Located on the shores of Kootenay Lake and surrounded by the mountains of the Selkirk and Purcell ranges, is the small community of Gray Creek. Home of the oldest operational general store in the area, the Gray Creek Store has a great collection of BC history books and continues to display its wares in their original display cases. Nearby, Lockhart Creek Park provides easy access to Kootenay Lake and boasts a sand and fine gravel beach. Take a lake tour and enjoy a fascinating day on the water in this mountain paradise. Intricate rock formations and the unusual geology of the Kootenays provide pictures of the past and present living together in this tranquil valley. Recreational trails through the forests are easily accessible from the highway, including the off-road section of the Trans Canada Trail. Year-round fishing is popular on the lake and golf is a short drive to Crawford Bay.

History of Gray Creek

The Oliver family settled in Gray Creek, having come from Portage La Prairie in 1905, they purchased property that professional gambler, Sydney Cummings, had won on a turn of the cards at the Klondyke Hotel in Nelson.

Henry Croasdaille came with the Royal Navy to Esquimalt, near Victoria, and purchased 200, or more, acres at Gray Creek, where he built a house and planted apple trees in 1908. We consider him the father of Gray Creek as his impetus brought the Post Office, with Tom Oliver Sr. becoming Postmaster.

Learn more about the history of Gray Creek.