charles Lindmark, Revelstoke’s Mayor at the turn of the 20th century, built the first trail to access what is now known as Mount Revelstoke. Some of the world’s best snowmobiling and heli-skiing can be found in Revelstoke, also a thrilling place to ski, hike, canoe, kayak and whitewater raft. Free nightly Summer entertainment and great shopping makes Grizzly Plaza in the downtown a hip place at which to gather for people of all ages. The town's first two hotels were built in the late 1920’s on ‘1st Street’, the main street that cuts through the downtown core. One of the Kootenay region’s oldest golf courses is located in the northern area of Revelstoke along the banks of the Columbia River.