The former steamboat landing is on the south shore at the entrance to the West Arm of Kootenay Lake.

By road and ferry, the locality (via BC Highway 3A and Harrop Procter Rd) is about 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast of Nelson.

[1] In 1891, Thomas Gregg Procter bought land at the lake outlet, and subsequently enlarged his home into a hunting and fishing lodge.

In early 1897, a British syndicate acquired nearby land to create the town of Kootenay City, in anticipation of the coming railway.

[2] Between July 1897 and October 1898, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) built westward from Lethbridge via the Crowsnest Pass to the Kootenay Landing terminal (not Nelson as in its charter).

[3] The townsite proposal lapsed when the northwestward extension, which would have served their property, was instead operated by lake boats.

[2] When CP opened the Nelson–Procter spur in 1900, the company created a townsite at the landing, called Procter, in honour of the original owner.

[2] In early 1901, at Sunshine Bay, between Harrop and nearby Procter, CP opened a wharf complex to handle freight cars, redefining the lake boat route from Kootenay Landing.

The engineer in charge of the railway spur construction, Alexander Forbes Proctor, would use his spelling on documentation.

[11] In 1931, opening the rail link service ended this CP lake route, and most activity at the Sunshine Bay wharves.

steamer only In 1903, Gilbert and Lily Snow bought the Procter's lodge, refurbishing it with a 20-room addition as the Outlet Hotel.

[28] In 1906, George Hale and Thomas Glendenning erected a sawmill, called the Procter Lumber Co.[29] In 1908, Fred Sammons built the first general store.

[34] That year, the government wharf[35] and the wagon road to Harrop were built,[36] and the Procter school opened in temporary accommodation.

[38] In 1923, the City of Nelson Power and Light introduced electricity[39] and Gallup's hall burned to the ground.

[12][39] A barge continued to serve Kaslo and Lardeau until 1977, when Sunshine Bay's piers closed permanently.