Kaslo Bay - Kaslo, BC
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member ScroogieII
N 49° 54.949 W 116° 54.642
11U E 506411 N 5529274
Near the middle of the northern half of Kootenay Lake, Kaslo Bay lies at the western end of downtown Kaslo, accessible via Centre Street and Kaslo Bay Road.
Waymark Code: WM12YVC
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 08/09/2020
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Weathervane
Views: 2
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This bay has been recognized as one of the best, most protected bays on Kootenay Lake for hundreds, probably thousands, of years. It was used by native Ktunaxa and Sinixt people for gathering and processing fish and game. Later it served as an excellent site for the transshipment of goods between sternwheelers and railroads.

Today the bay serves as the site of Kaslo Bay Marina and Kaslo Bay Park, making it now primarily a recreational site. In the marina is The Kaslo Shipyard Co., which rents cruise boats. They have a small fleet of seaworthy craft available for rent, each with a spacious wheelhouse, full galley, full bathroom and complete sleeping facilities for four, six or eight people. Two of their boats are available for year round cruising. Elsewhere in the marina are moorage facilities, both open and covered. Fuel and other marine services can be obtained at the Beachcomber Marina, operated by the Beachcomber Resort and the Kaslo Bay Resort.

Kootenay Lake offers over 100 kilometres of some of the best fishing anywhere, with Kokanee Salmon, Dolly Varden, Whitefish, Ling Cod and world-record Gerrard Rainbow Trout all to be had from the lake.

At the end of the bay is Kaslo Bay Park, a small unserviced park, basically a broad expanse of grass with shade trees. Though it has no facilities beyond benches and picnic tables, it is a great place for family picnics by the waterfront.

The site was recognized as a Heritage Site by the Village of Kaslo on July 26th, 2011 and is listed in the Community Heritage Register. It was listed on the Canadian Register of Historic Places on August 24th, 2012.
Kaslo Bay
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
Kaslo Bay is a small sheltered bay located in the northwest corner of downtown Kaslo, British Columbia. The beach and Kaslo Bay Park are at the end of Center Street which runs along the southeast side of the bay from downtown Kaslo. The northeast corner of the bay has a noticeable small bluff that can be accessed from Highway 31 by travelling down Rainbow Drive. To the east of Kaslo Bay lies the open water of Kootenay Lake.

HERITAGE VALUE
Kaslo Bay is valued for the integral role it has played in the industrial, economic, and social development of Kaslo and the surrounding area because of its ideal geographic features. It is significant that from the 1890s up until the 1950s, sternwheelers and the railway met at Kaslo Bay, serving the shipping and transportation needs of people and industries all along Kootenay Lake and in the Slocan mining division.

Value lies in the fact that the first staked claim of the Kaslo area occurred at Kaslo Bay. George Owen Buchanan staked here in 1889 because of the prime boat landing site. There is also significance in the fact that this bay was recognized by numerous early settlers as being one of the best on Kootenay Lake.

Kaslo Bay holds notable cultural and spiritual value because First Nations visited this place before European settlement began. Prior to contact, Ktunaxa and Sinixt people utilized this historic site for processing argillite, a slate-like rock, and for gathering and processing fish and game.

Kaslo Bay is a valuable area to this community because it has continuously served as a natural gathering place for swimming, boating, and other leisure activities. Kaslo Bay is also valued for being the location of a long-standing annual international music festival, first held in 1991.

CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
Key elements that define the heritage character of Kaslo Bay include:
¶ its orientation and setting, naturally sheltered on three sides
¶ unobscured scenic view of the Purcell Mountains
¶ Kaslo Bay Park, including several picnic tables, benches, a public dock,
   sandy beach and swimming area
¶ Kaslo Boat Club
¶ docks, boathouses, and moored boats
¶ grassy area located on the west side of the bay
¶ noticeable small bluff on the north corner of the bay
¶ entrance to the Kaslo Shipyard
From Historic Places Canada
Photo goes Here
Official Heritage Registry: [Web Link]

Address:
242 Kaslo Bay Road
Kaslo, BC
V0G 1M0

Heritage Registry Page Number: Not listed
Visit Instructions:
To log a visit to a Waymark in this category at least one photo of the property, taken by the visitor, must be included with the visit, as well any comments they have concerning either their visit or the site itself. Suggested inclusions are: what you like about the site, its history, any deviations from the description in the heritage listing noted by the visitor, and the overall state of repair of the site.
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