Creston
Feature Type:Town - A populated place with legally defined boundaries, incorporated as a town municipality under the provincial Municipal Act.
Status: Official
Name Authority: BC Geographical Names Office
Relative Location: Between S end of Kootenay Lake and BC-Idaho boundary, SE of Nelson, Kootenay Land District
Latitude-Longitude: 49°05'50"N, 116°30'47"W at the approximate location of the Municipal Hall.
Datum: WGS84
NTS Map: 82F/2
Related Maps:
Origin Notes and History:

Creston (Town) identified in 1909 BC Gazetteer; labelled on BC Lands' map 1EM, 1915. Incorporated as a Village Municipality 14 May 1924; confirmed as Creston (Village) in the 18th Report of the Geographic Board of Canada, 31 March 1924. Re-incorporated as a Town Municipality effective 1 January 1966.

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

Creston Post Office was opened 1 March 1899. [see also the municipality's own website.]

Source: BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office

The land now owned by Canadian Pacific Railway was previously owned by Fred Little, who had come from Creston, Iowa, where he had worked on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway. He would not deed the land to the CPR until they had agreed to name the station Creston after his home town, which was similarly situated at the outlet of a major waterbody. Known as "7th Siding" during construction of the Crowsnest Line, 1897-98, CPR had tentatively named the station and planned townsite "Fisher", but agreed to alter it to "Creston".

Source: Provincial Archives of BC "Place Names File" compiled 1945-1950 by A.G. Harvey from various sources, with subsequent additions

The traditional name for this site is Ya ·qa ·n nu?kiy, pronounced ya-qan-noo kee [meaning/significance not provided]. (April 2006 advice from Janice Alpine, Ktunaxa Language Program)

Source: included with note