town either as Quartz Creek or Wild Horse. That year, in a post office application, the authorities rejected the suggested Wild Horse name. Daniel Chase Corbin, who was subdividing his townsite, objected to Quartz Creek and proposed a unique name derived from the nearby Ymir Mountain. The earliest mention of the town adopting the name is May 1897. Whereas the Norse pronunciation is ee-mer, the local BC one is why-mer, which took hold no later than the 1920s. Railway The mining potential motivated Corbin to build the Nelson and Fort Sheppard Railway. Opening in 1893, the railway in turn boosted the mining industry. However, the station at Quartz Creek did not open until 1897 and was called Ymir. The railway soon became part of the Great Northern Railway fold and its subsequent rebranding. The stop was northeast of Boulder Mill, and southwest of Hall. Passenger train service ceased in 1951. In 1997, the railway (which had been abandoned in 1989) was acquired by the Government of British Columbia for recreational purposes. The rail corridor was transformed into the Salmo-Troup Rail Trail after the rails were removed in 1999. Early community An expanding mining industry increased the population and corresponding building activity. This included a hospital, post office, 11 hotels (two of which still stand), a firehall (also standing), a schoolhouse, police station, churches, and other businesses and residences. By 1897, about 40 buildings existed and the population was approximately 800 in the town and 400 in the immediate area. John McLeod was the inaugural postmaster 1897–1904. In 1911, the Salmo–Ymir road opened. In 1923, the Nelson–Ymir road opened, completing the last link in the Nelson–Spokane highway (now Highway 6). Several fires destroyed most of the original buildings, notably in 1903, 1922, and 1933. The fire in 1933 was particularly ferocious, destroying the hospital, which had been considered one of the finest in the Kootenays. In 1945, the population was approximately 125; its lowest since 1896. Later community Ymir is about south of the turnoff for Whitewater Ski Resort. The village consists of a store, two historic hotels, a fire hall, a restored historic schoolhouse, a church, a community hall, and various residential properties. The location is mainly a bedroom community for the nearby cities of Nelson and Castlegar. The environs offer opportunities for hiking, frisbee golf, mountain biking, and outdoor exploration. BC Transit operates a weekday service. Ymir hosts the