Bonnington Falls Regional District of Central Kootenay, British Columbia

Community - An unincorporated populated place, generally with a population of 50 or more, and having a recognized central area that might contain a post office, store and/or community hall, etc, intended for the use of the general public in the region. N side Kootenay River, between Castlegar and Nelson, Kootenay Land District

Mapped Location

Bonnington Falls: The mapped location is an approximation and should not be used for navigation or wayfinding.

 

Information

General information on Bonnington Falls

  • Feature Type: Place

 

Official, historical, colloquial and alternative toponyms for Bonnington Falls

A brief list of names that this geographic feature has been named

Name Description
Bonnington Falls Official

 

Origin Notes and History of Bonnington Falls

References to Bonnington Falls that document the origin of its place name

Bonnington Falls (Post Office) adopted 2 March 1948 on 82F/6, as labelled on BC map 1EM, 1915 et seq. Form of name changed to Bonnington Falls (settlement) 31 July 1970 (file T.1.47); further changed to Bonnington Falls (community).

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

Bonnington Falls Post Office opened 1 August 1911; closed 31 August 1964.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

Named in association with nearby Bonnington Falls (waterfalls) in turn named by Sir Charles Ross, after Bonnington Linn, a waterfall on his Lanarkshire estate on the River Clyde in Scotland. The estate, called Bonnington Manor, was established by his ancestor, Arctic explorer Sir John Ross; it is not clear if the estate was named after the waterfall, or vice versa. Sir Charles Henry Augustus Frederick Lockhart Ross, Bart. (1872-1942) was one of the first financiers (and served as first president) of West Kootenay Power & Light Company. Ross designed & built the dam and electric power plant here. He also invented the Ross rifle that was so unpopular with Canadian troops in World War I.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

One dictionary identifies the Gaelic "corrach linne" as meaning "angry cataracts" or "precipitous water"; another that "linn" is the Gaelic word for waterfall(s). According to a Gazetteer of Scotland, Corra Linn and Bonnington Linn are about 1/2 mile apart on the River Clyde. Their British Columbia namesakes are about 1 mile apart; Bonnington Falls (waterfalls) first labelled on BC map 4A, 1912.

B.C. Geographical Names in Province of British Columbia
BC place name cards, or correspondence to/from BC's Chief Geographer or BC Geographical Names Office  |  Province of British Columbia

 

Regional District of Central Kootenay

Political Boundaries

Last updated: 2023-09-27