| Feature Type: | Locality - A named place or area, generally with a scattered population of 50 or less. |
| Status: | Official |
| Name Authority: | BC Geographical Names Office |
| Relative Location: | W. of junction of Ferguson and Lardeau Creeks, Kootenay Land District |
| Latitude-Longitude: | 50°40'34"N, 117°28'34"W at the approximate population centre of this feature. |
| Datum: | WGS84 |
| NTS Map: | 82K/11 |
| Related Maps: |
82K/11 82K/12 |
|
|
Origin Notes and History:
|
Ferguson (Post Office) adopted 1 March 1956 on 82K/11, as labelled on BC Lands' map of Kootenay Mining Divisions, 1902, and on Geological Survey map 19A, Lardeau, 1911, and on BC Lands' map 1EM, 1915. Form of name changed to Ferguson (locality) 4 May 1979 (file B.1.55) Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
|
After David Ferguson, owner of the townsite. Born 1861 at Grand Bend, Ontario, one of 6 or 7 brothers; not clear how or when he and at least some of his brothers arrived in the Kootenays. Ferguson brothers David & Andrew were prospectors, associated with numerous silver-lead claims in the Lardeau area. This property was known as St. Davids c1894; not clear why the name was changed (possibly a unique name, or 'something more suitable' was required by postal authorities?). Town of Ferguson identified in 1897 BC Mines Report. Ferguson Post Office was opened 1 December 1898, G.B. Batho, postmaster. By 1900, almost 1000 people lived here. The price of silver dropped before 1910, and CPR and Kaslo-Lardo-Duncan Railway cancelled their plans to extend the rail north from Kootenay Lake. Census recorded 8 people at Ferguson in 1956. Post Office was relocated from L1140 to Trout Lake City, 30 August 1969; closed permanently 18 January 1974. Meanwhile, David Ferguson had died at Saanichton, 19 December 1903, where he, his brothers and their parents had settled after leaving the Kootenays; Andrew Ferguson was still living in Vancouver in 1949. Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office |
|
David Ferguson was one of 6 brothers, all born at Grand Bend, Ontario; the brothers came to the Lardeau country (together or separately ?), and in 1902 they all moved to Saanichton. David Ferguson died under mysterious circumstances, later determined to be suicide. (information provided December 1997 & February 1998 by Peter Arends, Victoria, including transcript of 1904 newspaper article on file B.1.55) Source: included with note |