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Fort Steele Heritage Town - SOCIAL HISTORY |
![]() BIBLIOGRAPHY ![]() SITE CONTENTS ![]() LOCATION MAP ![]() MEASURED DRAWINGS ![]() TEACHER'S CORNER ![]() ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION ![]() DESIGN TEAM ![]() HOME ![]() |
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There are a number of important aspects to the development of a community. Dr. Watt's house, Johnson's Blacksmith, the City Bakery, and Doyle's warehouse are four buildings that can help in understanding Fort Steele's development as a community. These four buildings have been restored and are open to the public to provide an entertaining and interactive experience with the actors who are on site showing life as it was in the 19th century.
Finally Fort Steele received their first doctor (Charles Maclean) in 1895. In 1897, Dr. Watt arrived in Fort Steele and took over Maclean's medical practice. The building of Dr. Watt's house represented a permanent medical doctor in the community. Dr. Watt was very active in the Fort Steele community and was the driving force behind the building of the hospital in 1897. (Ibid., 94.)
People had to indulge their sweet tooth once in a while and the bakery did not disappoint its customers. Using a 'wood fire oven' they made some of the finest baked goods anywhere. Some of the products that you could expect to see in this bakery would be breads, cakes, fruit, milk and butter. (Ibid., 111.) It is not known if the City Bakery was previously occupied by Mrs. Underhill or Mrs. Dilse, but we do know "Fort Steele had at its peak three bakeries". (Ibid.) The primary use of the building was a bakery, however the building has been used to sell candy, fruit, and laundry services.
Doyle's warehouse was constructed sometime in 1890's and was used to store a variety of items. Miner's travelling south for the winter months would keep their horses at Doyle's Warehouse. Owning a warehouse proved to be a smart economic investment for Doyle. (W. Andrews, "Fort Steele Doyle's Warehouse". Selected 'As Found' Drawings Projects. Vol. 4 (Victoria, B.C.: British Columbia Heritage Trust, 1985) 1.) |
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Last updated 1 March 1999. This digital collection was produced under contract to the Canada's Digital Collections Program, Industry Canada. Produced by Canada's Digital Collections Team. Content provided by BC Heritage Trust and Heritage Branch, Province of British Columbia. |
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