The years following the Second World War were not so kind to the Memorial Fort. … Maintenance was lacking, and the building was gradually falling into a state of disrepair.
It was a small step to take the idea of commemorating David Thompson and blend it with Invermere’s desire to stand out as a tourist destination.
The Houlgrave property was far back on the Toby Benches, a good distance away from other settlers.
The old Lascelles Ranch, turned Grainger property, located to the north of Canal Flats, was later in part developed into Eagles Nest Estates.
Fairmont appealed to the Ogilvy-Wills family, and they soon made the transition to live there permanently, [on a ranch] known as “The Meadows”.
“The road we had come over was scarcely a road… it was climb, climb, climb… and then down, down a steep hill, car in low, single track road absolutely a shelf on the side of the mountain miles long.”43
The name “Firlands” first appears in print in early June 1899.51 The reason for choosing the name is unknown.
For all that the name Jim Johnston is relatively well known in local historical circles, I was surprised by how little there is recorded about him in print.
“‘I can’t tell you much about [George Geary], although I knew him well. He was a reserved fellow, never said much about himself but he lived for horses, they were his life.'”74
A veritable parade of Hardie siblings lived in and/or visited the Windermere Valley from the mid 1880s into the early 1900s.
In The Windermere 