Introduction

Explorers & Prospectors
   William Fernie
   Michael Phillipps
   Peter Fernie
   Colonel James Baker

Discovery of Coal &
the Crowsnest Pass

Formation of the Coal Company & Railroad

Coal Company Investors
   George Cox
   Robert Jaffray
   Henry Pellatt

Tom Uphill

William Fernie

William Fernie BCARS (A-02146)

William Fernie was a central contributor to early coal and railway development in the Elk Valley.

"The province owes a good deal to his energies and what he accomplished will always be recalled with pride. In a just cause he was never appealed to in vain, and he always took a staunch and earnest interest in those matters of public importance, which bespoke of progress."
– The Victoria Colonist, just after his death in 1921.

A Scottish Background
William Fernie, the fifth child in his family, was born in Kimbolton, Huntingdonshire, Scotland, on April 2nd 1837.

William was a man with a long history and much experience in the business of mining. It all began in 1851 when he left home at the age of fourteen to travel the world in search of his fortune. He sailed to Australia on the ship Salesman where he went to work as an apprentice gold miner in Bendigo. In 1856 William then went to work in another mine at Perdue, Australia. Then received a job as quartermaster on a United States mail steamer, servicing South American ports.

How William Fernie came to Canada
Although William Fernie arrived in areas close to all the major gold rushes of the time he seemed to have a tendency to miss them by a few years. For example, after working as quartermaster on the mail steamer he landed in California just after the gold rush of 1849-1855. Then in 1860, he sailed to British Columbia, just three years after the gold rush had begun in the Fraser Canyon.

The young William Fernie, aged twenty-three in 1860, prospected for gold from his base in Esquimalt. During the next four years he spent very little time there. He traveled east to Smilkameen River, Rock Creek and the Columbia River area near Coleville.

In 1864 William Fernie caught wind of the gold strike at Wild Horse Creek. It was then that he met up with his brother Peter, who two years before had come to Canada after receiving his discharge from the British army. Together they traveled to Fisherville, near present-day Fort Steele, in hopes of getting a stake in the largest gold rush in British Columbia’s history. After setting up camp in Fisherville it became obvious that the original gold discoverers had staked out all of the rich claims in the region.

Peter and William remained in Fisherville for one year. Peter then moved to Vancouver Island, while William, hired by Edgar Dewdney who later became British Columbia’s Governor General, began work as a foreman on the construction of the Dewdney Trail from Osoyoos to Fisherville.

His Early Days in the Kootenays
In 1868 the Fernie brothers moved back to the Kootenay district intending to take up cattle ranching. However, this lasted only five years, as raids on their stock in the early 1870’s pushed both brothers out of ranching and into other professions. William’s British background helped him acquire a government position as Gold Commissioner of the Kootenay District. At this time being Gold Commissioner also made him government representative for this district. Over the next four years William was also appointed to many other positions including Coroner, Customs Collector and Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Works.

Discovering Coal
At first William Fernie did not think the Elk Valley had much potential for settlement or travel. He quickly changed his mind when he realized the potential to prosper from exploiting the extensive coalfields in this valley. See also: Discovery of Coal

The Coal Company and Railway
William Fernie was instrumental in developing the coal industry in the Elk Valley. He, along with his brother and James Baker, prospected the valley for coal and formed the Crow’s Nest Coal and Mineral Company. William then became a major partner in the British Columbia Southern Railway, and soon the development of Fernie began. See also: Formation of the Coal Company & Railroad

Involvement in the Community
By 1897 William Fernie had achieved all of his goals: he had staked the original lands where the coal was located, arranged for a grant of 250 000 acres of coal-bearing land from the provincial government, and arranged for Canadian Pacific to build a railroad to the coal lands. He finally sold the original deeds of the land staked by himself and his partners to the Kootenay Coal Company for one million dollars in 1897.

After making his fortune off the coal mines and railway William Fernie remained only a short time in the town that bore his name. In 1897, upon completing the deal with CPR to build the railroad, William began construction of the mine site at Coal Creek. He hand picked a crew of Cape Breton miners, and as soon as than they began work at the mine site, merchants and trades people began moving into the area. At this time William Fernie was also the Land Commissioner for the Coal Company who owned the Fernie townsite. He was kept busy with the growth of Fernie’s business section and the rapid pace at which building lots were being sold along Baker (first) and Victoria (second) Ave.

His Retirement
William had always talked of retiring on Vancouver Island once he was through with his adventures. He had many friends in Victoria, so after amassing his great fortune, he purchased some land there in 1900. Wanting his property to resemble a miniature estate, he built a magnificent mansion with incredible views overlooking the ocean. The grounds had terraced lawns, rose gardens, an orchard and a greenhouse.

William left Fernie and moved into his new estate, which he named Kimbolton, after his birthplace, in 1901. Although he now lived in Victoria he returned to Fernie many times throughout the years until he reached his seventies. He kept busy at his beautiful estate, living with his housekeeper and gardener.

On May 15, 1921 William Fernie died at the age of eighty-four. His ashes were buried next to his brother’s in Ross Bay Cemetery. William was a generous man leaving, in his will, large sums of money to charity organizations. He left $10 000 to the Jubilee Hospital, $2500 to the orphanage and $1000 to the Aged Ladies Home, which in today’s dollars would be approximately ten times that amount. His estate was valued at $258 000 He left $50 000 in legacies to friends, and the rest he sent to his relatives in England. William Fernie traveled the world in search of his fortune, which he finally found in the Elk Valley. Seeing an opportunity to prosper, he opened up the Elk Valley coalfields for development. Over a hundred years later, the coal industry and towns that he helped to build continue to thrive in this region.

Introduction		Michael Phillipps