Cover Stories
Capturing History - The Photography of Joseph Frederick Spalding
Joseph Frederick Spalding, or J. Fred. Spalding as he often referred to himself, captured images of the Elk Valley that have ensured us a well documented record of our past. As a photographer and tireless promoter of Fernie, Spalding recorded on film views of the Valley that he felt placed it second to none with respect to beauty and scenery.
The Fernie & District Historical Society has created this document to celebrate the work of J.F. Spalding and to give our community a broader perspective of his contributions
Building, Rebuilding and Re-using – Fernie’s Commercial Buildings
Fernie has seen many fires, however the two that have had the most impact are the April 29th, 1904 fire which consumed six blocks of the commercial district on Victoria Avenue and resulted in the incorporation of the then Company Town into a full fledged self governing city and the Great Fire of August 1st 1908 in which small bush fire south of Fernie whipped up by, cyclone force winds in the span of 90 minutes almost completely destroyed all but a few buildings in Fernie
The Fernie Courthouse
March 16, 2009 marked the 98th anniversary of the first court session in the Fernie Courthouse. While this was the first court date for this building, three court facilities had preceded it.
Fernie Courthouse: The Fernie Courthouse as photographed by J. F. Spalding circa 1912."Fernie Courthouse: as photographed by J. F. Spalding circa 1912." title="Fernie Courthouse: as photographed by J. F. Spalding circa 1912." class="image image-preview " width="362" height="237" />Fernie Courthouse: as photographed by J. F. Spalding circa 1912.