In the summer of 2008, Columbia Basin Trust began collecting stories from Basin residents who were affected by the construction of the Hugh Keenleyside, Duncan, Mica and Libby dams, and to share these largely unknown stories with a broader audience.

The Columbia River Treaty, signed in 1964 between Canada and the United States, resulted in the creation of three treaty dams - Hugh Keenleyside, Duncan and Mica in southeastern British Columbia. A fourth dam, Libby, was built in Montana. The dams created the Arrow Lakes, Duncan, Kinbasket, and Koocanusa reservoirs, which displaced 2,300 Basin residents.

The Basin Stories project will document the affected residents' stories of what life was like prior to, and after, the construction of the dams and the flooding. This oral history will be captured through photographic images, audio and video recordings, and in written form.

Please visit this page for project updates and click on the links below to see and hear some of these stories. If you would like to share your story, contact Nancy Boucher at nboucher@cbt.org or 1.800.505.8998.

Max moved to Renata in 1946, where his family owned 24 acres of land above the high water mark. They were the only family whose land was not bought by BC Hydro. Max remembers the vibrant community of Renata being supported by fruit-growers and farmers. He has fond memories of Renata and that is one of the reasons he purchased the old community schoolhouse for $15 dollars which he proudly displays on his property. Now retired, Max now spends more and more time in Renata, a place he considers one of the most beautiful spots on Earth.

The Peters' reminisce about the life and plans they had while living in Renata, after moving there in 1940. Maria's connection to Renata goes back to her parents who were pioneers of the area and Renata also holds a special place for Maria as she was born there in 1920. The Peters owned 50 acres above the high water mark.

Daisy Welsh (surname Havdale) moved to Robson only a few years prior to Hugh Keenleyside Dam being built. Her and her family carefully selected their property in Robson which had a house, rental cabins, an orchard and gardens. They chose this place to live after searching all over BC. The Dam now sits where her home was. Daisy can easily recall the experience she and her family had with BC Hydro at the time of the buy-outs, because she kept a detailed journal.

Roy Coleman was born in Nelson and raised in Deer Park where his parents owned and operated the community store and post office. Growing up Roy helped with the family business as well as on their orchard. He purchased the Syringa Creek Store in 1954, where he also became the postmaster. Roy lived in Syringa Creek for 12 years before moving to Castlegar after his buy-out from BC Hydro.

Susie Doell is one of the oldest remaining survivors of the former residents of Renata, a town to which her father moved to in 1912. Susie moved to Renata after her train journey from Revelstoke took her to the end of the line at Arrowhead where she boarded the Minto in order to get to Renata. She remembers clearing the land on the family farm, burying waterlines, and working at the Renata packing shed where she prepared cherries for shipment to New York. Susie left Renata to marry Pete Doell in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan in 1940. They returned to Renata in 1945.

Gerry Rempel's ties to Renata go back to the earliest years of the 20th century. Gerry has many childhood memories of living in Renata until he was 10 years old when his family relocated to Castlegar. He enjoyed the simplicity of life in Renata with no electricity, a one-room school house, and living off the 26 acres of forest, orchard and hay fields his family owned.

Wally Penner was 8 years old when he moved with his family to Renata. However, they were not new to the area as Wally's grandparents had been long-time residents of the community. Wally had many adventures growing up in Renata: fishing, playing hide-n-seek with cars, attending community events, participating in family chores and attending the one-room schoolhouse. Wally remembers the BC Hydro negotiations and remembers feeling a sense of inevitability about leaving Renata, and how many people (including himself) found work with BC Hydro in preparations for dam construction. Wally's connection to Renata remains strong to this day. He owns land above the high water mark where he has the only intact house that has survived its original location.

Lloyd and Ruth Sharpe married and moved to Baynes Lake in 1951. They have never left, refusing buy-outs by BC Hydro. The Sharpes ranched over 700 acres with an extensive cow-calf operation at the Island Ranch, known as some of the finest land in the region. They recall the transition from farming with horses to mechanized farming. They believe BC Hydro made promises that were not kept or were misleading to their neighbours.

Siblings Lita and Charles lived in the community of Newgate, which no longer exists, in the Kootenay River Valley. This area was affected by Libby Dam, built in Montana, US which flooded approximately 60 kms of the Kootenay Valley north of the border. Lita describes Newgate and her life there as, "the most beautiful childhood a person could wish for." The siblings have many recollections about their parents' history in the area, life on the Canada/US border, fishing, farming, and riding horses. Both Lita and Charles still live in the Kootenay River Valley in Grasmere.

