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The Village of Slocan is 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 former steamboat landing and ferry terminal is at the mouth of Springer Creek, at the foot of Slocan Lake. The locality, on BC Highway 6 is about by road north of Castlegar and by road and ferry south of Revelstoke.


Name origin

Slocan ( ) is from
Ktunaxa The Kutenai ( ), also known as the Ktunaxa ( ; ), Ksanka ( ), Kootenay (in Canada) and Kootenai (in the United States), are an indigenous people of Canada and the United States. Kutenai bands live in southeastern British Columbia, northern ...
''sⱡuqan'', ), or the related ( (
Sinixt The Sinixt"Sinixt Nation…" (also known as the Sin-Aikst or Sin Aikst,Reyes 2002, ''passim.'' "Senjextee", "Arrow Lakes Band", or — less commonly in recent decades — simply as "The Lakes") are a First Nations People. The Sinixt are ...
''slogan''). The meaning is "to pierce, strike on the head," in the context of spearing salmon. It likely derived from the Okanagan-Colville term. The name has been used officially for several geographical features, such as communities, rivers, lakes, a whirlpool, and mountain. Slocan became the accepted anglicized version of the wide variety of other spellings, the earliest of which was Shlogan River in 1859. The present spelling was first used in 1884. In 1891, Crown land purchases included by James Delaney and Thomas M. Ward at the lakeshore, by Harry H. Ward (Tom's brother) south, and by Arthur C. Dick south of the lake. All four were likely involved in establishing the townsite. Appearing about the same time as
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 ...
, a community mid-way up the lake's eastern shore that was also briefly called Slocan City or Slocan in 1892, it is unclear how one prevailed in keeping the name.


Mining

After the initial activity at Sandon, prospectors extended their range of exploration to the south and west. Locating the Dayton claim in 1893, Billy Springer staked the property. Being the first on a creek lacking a name, he designated it as Springer Creek. A mining rush came in 1895. By 1906, many of the mines had closed. However, small-scale mining remained viable for many years because of the richness of the ores. Around Slocan City, more than half of the 125 occurrences were mineral producers, and 13 mines produced more than 1 million grams of silver. The Arlington mine, near the confluence of Speculator and Springer creeks, east-northeast was worked extensively 1899–1903, then intermittently until 1979. Production totalled 20,592 tonnes, yielding 31,429,872 grams of silver, 861,487 kilograms of lead, 118,863 kilograms of zinc, 743 grams of gold, 834 kilograms of copper, and 46 kilograms of cadmium. The Dayton mine, near the mouth of Dayton Creek, east-northeast had intermittent production 1903–1935 that totalled 17 tonnes, yielding 12,224 grams of silver, 93 grams of gold, and 1,006 kilograms of lead. The Enterprise mine, near the confluence of Enterprise and Neepawa creeks, northeast produced 1896–1930, 1941–1953, and intermittently until 1977. Mined were 11,067 tonnes of ore, yielding 32,676,718 grams of silver, 1,674 tonnes of lead, 1,068 tonnes of zinc, 2,041 grams of gold, 445 kilograms of cadmium, and 149 kilograms of copper. The Little Tim mine, at the head of Little Tim Creek, northeast had intermittent production 1905–1984 that resulted in 5,116 tonnes, yielding 1,366,013 grams of silver, 11 grams of gold, 26,339 kilograms of lead, 8,536 kilograms of zinc, and 171 kilograms of copper. The Meteor property, at the head of Tobin Creek, east was worked intermittently. Total production 1897–1967 was 2,659 tonnes yielding 4,724,994 grams of silver, 13,177 grams of gold, and a small amount of lead and zinc. The Ottawa mine, on the north slope of the Springer Creek valley, northeast, during 1903–1984 produced 26,476 tonnes, yielding 55,940,682 grams of silver, 982 grams of gold, 360,085 kilograms of lead, 12,774 kilograms of zinc, and 793 kilograms of copper. The Slocan Prince property, at the head of Crusader Creek, east, during 1896–1970 produced 1,754 tonnes containing 7,045,304 grams of silver, 128,781 kilograms of lead, and 11,852 kilograms of zinc. The Westmont property, on the north slope of the Enterprise Creek valley, northeast, was worked continually 1907–1914, intermittently, and continually 1971–1980. Production totalled 3,211 tonnes, yielding 11,084,830 grams of silver, 2,058 grams of gold, 199,781 kilograms of lead, 65,920 kilograms of zinc, 54 kilograms of copper, and 68 kilograms of cadmium.


Early community

Although lot sales began in 1892, the construction of the Lake View Hotel appeared the only activity. A townsite plan was registered in 1897, apparently delayed by an investor dispute. That year, the name changed from Slocan City to Slocan at the insistence of postal authorities. However, the province and
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 ...
(CP) continued using the former name. The town incorporated as a city in June 1901, and the population was over 1,500. The northeast corner developed as the hamlet of Brandon, separated by woods. In 1896, William H. Brandon preempted 160 acres. He sold building lots the next year, and surveyed in 1898. However, the business district largely relocated to Slocan proper, physically skidding the buildings. By 1902, 134 unsold lots and an open acreage were sold off cheaply. The two communities never amalgamated, and Brandon remains outside the Slocan village limits. By 1900, 12 hotels operated in Slocan, but by 1920 only 3 remained. In 1906, the city was placed in receivership. By 1931, only 202 people remained, falling to 177 a decade later. The Women's Institute played a vital role in the welfare of residents and those serving in the armed services during the world wars. On closing in 2015, Slocan was the last chapter of the Institute operating in the West Kootenay. In the early 1950s, Slocan claimed to be the smallest incorporated city in North America. In June 1958, Slocan reincorporated as a village to receive provincial funding for road maintenance, schools, and policing.


