Kaslo

Kaslo is a village on the west shore of Kootenay Lake in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. A member municipality of the Central Kootenay Regional District, the name derives from the adjacent Kaslo River. At 2016, the population was 968, and the idyllic village is regarded as the "Little Switzerland of Canada."

Thousands of years before the arrival of European settlers on Kootenay Lake, Indigenous nations made this country their home. Two nations, the Kutenai (Ktunaxa) and Lakes (Sinixt) lived a semi-nomadic existence, using their intimate knowledge of the land to follow its seasonal cycles for root harvesting, berry picking, fishing and hunting. Settlers came and used it as a sawmill site in 1889, but soon after Kaslo expanded as a result of the silver boom of the late 19th century. It retains much of the historic atmosphere from its earlier mining days. The economy of Kaslo today is based mainly on the forestry and tourism industries.

Mining

Kaslo was an important centre for shipping silver ore from mines in the area. In 1895, it became the eastern terminus for the Kaslo and Slocan Railway.

Kaslo's fortunes faded after the end of the silver rush, and the widespread collapse of mining activity following World War I, but the growth in fruit farming and logging partially offset this decline.

Community

After the 1891 townsite survey, building lots were marketed. Kaslo was incorporated as a city on August 14, 1893, making it the oldest incorporated community in the Kootenays. Destroyed by the 1894 flood, the townsite was rebuilt. At the time, the population was about 3,000.

The Kaslo Kootenian, a newspaper established in 1896, existed at least into the mid 1950s. The settlement was re-incorporated as a village on January 1, 1959.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Kaslo had a population of 1,049 living in 526 of its 583 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 968. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

National historic Sites

Kaslo is home to two National Historic Sites of Canada:
* The SS ''Moyie'', which worked on Kootenay Lake from 1889 until 1957, found a permanent home on Front Street in Kaslo. Restored by the Kootenay Lake Historical Society, it is the oldest intact sternwheeler in the world and draws thousands of visitors every year.
* Village Hall, built in 1898, is one of only two intact wooden municipal buildings that are still in use in Canada.

Attractions

* The Kaslo Golf Club is a 9-hole course which plays as a 2,824-yard, men's par 35, women's par 37 course. Kaslo's Golf Club dates back to 1923, when locals invested and donated their efforts and created a 4-hole course. This makes it one of the oldest in British Columbia. A new timberframe clubhouse was built in 2007.
* The Kaslo Jazz Etc. Festival, held every August long weekend in Kaslo Bay Park, is a music event which attracts international performers and draws large audiences.

Japanese internment

In 1941, Kaslo was selected as one of many sites throughout BC for the internment of Japanese Canadians. 964 Japanese Canadians were relocated to Kaslo in 1942, before being moved to New Denver in 1946.

Television

Kaslo has been featured on the historical television series ''Gold Trails and Ghost Towns'' (season 2, episode 2). Kaslo was also featured in the 1995 film ''Magic in the Water'', starring Mark Harmon and Joshua Jackson, as well as in ''Tougher Than It Looks'', starring Glenn Erikson in 2017.

Climate

Kaslo has a humid continental climate ( Dfb) or an inland oceanic climate (Cfb) depending on the isotherm used.

Notable People

* Lieutenant Commander John Hamilton Stubbs, DSO, DSC, Royal Canadian Navy, was born at Kaslo on June 5th, 1912. Best known as a destroyer captain, J.H. Stubbs commanded ''Assiniboine'' and ''Athabaskan'' on convoy escorts and actions in the English Channel, which included the sinking of U-210 in August, 1942. He was killed in action on 29 April 1944 off the coast of France when ''Athabaskan'' was sunk by a German torpedo.

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References

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Populated places in the West Kootenay
Villages in British Columbia
World War II internment camps in Canada