Remembering the people who gave their hearts and souls to the land is a tradition in the Kootenay Rockies. You can see and hear the stories of the Aboriginal peoples, pioneers, miners and railway workers whose hands forged the rich history of this rugged landscape in the region's museums and at heritage sights. If it's artistic license you're after, no visit to the Kootenay Rockies would be complete without a visit to the region's celebrated arts communities of Creston, Crawford Bay and Nelson - where the creative life and spirit of the Kootenay Rockies is alive and thriving.