Three Valley Gap British Columbia - In 1962, the Trans-Canada highway through Roger's Pass was paved, drastically improving travel from the Lower Mainland to Alberta.
 
The increase in traffic lead to an increase in tourism and Vernon historian and videographer Francois Arseneault has unearthed colour footage from the bygone days.
 
"With a paved highway connecting both Vancouver and Alberta to the Interior of BC, life began to change quickly for the people in any of the towns and villages along the Trans-Canada. The Sicamous-Revelstoke road was constructed in 1922, however it was, at best, a rough gravel road with speeds not more than 30 mph (50 kph)," Arseneault said.
 
The newly paved highway made short work of the drive, the big bend highway between Golden and Revelstoke became obsolete saving a half day's drive from Calgary.
 
The scars of the recent construction and slide mitigation were still visible on the far shore of Three Valley Lake (Near Summit Lake).
 
With the dramatic increase in tourism, tourist stops began popping up along the route, including the iconic Three Valley Gap and its red-roofed hotel.
 
"Three Valley Lake Chateau, built by Gordon and Ethel Bell, began in 1956 when they purchased the land that would become the little gem it is today," Arseneault said.
 
It began with a seven-seat coffee shop, seven-room motel, and museum.
 
Today, the chateau boasts 200 rooms, a swimming pool, and a theatre.
 
"But in 1962 it was a rather modest affair on the eastern shore of picturesque Three Valley Lake.
 
For families, it was a summer vacation full of wonderful memories," he said.
 
Since 1885, the views of Three Valley Lake had been almost the exclusive domain of train passengers aboard the Canadian Pacific's (CP) trains like the Dominion, the Trans-Canada Limited, and in 1955, The Canadian.
 
"On this sunny summer day, the east bound Dominion with a long combination of express boxcars, rail post office cars, 1930s heavyweight sleepers, and a single modern Budd Company built dome car would have been a common sight as it passed through the many snowsheds on its way to eastern Canada," Arseneault said.
 
"With increasing competition from the airlines and diminishing train passengers, CP transferred its passenger fleet to VIA in 1978, the last VIA train on this route was in 1990. Today, only the privately run Rocky Mountaineer makes this trip in summer."
 
Arseneault is always looking for more information on the vintage footage he digs up, and he encourages people to add their input in the comments section on his Youtube page.
 
Arseneault has an extensive collection of vintage footage, and he is looking for more.
 
Anyone who may have old 16 mm or 8 mm film footage of the Vernon and Okanagan area is invited to email Arseneault at stockshooter.yyc@gmail.com.
 
Author unknown.