Western Ghost Towns: Transport yourself back to Canadian railway era of 1908

- LAS VEGAS, NV, August 03, 2005 - Western ghost towns all capture different aspects of the pioneering spirit in Canada and the United States. Three Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town captures the railway era of 1908 in the interior of British Columbia, when the locomotive was king and boomtowns thrived all along the rail tracks. The historic past is recounted in the latest travel feature at www.Travel-Wise.com.

Three Valley Gap founder Gordon Bell conceived the conservation project when he just 16, working with a pick and shovel near Revelstoke, BC. Discovering the remains of a ghost town from 1862, he realized that the past was quickly disappearing.

"To me, it was crazy that all of these things were just being left behind to rot," Bell told Higgins and Zacher. "When I saw all that stuff being destroyed that"s when I wanted to tie in the historic part of this area to our hotel." Today Three Valley Gap displays mining equipment from French Creek (or "crick" as Bell calls it) dating from 1900-1910, including a unique porcupine boiler and steam engines and drill.

"I believe we can"t move into the future without understanding our history." says Bell. "It"s important that we preserve our history for future generations. I"m just doing my part."

Daily ghost town guided tours of the 1908 pioneer village lead guests through the popular Golden Wheel Saloon, general store, blacksmith shop and many other stops along the main street. Highlights of the tour include the Railway Roundhouse, featuring an impressive variety of locomotives, business coaches and private coaches from the early steam era; Antique Auto Museum, displaying a collection of restored autos dating from 1902-1929; and the Buggy and Wagon Shop, exhibiting both private and commercial buggies and wagons, used to transport coal, lumber, fuel, oil, gravel and groceries until 1945.

Three Valley Lake Chateau, (open all year), with an impressive 200 rooms, sits at the foot of the Monashee Mountain Range and borders the edge of the Three Valley Lake, created by a widening of the Eagle River. It is located just a few miles east of Craigellachie, Eagle Pass, where the last spike of the transcontinental Canadian Pacific Railway was driven in 1885.

Twelve miles to the east, Revelstoke is tucked unobtrusively along the Trans-Canada Highway, about half-way between Vancouver, British Columbia and Calgary, Alberta, in a valley carved out of the Selkirk and Monashee mountain ranges by the Columbia River. With the majestic Canadian Rockies, there are myriad other day trips possible to neighboring hot springs, mountain hikes, wineries and hydro dams.

For more details about Three Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town, as well as other ghost towns and destinations around the world, visit www.Travel-Wise.com - "Where Smart Travelers Come First!" New travel reviews by professional travel writers are featured each week at this leading international travel website.

14.12.2005 - 22:04 24-7pressrelease.com | 334 X