Railway, ferry & roads

The transshipment of ore from the foot of the lake was initially northward via Rosebery, which connected northward with the CP
Nakusp & Slocan Railway The Nakusp and Slocan Railway (N&S) is a historic Canadian railway that operated in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. The N&S initially connected Nakusp and Three Forks but soon extended to Sandon. Proposal The 1891 disco ...
to
Nakusp The Village of Nakusp (Sinixt ''neqo'sp'') is beside the mouth of Kuskanax Creek, on the Upper Arrow Lake in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia. Lying between the Selkirk and Monashee ranges, the village is known for its ...
on the
Upper Arrow Lake The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Bea ...
. There, a further steamboat to
Arrowhead An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, as well as to fulfill some special purposes such as sign ...
linked to a branch of the CP main line. In 1897, the CP
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&KR) branch line from
South Slocan South Slocan is an unincorporated community in rural British Columbia with a population of approximately 100 people, many of whom are followers of the Doukhobors religion. It is located on the northwest shore of the Kootenay River in the West Kooten ...
opened, reversing the ore flow southward. In 1928, the one-lane road (with pull outs) north to Silverton opened, heralding the beginning of the end for lake traffic. Passenger service on the lake ferry ended in 1954. The final freight run was either December 1988 or March 1989. However, by the 1960s, the service had reduced to twice weekly, and once weekly by 1980. On the C&KR branch, passenger service ended around 1957 and abandonment to all traffic was in 1993, the rail bed since becoming the Slocan Valley Rail Trail. In 1973, a new road bypassed the former Slocan–Silverton road. Prior to widening in 1989, the highway was hazardous. In 2011, the south entrance to the former road tunnel, just north of Slocan, collapsed. Hikers on the popular walking trail now have to clamber over the rubble pile to pass this point.


Japanese internment

Slocan was one of the 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 housing
Japanese Canadian are Canadian citizens of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Canadians are mostly concentrated in Western Canada, especially in the province of British Columbia, which hosts the largest Japanese community in the country with the majority of them living ...
s removed from the BC coast 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 ...
. Swelling the existing meagre population, thousands of internees found a range of work in existing or new businesses, and several who permanently settled owned enterprises. The Slocan centre comprised 595 internees at the end of 1942. Slocan was also a departure point for those who were sent to Japan in 1946. The leased Popoff farm, about south, housed around 1,000. Operating 1943–1946, the camp comprised nearly 100 buildings. Bay Farm, to its north, accommodated 1,376 by the end of 1942. Famous Japanese Canadians who attended the school included architect Raymond Moriyama, environmentalist
David Suzuki David Takayoshi Suzuki (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at th ...
and
Joy Kogawa Joy Nozomi Kogawa (born June 6, 1935) is a Canadian poet and novelist of Japanese descent. Life Kogawa was born Joy Nozomi Nakayama on June 6, 1935, in Vancouver, British Columbia, to first-generation Japanese Canadians Lois Yao Nakayama a ...
. The Popoffs had taken 32 years of hard work and considerable expenditure to develop a productive farm. On regaining their land in 1947, it was a barren landscape littered with gravel and rock. Their claim for $28,000, elicited a response of $9,000 from the federal government to buy the land. The family gave up farming and moved to Vancouver. Other internment centres in the Slocan region were at Lemon Creek,
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,
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 ...
and Sandon.


Present community

Slocan is a launching point for travellers en route to
Valhalla Provincial Park Valhalla Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It was established on March 3, 1983, in the mountains above the Western shores of Slocan Lake, in the west Kootenays. The park consists of most of the Valhalla Ranges of ...
. Slocan Beach, with its gazebo and boat launch, hosts public events and provides lake access. Springer Creek Forest Products was the biggest employer until its closure in 2013. In 2020, the village purchased the former sawmill's nearly lakeside land for $1.5 million. Public consultation will determine the future use. A series of waterfalls includes a set that flows through the Springer Creek RV Park & Campground, which is on Giffan Ave, the central access road into Slocan.


Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by
Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...
, Slocan had a population of 379 living in 184 of its 212 total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of 289. With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.


Television

Slocan City was featured on the history-themed television series ''
Gold Trails and Ghost Towns ''Gold Trails and Ghost Towns'' is a Canadian historical documentary show, created and produced by television station CHBC-TV in Kelowna, British Columbia for Canadian syndication and hosted by Mike Roberts with historian/storyteller Bill Barle ...
'' (season 2, episode 7).


Climate

Slocan has a humid continental climate (''Dfb'').


See also

*


Footnotes


References

* *


External links

* {{Authority control Villages in British Columbia Populated places in the Slocan Internment of Japanese Canadians World War II internment camps in Canada