TIMELINE.
TIME IMMEMORIAL.
The beautiful place known today as Revelstoke was first inhabited by four First Nations whose people and cultures are vital to the city’s future: the Sinixt, the Secwepemc, the Syilx and the Ktunaxa.
1873.
150 YEARS AGO
There was a scandal involving bribery for the rail contract that led to Canada’s prime minister resigning. This rail link would come to define Revelstoke’s future. Our town was called Farwell.
1923.
100 YEARS AGO
The Chinese Exclusion Act came into place, bringing about an unprecedented and dark period in Canadian history that has largely been forgotten. The Anti-Chinese movement took root after the first wave of Chinese immigrants began arriving in BC for the gold rush of 1858. Many more immigrants arrived for the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1881-85). The legally sanctioned racial discrimination engendered by the Exclusion Act was systemic and sustained.
1973.
50 YEARS AGO
The Mica Dam had just completely reshaped Revelstoke both physically and economically, making this place a literal powerhouse for much of BC. Across the Pacific, the King of Bhutan had just put in place Gross National Happiness as a primary objective of its economy, which included the strict management of tourism for public benefit. And an early projection of global warming came from John Sawyer at the UK’s Met Office. His warming estimate for the year 2000 was nearly spot on.
2023.
TODAY
We continue to feel the impacts of a global pandemic that brought our modern, connected world to a halt. Inflation and supply chain disruptions are ongoing and are being exacerbated by war. Labour shortages are impacting employers worldwide, and this is amplified in Revelstoke by the high cost of living. Second-home owners, remote workers and short-term rentals are contributing to housing affordability issues, which is just one example of the impacts of inequality. The need for reconciliation is prominent as Canada reels from further public revelations of atrocities at residential schools that began nearby in Kamloops. In Revelstoke, we are at the beginning of our journey to build relationships and properly honour the four Nations that have claim to this unceded territory. We’ve never had more opportunity and agency to build a thriving Revelstoke.
VISION FOR 2073.
IN 50 YEARS
Revelstoke is a sustainable mountain community that balances environmental, economic, social, and cultural values within a local, regional, and global context. We are a world-class destination while being an authentic and vibrant community for our residents.
