Harry Francis Killough

February 3rd, 1934 – December 9th, 2022

Article written by Steven Rigby – Friends of the Columbia and Western Trail

We are saddened after a long life, well lived. Harry Killough passed away peacefully in his sleep early in the morning of December 9th, 2022. Many people visiting the Columbia and Western Trail in the early years of Rail to Trails Development met Harry working in various parts of the trail, you may have seen him cleaning out a culvert under the trail by hand or placing a water bar across the trail in a wet spots where water caused harm along the trail. His well-equipped truck carried every tool you can imagine for use in the maintenance of 85 kilometers of trail.

His efforts succeeded into the early preservation and maintenance of local rail trails in the West Kootenays . He will be greatly missed by all who had the chance to meet him.

Here’s the story about Harry and efforts along the Columbia and Western Trail we posted a few years ago on our old FB page: Columbia and Western Trail.

After CP Rail abandoned the Majority of the Boundary Subdivision(C&W). A few years after abandonment, washouts and rockslides made the abandoned rail trail unusable for some folks. Soon after a group of seven led by Harry Killough a local trail builder who had built and maintained trails in the Castlegar area.

After several work parties of hard work, Rail Trail traffic was restored. The trail was much safer for both Non-motorized and Motorized that used the abandoned railway Right- of- Way. With the help of local naturalist and friend Margo Saunders they formed the Columbia and Western trail society in the spring of 1998. The Canadian Pacific Railway still owned the Rail/Trail. An agreement was signed by CPR for them to maintain the line after seeing their efforts. In 2000 CPR donated the line for Tourism BC and then after to the Trans- Canada Trail. The Society gained trail volunteers with this new vision of connecting communities from Coast to Coast.

Thanks for all the dedicated past volunteer time, Harry now you can rest knowing the trail is in good hands from now on…

His efforts to this day are truly appreciated by all users of the Columbia and Western Trail.

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