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St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino
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St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino
Story & photos courtesy St. Eugene Golf Resort and Casino
Located on the banks of the scenic St. Mary River, just outside Cranbrook, is the St. Eugene Golf Resort & Casino. It is a stunning full-service, three-diamond hotel with 125 rooms and suites, a casino, and a Les Furber-designed, championship golf course. Few would guess that the destination you see today was once the St. Eugene Mission, a residential school for First Nations youth. For more than 50 years, the building of the St. Eugene Mission was a place of sadness, separating native children from their families, forcing them to assimilate and worse, and became a place many wanted to tear down.
With a lot of thought and healing, the St. Eugene Mission managed to avoid the wrecking ball. The building of the resort took ten incredibly difficult years. Consensus began with family visits to the school, ‘kitchen table’ talks and two years of internal marketing to over 1,500 members of the five bands who share the 130 hectares of reserve land. Finally, a referendum was held, and all bands voted overwhelmingly in favour of restoration, with the project team energetically seeking funding to develop the resort. Federal job development money allowed band members to learn valuable skills while they gutted and restored the school, stripping the interior back to its red brick walls. The resort believes that the St. Eugene Mission is the only project in Canada where a First Nation has decided to transform the icon of an often sad period of its history, into a powerful economic engine by restoring an old residential school into an international destination resort for future generations to enjoy.
Today the resort employs approximately 250 people and has become an entertainment destination for people across North America. The owners and associates at St. Eugene Golf Resort & Casino are proudly devoted to sharing their First Nations culture, as well as the history of their magnificent resort.
The Resort also offers some of the best dining in the Cranbrook and Kimberley region, with their signature St. Eugene Smokehouse, and pub-style options at the golf and casino restaurants. Other amenities include a brand new spa and the Health Club containing a fully equipped gym, outdoor pool heated year round, relaxation pools, sauna and steam room.
Soon, St. Eugene will launch a new program called Speaking Earth. Offered by the Ktunaxa Nation, this is an exclusive First Nations experience. The two-day package will include entertainment, excitement and enlightenment.
Guests will experience traditional knowledge and culture interpreted by nation members in a hands-on environment. They will hear stories, scrape hides, learn to bead, play traditional games, and for one night, guests will also sleep in traditional tipis. The Ktunaxa People are an ancient culture, who possess a language unlike any other in history. Their stories and traditions are deeply connected to the land, and they’re proud to share their culture with guests in a spectacular Rocky Mountain setting.
Recently the resort’s RV Park has become a KOA (Kampgrounds of America) park. You can join the resort in July 2018 for the grand opening, where the park will be officially named Cranbrook/St. Eugene KOA.
The RV Park has spacious sites, including pull-through and back-in, with full hook up 50 amp service, cable TV and free Wi-Fi. In addition to the many amenities the resort offers, you can also enjoy food and beverage delivery to all sites, a games room, bbq area, fitness room, swimming pool, and an off leash pet area. Local and area attractions include river rafting, hiking, horseback riding, helicopter tours, which can all be booked through the resort.
To learn more or to book your trip, visit www.steugene.ca or call 1.800.562.5403.
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