Slocan Park is an unincorporated community on the east side of the

Slocan River The Slocan River is a long tributary of the Kootenay River in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It is part of the Columbia River basin, as the Kootenay River is a tributary of the Columbia River. Its drainage basin is in area. Course T ...

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 Kootena ...

region of southern

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. The neighbourhood on

Highway 6 Route 6, or Highway 6, may refer to routes in the following countries: International * AH6 (highway), Asian Highway 6 * European route E6 * European route E006 Albania * :de:Nationalstraße 6 (Albanien), National Road SH6 Argentina * P ...

is about north of Crescent Valley and south of Slocan.

Adjacent communities

From north to south, Park, Koch, and Whiteley & Murray sidings were in close proximity on the former Slocan branch 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 Koo ...

(part of the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway () , 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 Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Canadian Pacific Ka ...

). In 1901, Park siding became Gutelius siding. However, the post office that opened near Whiteley & Murray siding in 1903 was named Gutelius. Initially unchanged, the siding was named after John Murray and his mining partner Bill Whiteley. In 1907, a real estate development near this siding was promoted as Slocan Park. To prevent confusion, the siding also became Slocan Park in 1910, but the post office was not renamed until 1912. Meanwhile, Gutelius siding became Passmore.

Koch Siding

Koch Siding, now considered part of Slocan Park, was once a distinct place. William Carl Earnest (Billy) Koch built a sawmill at this location around 1906. Koch sold his mill to the

Doukhobor The Doukhobors ( Canadian spelling) or Dukhobors (; ) are a Spiritual Christian ethnoreligious group of Russian origin. They are known for their pacifism and tradition of oral history, hymn-singing, and verse. They reject the Russian Ortho ...

s, who erected a community hall and bunkhouses for mill workers. The location developed as one of the many Doukhobor communities established across the region.

River crossings

A wooden swinging footbridge existed from early times. Later a ferry operated at least 1922–1943. At one time, this helped the Kootenay-Slocan Fruit Co. Ltd. sell orchard lots on the west side of the river. After the ferry withdrawal, the earlier footbridge remained the only crossing. A wooden road bridge was built in 1956. Washed out in 1968, it was replaced by a

Bailey bridge A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, Prefabrication, pre-fabricated, Truss Bridge, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British Empire in World War II, British for military use during the World War II, Second World War and saw ...

, and the present steel bridge in 1984. In 1975, the swinging bridge was restored.

Present community

Nowadays, Slocan Park is largely an agricultural and residential community of about 120 households, which includes a co-operative grocery and gas outlet, and a local

credit union A credit union is a member-owned nonprofit organization, nonprofit cooperative financial institution. They may offer financial services equivalent to those of commercial banks, such as share accounts (savings accounts), share draft accounts (che ...

branch. Much of the diverse population came from Alberta and other parts of BC.

References

Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia Populated places in the Slocan Doukhobors {{CentralKootenay-geo-stub