Trail British Columbia
The City of Trail is one of five municipalities and two electoral areas that use the motto “The Home of Champions” and the logo in promotion of our region. The City and surrounding areas are proud of the Champions in sport, industry, the arts and education who have come from this area. The Home of Champions motto/logo represents all that makes the Greater Trail region an attractive place in which to live, work and play.
Attractions
Trail Memorial Centre & Sports Hall of Memories
The Trail Memorial Centre currently plays host to the Trail & District Public Library, the Trail Smoke Eaters hockey team, the Trail Museum, and the Sports Hall of Memories, in addition to many local sports facilities. This historic landmark, located at 1051 Victoria Street, was home to two world championship Smoke Eaters teams.
The arena section of the facility was recently revitalized and is one of the highest capacity arenas in the province, outside of cities like Vancouver and Kelowna. The Trail Memorial Centre is a hub of civic activity year-round, and has been a focal point of the community since its inception.
River Activities and Music in the Park at Gyro Park in Trail
Located at 1090 Charles Lakes Drive in East Trail on the route to Sunningdale, Gyro Park is the home to Music in the Park during the summer. Listen to the melodic tunes under the gazebo in Gyro Park, where you’ll enjoy live music Thursdays in July and August. During long hot summer days, Gyro Park is extremely popular with locals and visitors to the area who enjoy a day at the beach.
The “The Onions” and other popular river currents that wind between the rocks on the East banks of the Columbia River, are a popular summer magnet for river activity. Often, throughout the summer, an abundance of avid swimmers and rapid paddlers with a deep respect of the Columbia River dare to navigate the frosty swift waters to ride the waves, such as the local favorite “Onions” river current at Gyro Park beach.
Teck Cominco Interpretive Centre
Trail is home to the largest non-ferrous lead and zinc smelter in the world and visitors can learn more about the areas largest employer by taking the 2.5 hour industrial tour of the Cominco smelter which can be arranged in the Teck Cominco interpretive centre through the Trail & District Chamber of Commerce office located above the Toronto-Dominion Bank, in the heart of downtown Trail. This centre is the starting point for the free tours beginning at 10 am, Monday to Friday during the summer; by appointment from September to May. Learn about the plants’ operations in the mini-science centre featuring hands-on exhibits for the whole family.
View video presentations and displays which exhibit sophisticated environmental monitoring systems installed in the Trail area by Teck Cominco. Other presentations illustrate the history of Cominco’s Trail smelting operations and provide information on career opportunities in the industry.
The Historic Gulch
In the early 1900s a large influx of Italian immigrants lent a distinctive character to “The Gulch” which is located at the entrance to Trail accessed by the Schofield Highway which drops down the long grade down from the city of Rossland and the village of Warfield and sub-division of Annabel onto Rossland Avenue.
This neighbourhood which runs the length of Rossland Avenue is known as “the Gulch.” Originally called the “Dublin Gulch” in the very early days, it eventually became known as “The Gulch” as it filled up with Italians who chose not to live on the original Trail townsite. The Gulch starts as throat of Trail Creek narrows between the high, sandy slope of Smelter Hill on its left bank and the West Trail bank where early pioneer houses were built by immigrants as the purchased properties along the west bank steep terrain.
In the early pioneer days, industrious Chinese launderers and cooks spent time gardening in the defile of the Gulch and few of these immigrants ever acquired rights to own land[citation needed] in the Gulch and these gardens were gradually displaced by Italian and other European working families who terraced their properties into level plots. Despite the steep terrain, these immigrant families planted vegetable gardens reminiscent of the old country, fed by plenty of water from Trail Creek and the hot summer sun.
The Gulch is home to shops and the Terra Nova hotel, located at the entrance to Trail’s central business district at the foot of Rossland Avenue.
A List of Trail Champions
- Thomas d’Aquino, Chief executive and president of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives CCCE, and one of the private-sector architects of the North American Free Trade Agreement
- Jason Bay, current MLB player for the Boston Red Sox
- Lauren Bay, Canadian National Softball Team and National Pro Fastpitch pitcher
- Adam Deadmarsh, former NHL player, won Stanley cup in 1996 with the Colorado Avalanche
- Dallas Drake, former NHL player, won Stanley Cup in 2008 with the Red Wings
- Ray Ferraro, former NHL player for the Islanders, Rangers, Whalers, Thrashers, Kings, Blues
- Bruno Freschi, architect for Expo 86
- Ken Georgetti, current President of the Canadian Labour Congress
- Robert Hampton Gray, one of the last Canadians to die in WWII and the last Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross
- Tom Harrison, former MLB pitcher for the Kansas City A’s, now the Oakland Athletics
- Barret Jackman, current NHL player for the St. Louis Blues
- Mike Kobluk, of The Chad Mitchell Trio
- Richard Kromm, former NHL player
- Kerrin Lee-Gartner, Canadian Olympic Women’s Ski Team, Downhill Olympic Gold Medal 1992
- Cesare Maniago, former NHL player for the Leafs, Canadiens, Rangers, North Stars, Canucks
- Mike Matteucci, former NHL player for the Wild
- Steve McCarthy, current NHL player for the Blackhawks, Canucks, Thrashers
- Bill McEwan, President and CEO of Sobeys
- Faron Moller, President of the BCTCS
- Martin Popoff, heavy metal music journalist
- Steve Tambellini, former NHL player & current GM of the Edmonton Oilers
