The Kootenay Lake Historical Society has secured $46,745 in Heritage BC funding to help preserve one of the Kootenays’ best-known historic vessels.
The grant will support the replacement of the starboard sponson deck on the S.S. Moyie, a paddle steamer built in Nelson in 1898 that operated on Kootenay Lake until 1957.
The narrow wooden deck runs along the outside of the vessel and stretches about 190 feet from bow to stern. The wood has deteriorated over time and needs to be replaced to protect it.
Kit Ashenhurst, treasurer and project manager with the historical society, said the work requires specialized carpentry to recreate the curved sections of the deck.
“It’s really tricky work because you’re making a curve out of a straight piece of board, and these connections are kind of a Z-shaped connection, so it’s really tricky and you can’t make many mistakes.”
He said the society replaced the port-side deck about four years ago and is now preparing to tackle the other side.
The work comes with some unique requirements. Ashenhurst said the society has to be careful about maintaining the vessel’s historic appearance, including the materials used.
“We have to follow certain rules and regulations to keep it in a heritage condition. We can’t just go start putting too much modern-type materials in there, and if they are modern materials, they have to be hidden and not be seen by the public.”
The S.S. Moyie is over 120 years old. It’s a registered National Historic Site and Ashenhurst estimates it draws around 12,000 to 15,000 visitors per year.
“The Moyie is a major identity for the village,” Ashenhurst said. “People just love to go on there and kind of blow the whistle and really enjoy the Victorian era of the 1898 time period of when it was in full service for the elite tourists of the day.”
The society expects to order the timber for the deck replacement ahead of winter so it can dry before construction begins. Work is expected to get underway in spring 2027.
Two other West Kootenay projects also received funding through Heritage BC’s Heritage Legacy Fund.
The City of Nelson will use its grant to document the heritage significance of selected historic places, while the City of Rossland received support for an accessibility audit of the Miners Hall.
Heritage BC awarded a total of $476,912 to 31 projects across the province this year. The fund received applications requesting more than $1.85 million in total.
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