Thirteen km. east of New Denver, Sandon became the center of what was the richest silver-lead producing region in Canada. Alternatively known as the "Silver City" or the "Heart of the Silvery Slocan", Sandon was set in a narrow gulch surrounded by high, steep mountains, split by the fast-flowing Carpenter Creek, which flowed through the centre of town under its main street.
Vast amounts of galena ore were discovered here by Eli Carpenter and Jack Seaton in 1891, inducing prospectors to flock from around North America to test their luck in the Slocan. By 1895 Sandon was a bustling town and the terminus of 2 railways. Incorporated as a city on January 1, 1898, Sandon for a few years had more than 5000 residents, several brothels and a booming economy. The Kaslo & Slocan Railway connected Sandon with nearby Kaslo, on Kootenay Lake to the east, while the Nakusp & Slocan Railway, a Canadian Pacific subsidiary, arrived at about the same time from New Denver to the west. In 1900 the city was almost leveled by a large fire which destroyed much of the city. With the mines producing abundantly and silver prices high, the city rebuilt with nary a second thought.
Like all the other silver towns of the era, Sandon's fate followed silver prices, and it was unincorporated in 1920 after many years of decline. The population again rose dramatically during World War II when, under provisions of the War Measures Act, it was made an internment camp for 950 Japanese Canadians from the coast. Not long after the Japanese Canadians were allowed to return to the coast, nearly 1000 miners were attracted to Sandon during the Korean War due to high metal prices.
In 1955, a massive flood of Carpenter Creek occurred, destroying most of the remaining buildings. The main street had been built over Carpenter Creek, with a large boardwalk actually serving as the street. An unusually heavy snowfall in the winter of 1954-55, followed by a very warm spring proved too much for the boardwalk, as Carpenter Creek raged town the valley, taking out not only the boardwalk, but many of the buildings which faced the street. After the flood, treasure seekers tore apart the remains of many of the buildings, nearly destroying the town entirely.
Today, Sandon still features a few buildings, including the original 1900 City Hall and the Powerhouse. An old steam locomotive, Canadian Pacific #6947, still rests on tracks along Slocan Star Street and a number of old mining artefacts and machinery are still to be found. Both railways have been decommissioned and turned into hiking trails. Enterprising individuals have restored and turned the one time
Slocan Mercantile General Store, a two storey brick building, into the
Sandon Museum, housing an eclectic collection of Sandon related artefacts.
Sandon
Known in the 1890s at the Monte Carlo of North America, the City of Sandon lies in the Selkirk Mountain Range high in the heart of the “Silvery Slocan”. Famed for its unbelievably rich deposits of silver-lead ore, following the 1891 discovery of silver by Eli Carpenter and Jack Seaton, thousands of men soon filled the small valley almost to bursting.
In its heyday, Sandon boasted 29 hotels, 28 saloons, three breweries, one of the largest ‘red light districts’ in Western Canada, many theatres and opera houses, a soft drink plant, a cigar factory, three sawmills, three churches, two newspapers, a schoolhouse, a hospital, and even a curling rink and a bowling alley. In addition, Sandon was home to over 5,000 people, including miners and millionaires, con men and gamblers, land speculators and ‘ladies of the evening’.
As well as countless other stores and businesses, Sandon boasted two major rail lines, one of the first trade unions in the province, numerous lodges, clubs and organizations, and was the first community in British Columbia to be serviced by a hydro-electric utility. Of course, there were also hundreds of mines in the immediate vicinity, as well as towering aerial tramlines and numerous concentrator mills. In addition, Sandon was known far and wide for its unique solution to limited building space in the narrow valley – a flume was constructed over the swift waters of Carpenter Creek, and a busy downtown street was constructed right over the creek!
Over its tumultuous history, the downtown core of the city was destroyed twice – it was levelled by a disastrous fire in 1900, and suffered catastrophic damage when a washout destroyed the main street flume in 1955. During WWII the old buildings housed almost 1,000 Japanese-Canadian internees, most of whom had been relocated from the west coast under provisions of the War Measures Act. Following the war and the 1955 washout, salvagers and treasure-seekers almost succeeded in dismantling what remained of the once-thriving city, but recent years have seen a remarkable re-birth.
Since the 1970s, a group of dedicated volunteers has worked on-site to preserve and restore artifacts and buildings – including the beautifully restored Slocan Mercantile Block, which now houses the Sandon Historical Society Museum and Visitor’s Centre. Today, Sandon is recognized as a historic site of international significance, and draws over 60,000 visitors a year to enjoy its many attractions and its amazing display of authentic BC history.
This year, plan on your own time-travelling vacation, to the Silver City in the Clouds, Sandon, BC.
From British Columbia Dot Com