It was probably missed because in the summer it is not easy to see, hidden behind trees. It is located at a tiny pullout/park a bit south of the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel, at the south end of the passenger car display, just off the highway.
We took a quick trip to Cranbrook in March, when there were no leaves on the trees and spotted the marker.
Connecting with eastern routes, it "began at Lethbridge, Alberta, and was completed October 6th, at Kootenay Landing at the south end of Kootenay Lake. There, C.P.R. lake steamers provided connections westward; the line not being completed around the lake until 1930.
Later extensions included the Spokane International route to the USA through Kingsgate south of Cranbrook in 1906, and the Kootenay Central route connecting to the C.P.R. mainline north of Cranbrook at Golden in 1915. Vancouver was finally reached directly via the Kettle Valley route in 1916.
Cranbrook was the Divisional Headquarters and several original railway buildings are preserved here. Favoured Fort Steele was by-passed, and Cranbrook has become the largest city in the Kootenays due largely to the impact of the railway. This route is still vital with rail traffic flowing east, west, north, and south.
transcribed from marker