Kootanae House, also spelled Kootenae House, was a North West Company fur trading post built by Jaco Finlay under the direction of David Thompson near present-day Invermere, British Columbia in 1807. It was abandoned in 1812. In 1808 Thompson reckoned its location as 50°32′12″N 115°56′15″W / 50.53667°N 115.93750°W / 50.53667; -115.93750.[1] The actual location is Kootenae House National Historic Site, located at 50°31′36″N 116°02′44″W / 50.526624°N 116.045440°W / 50.526624; -116.045440[2] (the discrepancy is due to inaccuracies in Thompson's measurements).
The site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1934.[3]
In July 2005, Parks Canada, in cooperation with several members of the Ktunaxa Nation conducted archaeological investigations at the site of Thompson's Kootanae House, near Invermere BC. Kootanae House was David Thompson's first post constructed in the Columbia Basin and his "jumping off point" for further explorations throughout the region.[4] The Archaeology confirms that this site is the location of a North West Company trading posts and lays to rest some inconsistencies between the site and Thompson's description of the trading post.
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