Three Forks, British Columbia
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Three Forks is a
ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
at the junction of
Carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...
, Seaton, and Kane creeks 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 southeastern
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 ...
. This former mining community, on BC Highway 31A, is by road about east of
New Denver New Denver is a village in the Regional District of Central Kootenay, Central Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada at the mouth of Carpenter Creek (British Columbia), Carpenter Creek, on the east shore of Slocan Lake, in the West Kootenay ...
and west of
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. Before the ...
.


Strategic location

Well positioned as a stopover for horse packtrains carrying ore from the surrounding mines to New Denver, a number of entrepreneurs attempted to secure this land but each failed. In October 1891, John A. Watson sought . Later that year, Billy Lynch laid out a townsite. In January 1892, Eli Carpenter filed his notice for the same ground, but by that time the government had reserved all Crown land within ten miles of
Slocan Lake Slocan Lake is a lake in the Slocan Valley of the West Kootenay region of the Southeastern Interior of British Columbia, Canada. With an area of it has a maximum depth of . It is fed by Bonanza Creek and drained by the Slocan River. In 1947 ...
for agricultural purposes. In June 1892, Charles Hugonin and Eric Conway Carpenter preempted for agriculture, but instead erected a hotel. Having leased out the venture, the pair built a further hotel the next year. They sold their land interest to Frank S. Barnard and John A. Mara, who later failed to secure a Crown grant, because a preexisting mining claim encumbered the property.


Railway

In October 1894, the rail head of the
Nakusp and 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 disc ...
(N&S), a
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 ...
subsidiary, arrived. Hundreds of tons of ore, which had been hauled along trails from mines awaited to be shipped out. Infrastructure included a
turntable A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding phys ...
and two-stall roundhouse. In late 1895, Sandon became the terminal for two railways, when the N&S was extended from Three Forks, and the
Kaslo and Slocan Railway The Kaslo and Slocan Railway (K&S) is a historic railway that operated in the West Kootenay region of southeastern British Columbia in western Canada. The K&S connected Kaslo, British Columbia, Kaslo and Sandon, British Columbia, Sandon. Initially ...
(K&S), a Great Northern Railway subsidiary, was completed from Kaslo. Payne Bluff/Bailey's siding on the K&S, over above, was connected to Three Forks by a trail. Passenger travel northeast of Rosebery ceased in 1933. Damage from the 1955 floods on Carpenter Creek ended all traffic east of Denver Canyon.


Early community

Apart from the hotel, a general store, furnishing store, and livery opened in 1892. A post office operated 1893–1909, 1911–1917, and in 1921. In March 1894, a townsite was laid out, with the 240 lots occupying three benches. A police constable was in residence. The next month, a Crown grant was issued, likely influenced by the coming railway. When a forest fire destroyed all the buildings in July, far more were erected over the following months. The Three Forks Slocan Prospector newspaper was published December 1894–April 1895. By January 1895, a restaurant, laundry, bathhouse, drugstore, two butchers, three general stores, hotels, and a jail existed. At the climax of prosperity, the Brunswick, Black's, Richelieu, Wilmington, Slocan, and Miner's Exchange hotels operated. After the N&S extension opened, Sandon grew at the expense of Three Forks. By 1900, many buildings were empty. By 1910, only a hotel and general store existed. By 1918, only the store remained but likely closed a few years later with the post office.


Present site

An interpretive sign stands in a clearing, but scattered remnants are hidden beneath the surrounding undergrowth. The Rosebery to Three Forks Regional Trail (Galena Trail) intersects the site. A flower shop and associated farm operate at the road junction.


Television

Three Forks was featured on the historical television series ''
Gold Trails and Ghost Towns ''Gold Trails and Ghost Towns'' is a Television in Canada, Canadian historical documentary show, created and produced by television station CHBC-DT, CHBC-TV in Kelowna, British Columbia for Canadian Broadcast syndication, syndication and hosted b ...
'', Season 3, Episode 5.


Footnotes


References

* {{Subdivisions of British Columbia Ghost towns in British Columbia Mining communities in British Columbia