The City of Cranbrook began as a railway and resource town, born with the arrival in 1898 of the Crowsnest Railway. The City of Cranbrook was incorporated in 1905 and has long served as the regional centre for the East Kootenay and a divisional point for the Canadian Pacific Railway. Europeans first visited the area in the early nineteenth century and began to settle here in the1860’s.
The ancestors of the Ktunaxa people have lived on these lands since long before the arrival of Europeans. Their traditional territory extends within the Kootenay region and areas in Alberta, Montana, Washington and Idaho. Their local presence is centred on the site of the former St. Eugene Mission, just east of Cranbrook, home of the St. Mary’s Indian Band and offices of the Ktunaxa Kinbasket Treaty Council. The St. Eugene Church opened its doors in 1898, the same year that the railway reached Cranbrook.
The City of Cranbrook has a number of properties protected under Heritage Designation and is in the process of re-launching a Heritage Registry to recognize properties that have significance to our community.
For additional information about the Heritage Registry or if you have questions, please contact:
Director, Community Services
City of Cranbrook
Other Documents and Reports:
Cranbrook Cultural Plan for Arts and Heritage
The Cranbrook Arts, Heritage and Cultural Scan