was a notable fiasco of the era. To make the waterways navigable would have required extensive dredging of the two rivers for many miles and a complete rebuild of the canal. The downstream falls on the Kootenay were especially problematic. In 1890, a wagon bridge across the canal was destroyed when the canal banks collapsed. In summertime, the Golden–Fort Steele passenger service, which served the locality, encompassed riverboat, tramway and stage modes. In 1892, the Upper Columbia Navigation & Tramway Co opened the tramway which connected Columbia Lake and Windermere Lake. In wintertime, when river ice shut down river traffic, a stage traversed the whole route. The 1894 flood destroyed the original bridge, which was replaced near year end with a Howe truss, a Queen truss, and four pile bents. In 1897, the tramway permanently closed. Passengers transferred to a stage for the Windermere–Fort Steele leg. In 1899, the respective mileages from Golden were Windermere (82.2), Brewer's (95.3), Canal Flat (111.4), and Kootenay Bridge (113.2). In the early 1900s, a substantial replacement bridge appears to have been built adjacent to Canal Flats. In 1911, the relevant listed stopping places were Windermere (82), Fairmont Springs (93), Sante's (106), Wolf Creek/Hanson's (151), and Fort Steele (160). In 1931, the new bridge comprised two Howe trusses. The relief camp at Canal Flats during the Great Depression carried out highway improvements. In 1950, Highway 4 was renumbered as Highway 95, which was rebuilt in the late 1950s and paving was completed in 1962. In 1966, the highway bridge was replaced by a concrete structure. Earlier community Adjacent to the northwest is Thunder Hill, forming part of the Canal Flats area. The hill is first mentioned in an 1891 mining claim. A tramway was installed from the 70-ton concentrator to the mine, but work ceased in 1893. The company was wound up the next year. The concentrator was sold for relocation in 1902 but the removal did not eventuate. The local post offices were called Grohman 1888–1889, Thunder Hill 1893–1913, and Canal Flats 1913 onward. During the canal construction, a hotel and general store operated. Shacks provided winter accommodation for the 200 workers. Once the construction crews left, the hotel, which Charles J. Brownrigg took over, was too large for likely patronage. The business soon closed, but the 1893 hotel opening by James Durick was welcomed. Eneas (Enie) H. Small, who became the proprietor of