Since the firm’s founding in 2017, McEwan Partners has had the pleasure of partnering with Moraine Winery on a series of wine labels for Moraine wines that provide a unique window into events and places of significance in British Columbian history.
Gold was discovered in 1859 at Rock Creek near the southern boundary of the newly formed Colony of British Columbia. American miners surged across the border. As the town boomed, the ensuing sustained disorder was dubbed by the colonial papers as “The Rock Creek War.” In 1860, an alarmed Governor Douglas determined to build a trail through the southern interior to protect British sovereignty. Edward Dewdney was enlisted to build the trail, starting from Fort Hope. By the time the trail reached Rock Creek, the rush was over. Authorized by Governor Seymour, Dewdney continued construction to Wildhorse Creek, the site of another gold rush, and hired William Fernie to complete an extension connecting the trail from there to Fernie. Our image is of a bridge over Elk River on that extension. While the Dewdney Trail fell into disuse within decades of its 1866 completion, BC Highway 3 largely follows its route, from Hope to the Crowsnest Pass.
May 21, 2026