The Fort Steele Heritage Town Archives now holds 40,000 images. This collection is very strong in its representation of East Kootenay townsites, natural physical features, resource extraction, the Ktunaxa Nation, business and transportation, agriculture, and 19th century social life. Chronologically it ranges from very early tintypes to modern video tapes.

The collection is available to the public for research and consultation. A subject and personal name finding aid does provide a basic level of access. Users are encouraged to phone ahead and establish a time to view the photographs in order to ensure that a staff person will be able to assist them. The normal hours of access by appointment are Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 3:30 pm.

The images included here are simply a very small window into what the collection holds. As with all photograph collections, the information contained is only limited by the analysis applied by the users. A research focus on gardens recently uncovered surprising results in terms of what was grown in East Kootenay in the 1890's and how the end product was used. Another search for wallpaper applications showed East Kootenay to be following national trends with amazing speed. This is a wonderful resource and general public interest is encouraged.

For more information on the Fort Steele Archives see the Archives and Library.

Click on the thumbnails to retrieve a larger version.