Revelstoke, British Columbia

Revelstoke was founded in the 1880s when the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) was built through the area; mining was an important early industry. The name was originally Farwell, after a local land owner and surveyor. In yet earlier days, the spot was called the Second Crossing, to differentiate it from the first crossing of the Columbia River by the Canadian Pacific Railway at Donald. The city was named by the Canadian Pacific Railway in appreciation of Lord Revelstoke, head of Baring Brothers & Co., the UK investment bank that, in partnership with Glyn, Mills & Co., saved the Canadian Pacific Railway from bankruptcy in the summer of 1885 by buying the company's unsold bonds, enabling the railway to reach completion.The construction of the Trans-Canada Highway in 1962 further eased access to the region, and since then tourism has been an important feature of the local economy, with skiing having emerged as the most prominent attraction. Mount Revelstoke National Park is just north of the town. Currently the construction of a major new ski resort is underway on Mount MacKenzie, just outside of town. Revelstoke is also the site of a railway museum.It is also the site and namesake of the 1965 impact of a meteorite, which, though resulting in only a few small pieces that could be found, made a splendorous fireball track across the sky. This meteorite was a carbonaceous chondrite, an especially primitive and friable type. That fact, plus the rather flat trajectory (allowing a long air path) accounts for the paucity of surviving fragments - most of the meteorite evaporated, burnt up, or broke into dust.Revelstoke holds the Canadian record for snowiest single winter. 2447 cm of snow fell on Mt.Copeland outside town during the winter of 1971-72. That works out to just over 80 feet of snow. The townsite received 779 cm and snow levels were higher than many roofs around town by more than a few metres.