Fernie
From the bustle of Banff, to the laid back vibe of Fernie. Fernie is well-known as a ski destination in the winter, with an average snow fall of up to 35 feet. In the summer, there are people there to mountain bike and rock climb. Aside from the seasonal activities, the town is also home to the people that work in the four open pit coal mines near the town. Throughout the day you can hear the whistle of the trains, laden with coal, as they drive through Fernie to the Pacific Coast.
We stayed at the Fernie RV Resort, which is quite a lovely campground.
The communal shower/laundry facility is beautifully designed (though sticking with our lack-of-water theme there was one-day during which the water was turned off to the building).
There are free bikes (first come first serve) available to people staying at the resort, and the playgrounds and paths were full of kids from early in the morning to late in the evening, both in the sunshine and in the rain.
The town of Fernie has an interesting legend. “William Fernie, founder of the city, met a tribe of Indians during one of his prospecting trips. He noticed one of the Indian Chief's daughters was wearing a necklace of shining, black stones. Knowing that these stones were coal, William Fernie asked about their source. The Indian Chief agreed to show Fernie where the stones had been found, with the condition that the prospector marry the princess. But, after leaving the location of the coal deposits, William Fernie refused to marry the princess. The Indian Chief was angered by this and put a curse on the valley. The valley would suffer, he said, from fire, flood and famine.”
In 1904, there was a fire that levelled most of the wooden buildings in the downtown core. Following that fire, the municipal council decided that all the buildings be rebuilt with “fireproof” materials like brick and stone. In 1908, a second, larger, inferno swept through the town. The winds caused a firestorm that melted the brick and mortar. The town rebuilt itself again, using brick and mortar of the buildings that you can see today.
In 1916 the Elk River overflowed its banks and flooded sections of Fernie and the near-famine conditions of the great depression brought the last of the “fire, flood and famine” curse to life. “On August 15th 1964 members of the Kootenai tribe, led by Chief Ambrose Gravelle, known as Chief Red Eagle, assembled in Fernie for the ceremonial lifting of the Fernie Curse. Mayor James White made amends for the wrong done to the Kootenai People by William Fernie, by smoking the "pipe of peace" with Chief Red Eagle.”
This legend is one of the things we read about in the Fernie Museum. It is packed to the rafters with things to look at, including this story of Mrs. Todd, Milliner and Dressmaker.
Adam also did the walk along the section of the Mt. Proctor Trail Hike that takes you to Fairy Creek Falls.
Fairy Creek Falls - YouTube
The view of the Fairy Creek Falls after you walk the section of the Mt Proctor Trail from Fernie.
Fernie was a lovely change of pace from the tourist-filled streets of Banff. Some of the places we frequented in Fernie were: Le Grand Fromage (a lovely little cheese shop); Rooftop Coffee Roasters (coffee shop); Big Bang Bagels (New York Style Bagels with delicious breakfast sandwiches, but get there early to avoid the line-up); and Mugshots (a lovely little place for breakfast).