Lewis Abbey's family owned 160 acres of bottomland at the mouth of Gold Creek on the Kootenay River. One hundred thirty acres of this land was lost in the flooding caused by the Libby Dam, built in Montana, US. Lewis grew up on the border, attending the one-room schoolhouse in Newgate (the nearest community to his family home, and one that no longer exists). He remembers the family's cattle and hayfields, and the negotiations with the government. Today Lewis and his family still own the remaining 30 acres of land above the high water mark and he visits it whenever possible, calling it the most beautiful piece of land on Koocanusa Lake.

Kazimer Czernicki owned a 134-acre cattle ranch on the east-side of the Kootenay River, just north of the American border. Kazimer's parents homesteaded the land. He recalls life on the ranch as a child and adult. Kazimer and Margaret remember negotiations with the government and the emotional toll it took on their family as their entire home and land was flooded because it was all valley bottomland.

Pearl Myers moved to Revelstoke in 1959 with her husband and six-month old son. The Myers bought a 90 acre farm and depended on the farm and her husband's work in the forestry for an income. Pearl recalls how an accident in the workplace left her husband in a wheelchair, and about the eventual separation of her family. Pearl talks about raising her son, and returning to Revelstoke after the flooding to buy back 45 acres of their original property, where she has lived ever since, farming the land and operating a floral business.

Ivan and Nancy Graham moved to the community of Sidmouth in the Columbia Valley in 1956. Sidmouth was located by the 24-mile ferry and existed on both sides of the Columbia River. The Grahams recall life on their 140-acre property that was used for hunting, farming, gardening, and which was the site of their pole peeling and sawmill business. They remember how simple life was at the time and living without electricity. The Grahams remember their negotiations with BC Hydro and the eventual moving of their house and sawmill to a piece of land at Twelve-Mile, where they still live and work today.

Brian Gadbois recalls his childhood and how things changed after his family was moved from their land at the mouth of the Illecillewaet River to another area of Revelstoke. As a child Brian thought if he moved the surveyor's stakes he could move the future dike required for the Hugh Keenleyside Dam and save his family's land and home. Brian sees the long term impacts of the dike on the area and how the Arrow Valley has become a recreational playground - an open, flat, explorable piece of land that is only seasonally a filled reservoir.

Bea Anton was born and raised in Nakusp. She emotionally recalls many dealings with BC Hydro and her battle for both her and her mother's home.

Ollie and Ernie Roberts owned a 32-acre farm on the west side of Arrow Lake in Arrow Park. They had many expectations for their lives on the farm prior to the flooding. Arrow Park was the centre of a 20-km strip on the west side, home to approximately 100 families. The Roberts remained on their farm, holding out on the buy-out even after the ferry was stopped and they had to row their children across the lake to the school bus. Ernie recalls working long hours in the woods and farming in order to live in that area. The Roberts loved their life in Arrow Park but were moved from their farm in 1969, and settled in Nakusp.

Evelyn Thorp was raised in Fruitvale, but remembers her family's summer home at Syringa Creek on Arrow Lake. They had a 10-acre property that had its own water system, a large house and a good access road from Robson. She remembers her father's resistance to selling the land that was never supposed to be flooded. The land eventually became Syringa Creek Provincial Park.

Janet Spicer moved to Nakusp in 1948, when her father bought an established farm. Janet's family had many successes as farmers and they loved life on the farm. The results from her family's negotiations with BC Hydro, resulted in the bottomlands of the farm being lost. Janet Spicer still lives and farms the surviving shares of her father's property.

Charles and Ethel Berry's roots in the Arrow Valley go back to 1939 when Charlie's father purchased six acres of land at Burton. It is on the same land that Charles and Ethel had their first home and where they began life with their three children. The Berry's recall their lives as a young family, with Charles working in the woods while Ethel raised the babies and kept herself entertained with a well-stocked personal library. Through a provision called flowage easement, the Berry's were able to keep the land but were still forced to burn the family home. The Berry's recall moving their children to Nakusp for their school years, and built a new home on their land, further from the reservoir, in 1978 where they still live today.

Jim Robertson can trace his ties to the Arrow Valley back to the 1904 arrival of his great uncle and grandfather. His grandparents were the first couple to be married in Burton, the first to have a baby in Burton, and the first family to have a fruit-bearing tree. His family was active in the development of the community. He recalls seeing survey crews as early as the 1940s in the valley.

Oliver and Helen Buerge lived on their farm, which was located on the flat plain of valley bottomland that included the original town of Burton. The Buerge's owned 190 acres and mostly specialized in cattle. Both Helen and Oliver were born in or near Burton and heard rumours of a dam in the valley long before the actual dam was built. The Buege's account of BC Hydro and the land appraisals at the time is recalled in a book titled Land Grab - Oliver Buerge Versus the Authority, written by Donald Waterfield.