Warfield, British Columbia

Warfield is a village at the bottom of the Rossland hill, immediately west of Trail, in the West Kootenay region of southern British Columbia.

Warfield
The Corporation of the Village of Warfield[1]
Nickname(s): 
Jewel of the Kootenays
Warfield
Location of Warfield in British Columbia
Coordinates: 49°05′43″N 117°44′42″W
Country Canada
Province British Columbia
RegionWest Kootenay
Regional districtKootenay-Boundary
Incorporated8 December 1952
Government
  Governing bodyWarfield Village Council
Area
  Total1.9 km2 (0.7 sq mi)
Elevation
600 m (2,000 ft)
Population
 (2016)
  Total1,680[2]
Time zoneUTC-8 (PST)
Area code(s)250, 778, 236, & 672
Highways Hwy 3B
Hwy 22
WebsiteOfficial website

Settlement

Warfield was named after Carlos Warfield, a business partner of Fritz Augustus Heinze, who built the Trail smelter.[3] Annable,[4][5] Mickey Mouse Town, and Minnie Mouse Town are among its six distinct neighbourhoods.[6] In the 1930s, the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company (CM&S) built a residential area to house employees. Warfield incorporated as a village in 1952.[3]

Fertilizer farm

In 1919, CM&S bought a tract of land at Warfield to supply cheap produce for its workers, and show that pollution from the Trail smelter was not as significant as critics claimed, but the farm proved the converse. Following the installation of a pollution control device in 1925, the captured dust was taken to a plant built at the farm that converted the material into a variety of fertilizers. By 1931, the company produced hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, ammonia sulphate, phosphite and phosphoric acid-based products.[7]

By 1941, the Warfield plant output of ordinance-grade ammonium nitrate was directed to munitions during World War II. In addition, the US military needed heavy water for the Manhattan Project. The only two sources in the world were Vemork, Norway, under German occupation, and Trail, where electrolytic hydrogen was a by-product of the CM&S sulfur recovery process. CM&S was directed by the federal government to build a heavy water plant at Warfield, which was funded by the US, and operated from 1943 to 1956. A 14-storey concrete building in the midst of the fertilizer complex has evidenced the strategic project.[8]

Rossland CP line

In 1896, Warfield was one of two intermediate stations opened.[3] In 1966, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) abandoned the Rossland spur west of Warfield.[9]

Government

On the provincial level, Warfield is a part of the electoral district of Kootenay West (provincial electoral district). The riding, which has traditionally voted for the British Columbia New Democratic Party, is currently represented by NDP MLA Katrine Conroy.

In the House of Commons of Canada, Warfield is represented in the electoral district of South Okanagan—West Kootenay. Created prior to the 2015 General Election, the seat is currently held by NDP Member of Parliament Richard Cannings (British Columbia politician).

School District

The current school district for Warfield is School District 20 Kootenay-Columbia.[10] Currently, Warfield offers one elementary school and one preschool.

Schools

School Enrollment Grades Mascot Principal Offered sports
James L Webster Elementary School 295 K-7 Leo the Lion Mr Stefani Volleyball (6–7), Basketball (6–7), Cross Country (1–7), and Track (4–7).
Warfield Preschool (Associated with Webster) Not confirmed Preschool (3–5 years old) Not known Mr Stefani N/A

Climate

Warfield has a humid continental climate (Dfb) with warm, sometimes hot summer days along with cool nights and moderately cold, snowy winters with annual snowfall averaging 70.5 inches (179 cm).[11]

References

  1. "British Columbia Regional Districts, Municipalities, Corporate Name, Date of Incorporation and Postal Address" (XLS). British Columbia Ministry of Communities, Sport and Cultural Development. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  2. "Census Profile, 2016 Census: Warfield, Village". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  3. "Castlegar News, 30 Nov 2017". www.castlegarnews.com.
  4. "Nelson Star, 28 Apr 2013". www.nelsonstar.com.
  5. "Nelson Star, 21 Jul 2013". www.nelsonstar.com.
  6. "Castlegar News, 21 Sep 2019". www.nelsonstar.com.
  7. "Cleaning up: the Smelter and Mother Nature". www.crowsnest-highway.ca.
  8. "Project 9: CM&S and the Destruction of Hiroshima". www.crowsnest-highway.ca.
  9. "The Columbia & Western Railway and Rossland". www.crowsnest-highway.ca.
  10. School District #20 (Kootenay-Columbia, B.C.); Ministry of Education: Aboriginal Education Enhancements Branch (2008). Aboriginal education enhancement agreement. [Ministry of Education]. OCLC 489627034.
  11. Canada, Environment and Climate Change (25 September 2013). "Canadian Climate Normals 1981-2010 Station Data - Climate - Environment and Climate Change Canada". climate.weather.gc.ca. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  12. "Calculation Information for 1981 to 2010 Canadian Normals Data". Environment Canada. Retrieved 9 July 2013.

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