Lemon Creek is an unincorporated community on the east side of the
Slocan River
Slocan may refer to:
Communities
* Slocan, British Columbia or Slocan City, a village in the Slocan Valley, British Columbia, Canada
* Slocan Valley or Slocan Country or Silvery Slocan, a valley in British Columbia, Canada
* Slocan Park, British C ...
in the
West Kootenay
The Kootenays or Kootenay ( ) is a region of southeastern British Columbia. It takes its name from the Kootenay River, which in turn was named for the Kutenai First Nations people.
Boundaries
The Kootenays are more or less defined by the Kootenay ...
region of southeastern
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. The locality is on
BC Highway 6 about south of
Slocan, and north of
Castlegar.
Townsites
The settlement was named after the creek, which recognized Robert E. Lemon, a prominent
Nelson
Nelson may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey
* ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers
* ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...
merchant. In 1892, a substantial bridge was built across the creek, as part of the trail up the
Slocan Valley
The Slocan Valley is a valley in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia.
Geographical boundaries
The Slocan Valley is about long, but its width is undefined. The Valhalla Range provides the steep western boundary and the Sloca ...
. At the time, the naming of the creek likely acknowledged Lemon's contribution toward funding the project.
In 1896, a townsite was staked at the mouth of the creek. The next year, about a mile up the creek, another settlement with a hotel was established. Named Del Monte, it was the place at which the proposed railway line was expected to cross. Instead that year, the line crossed near the creek mouth, and Del Monte disappeared. A further townsite surveyed that year was up the creek, at the confluence with Summit Creek. Primarily to serve gold mining in the area, it was called Summit or just Lemon Creek. If a functional access trail ever existed, by 1901 this was no longer the case. In 1904, the abandoned site reverted to the government.
In 1898, the Oro Gold Mining and Milling Co. surveyed the Oro townsite even farther up the creek, at the confluence with Crusader Creek. A sawmill, stamp mill, mine office, and assay office existed for a couple of years. In 1904, the site also reverted to the government. Sometimes called Lemon City, this name was also used for a work camp that existed during the
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...
's construction of the
Columbia and Kootenay Railway
The Columbia and Kootenay Railway (C&KR) was a historic railway operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. This route, beside the unnavigable Kootenay River, linked Nelson on the west arm of ...
(C&K). Nothing more is known of an access road being built to Oro in 1937.
The creek mouth townsite became better known as Lemon Creek Siding, or just Lemon Siding. However, Lemonton was sometimes used. A sawmill operated. Nowadays, several scattered residences and a campground exist.
Mining production
The Chapleau property, about southeast of Slocan, was one of the first active properties in the Lemon Creek area. In 1896, the initial shipment of ore yielded 435 grams of gold and 11,788 grams of silver. Until 1900, development was rapid and an aerial tramway and stamp mill were erected. In 1904, the mine closed. Intermittent production 1896–1941 totalled 297 tonnes, yielding 407,604 grams of silver and 29,455 grams of gold.
Japanese internment during World War II
Built 1942–43 on the leased Harris Ranch, Lemon Creek was the largest of the nine West Kootenay
internment
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simpl ...
camps for
Japanese Canadians during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, following their removal from the British Columbia Coast.
Other West Kootenay internment centres were at
Slocan,
New Denver
New Denver is at the mouth of Carpenter Creek, on the east shore of Slocan Lake, in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. The village is west of Kaslo on Highway 31A, and southeast of Nakusp and northeast of Slocan on ...
,
Rosebery,
Sandon,
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 p ...
, Greenwood and Midway.
Train stop
The station was north of Perrys, and south of Slocan on the C&K.
The final passenger train was about 1957, and the line closed to all traffic in 1993.
See also
*
References
{{coord, 49, 42, 00, N, 117, 29, 00, W, display=title
Populated places in the Slocan
Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia
Internment of Japanese Canadians
World War II internment camps in Canada