Ktunaxa land
Ktunaxa land and the Mission building
St. Eugene Golf Resort & Casino stands on Ktunaxa land outside Cranbrook, in a building with a hard past. This page sets out that history and who owns and runs the resort now, in plain terms.
By the Kootenay Valley deskChecked October 11, 2026
The Mission building
The Mission building
The main building of the resort was once the St. Eugene Mission. It was a residential school for First Nations children of the region. The Ktunaxa Nation has since reclaimed it. The resort is now owned and operated by the Ktunaxa First Nation. Casino of the Rockies operates on the same grounds, at 7777 Mission Rd.
A stay at the resort can mean a night in that building. Of the resort's 125 hotel rooms and suites, 25 are in the historic Mission building. Rooms across the resort look out on the Hoodoos, the golf course and the Purcell or Rocky Mountains, including Fisher Peak. Hotel check-in is at 4 pm and check-out at 11 am.
The owners
Who owns the resort
Ownership of the resort rests with four Ktunaxa communities and the Kenpesq't, also known as the Shuswap Indian Band. Together they make up St. Eugene Mission Holdings Limited, a company name that keeps the old name of the building. The site holds the hotel, the casino, a golf course designed by Les Furber and a KOA RV park. The resort employs approximately 250 people.
Casino of the Rockies opened in 2002. Two partners joined in 2004: Samson Cree Nation from Alberta and Rama First Nation from Ontario. Both partners are First Nations from outside British Columbia. On June 20, 2017, the four Ktunaxa communities again became the sole owners of the resort and casino.
The 2019 casino
A floor designed around the land
A renovation of the casino began on April 8, 2019. The doors reopened on July 19, 2019, on a floor of 19,000 square feet. The new design is nature-based. It honours the Ktunaxa Nation's connection to the earth and shows flora and fauna native to the mountains and foothills around the resort.
The restaurant carries a Ktunaxa name. Kiʔsuʔk k̓ikiⱡ means "good food", and it is the full-service restaurant and bar inside the casino. Its dining area is raised above the gaming floor. A table after 10 pm from Sunday to Thursday is best confirmed by phone at 250-417-2772.
Interpretive Centre
The Ktunaxa Interpretive Centre
The Ktunaxa Interpretive Centre is in the Mission building on the resort grounds, run by the Ktunaxa Nation Council. It is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4:30 pm and closed on weekends. Tours must be booked in advance, and guests staying only Saturday and Sunday will find it closed. The owners say they are devoted to sharing their First Nations culture and the history of the resort.
Further along the valley
- A night at the resortStaying the night at St. EugeneA night at the casino resort near Cranbrook: 125 rooms, check-in 4 pm, check-out 11 am, a heated pool, pet-friendly rooms and golf April to October.
- The road inGetting to Casino of the RockiesGetting to the casino near Cranbrook: 7777 Mission Rd, straight-line distances from Kimberley, Fernie, Invermere and Calgary, parking and the clock.
- Hours and the floorCasino of the Rockies hours and floorHours and floor of the casino at St. Eugene near Cranbrook: 11 am to 11 pm or 1 am, 210 slots, electronic tables and a sportsbook lounge.