Boundary Country

The Boundary Country is a historical designation for a district in southern British Columbia lying, as its name suggests, along the boundary between Canada and the United States. It lies to the east of the southern Okanagan Valley and to the west of the West Kootenay. It is often included in descriptions of both of those regions but historically has been considered a separate region. Originally inclusive of the South Okanagan towns of Osoyoos and Oliver, today the term continues in use to refer to the valleys of the Kettle, West Kettle, and Granby Rivers and of Boundary and Rock Creeks and that of Christina Lake and of their various tributaries, all draining the south slope of the Monashee Mountains The term Boundary District as well as the term Boundary Country can both refer to the local mining division of the British Columbia Ministry of Mines, Energy and Petroleum Resources.

Geography

The Boundary Country comprises the lower valleys of the West Kettle and Kettle Rivers and the lower Granby River. The Granby and Kettle converge just north of the border at Grand Forks, the largest city and heart of the Boundary. The Kettle crosses the border at the town of Midway, near the confluence of the Kettle and Boundary Creek, which flows out of the galena-rich Boundary Creek basin where the city of Greenwood is located. A small pass connects between the Kettle River basin and that of the Granby, where the town of Grand Forks lies immediately upon the border, and just east of which is the resort community of Christina Lake.

The other principal community of the Boundary Country is Rock Creek, which is located at the western end of the region where the creek of the same name meets the Kettle River. The area is rich with the sites of former towns and cities, most long defunct and nearly disappeared, although the names Kettle Valley, Boundary Falls, Anaconda, Phoenix and Eholt still appear on the map.

History

The Boundary Country was part of the traditional territory of the Sinixt, a First Nations people of the Interior Salish language group (also known as "the Lake" or "the Lakes" Indians). They are closely related to the neighbouring Okanagan and Colville peoples, and the Okanagan also consider the Boundary Country, as well as all lands claimed by the Sinixt, to be part of their own traditional territory. Declared "extinct" as a band by the government of Canada during the early 20th century, some Sinixt families still reside in neighbouring Washington.

Political organization

Federally, the Boundary Country is now part of the British Columbia Southern Interior electoral district. Historically it was originally part of the Yale riding (1871-1952) and afterwards had been in the Okanagan Boundary (1952-1966) and the Okanagan—Kootenay (1966-1968) ridings.

The Boundary Country is currently part of the West Kootenay-Boundary provincial electoral district. Previously it had been in the Okanagan-Boundary (1991-1996) ridings, Boundary-Similkameen (1963-1991), and Grand Forks-Greenwood ridings (1924-1963). From 1903 to 1924 it was represented by two ridings, Greenwood and Grand Forks, both of which had been created from the redistribution of the older West Kootenay (south riding) (1894 only) and prior to that West Kootenay riding (1890 only). Originally it was part of the Kootenay (provincial electoral district).

The Boundary Country is currently part of the Kootenay Boundary Regional District.

Municipalities

The incorporated municipalities in the Boundary Country are the cities of Grand Forks and Greenwood, British Columbia and the village of Midway. Rock Creek and Christina Lake are not incorporated. During the area's smelting and railway heyday, Phoenix was also incorporated as a city but only Greenwood and Grand Forks retain their city status, with Greenwood proudly retaining the status of "Canada's Smallest City".