Edgewater, at the end of the Trail showing the Luxor/Vermilion Trail leading in from the Vermilion Pass, Citadel Pass, and the
foothills of Alberta. This is very likely the trail described in the Palliser Papers of 1865 |
This old map shows the Vermilion Trail back when the pass above Edgewater was
 still called the Little Vermilion Pass.McKay, a teamster on the CPR construction was advised to bring his stock into the Edgewater Range for wintering.He saw the valley and
settled here, building the Upper Ranch, now part of "Kirksland" and still the high-value habitat that attracted the first inhabitants. |
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LANDSCAPE RULES! Begun in 1912, the Village is laid-out following the natural contours of the land, providing a setting overlooking the Columbia River in which the settlement
is surrounded by picturesqe farms on the hillside above The River is Edgewater's Front Yard 
The Columbia Riverlands are North Americas's longest stretch of unbr
 oken natural wetland and are now protected from most motorized incursions. By
summer they are the home of over 370 species of birds including the Bald Eagle and the Osprey. As grazing land the whole valley floor
 is essential winter and spring range for ungulates - the
Deer family and Elk are frequently seen in the sloughs or on the dry benchland pastures. Trips down the
slowflowing current are colourful and peaceful. Historic landings and woodpilings remain from the settler's efforts and the era of home-made bridges over to Steamboat
Mountain and government constructed wing-dams across the channels to divert water into a deep mainstream.
The Local Economy still revolves around Logging, Farming and Ranching, Guiding and Outfitting and work in Tourism-related occupations. As a consequence, most of the effects of a highly Tourism oriented economy are absent and the
natural beauty of the settlement impaired by only a few garish signs and such.The community has an active social life with a coffee-house, library, school, Fire hall, community hall (under reconstruction to better meet the need
of the town and the Market), and the Open Market, a weekly Farmer's Market where local produce and products can be found during the summer. Lately, the
monthly Edgewater Variety Show has been bringing old-time fun and regional talent to the stage of the Hall. As a long establshed settlement, it has gardens and trees and some beautiful
heritage homes but most the modern services and conveniences. |
 In 1912, Dr. Bert Geddes, a good friend of James McKay, put together a company
called Columbia Valley Orchards, later to become Ranches after the fruit tree boom did not materialise. This company laid-out the Edgewater faming district,
built the Flume and the townsite. They fostered coperative market gardening to get through the lean years after the CPR stopped buying ties from the
company sawmill. A later effort at logging some big timber failed resulting in Harry Moore being asked to come up and run the logging show for a year. Harry Moore bought
Columbia Valley Ranches in 1947, changed its name to Edgewater Sawmills in 1954 and continued to develop a successful lumber business and to build the town up with manpower
and equipment: The Company built a high school, airstrip, the bridge, the road through Vermillion Canyon, the dam and mainlines for the town water
system which needed to be rebuilt around 1962. The Sawmill was advanced for its time with a hydraulic carriage, a gang saw, millpond and recycling for slabs
and sawdust built-in. In 1965, big business got the timber supply sewed-up, the sawmill shut down. Enterprise to replace this concern is still vitally
needed to provide employment in the community. Eco-tourism, arts, crafts, market-gardening, hostels and bed and Breakfasts, Cyber Cafe's all come to mind Our company has been operating in Edgewater since 1942 and still has the original company which built the townsite, irrigation flume, waterworks and so forth,
We own the west end of the townsite in one block overlooking the Columbia Riverlands. As easily serviced parcels adjacent to a going concern, this land offers
opportunities for complementary developments rare in this valley.STATUS OF THE PROPERTY Our company owns all the property in this
description outright with no encumbrances of any kind. The land is within the Settlement Plan for
Edgewater so that the Sewer System has been built with this property in mind. Our company has also had an engineer plan the entire sewer system servicing this land and
we have extendws sewer service up Crescentwood Drive Crescentwood Drive.Under the guidelines of the Edgewater Improvement District, water service can be available for land adjacent to the existing district, which this land is. Upon
admission to the Improvement District, this property would enjoy piped water and fire protection. View of the Neighbourhood
Looking Southwest from Cordillera |
