Greenwood Smelter - Greenwood, BC
Posted by: T0SHEA
N 49° 04.752 W 118° 41.084
11U E 376972 N 5437627
Two heritage markers, a replica smokestack from the smelter, and an interpretive sign reside on a small side road on the east side of Highway 3, just south of the old West Kootenay Power & Light Substation on the southern edge of Greenwood.
Waymark Code: WMGN2F
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 03/22/2013
Views: 4
Though the Greenwood Smelter lived a longer and more profitable life than the ill fated Boundary Falls Smelter nearby, it nonetheless still lived a comparatively short life in commercial terms. Completed in 1901, it fell silent in 1918, a scant 17 years later, a victim of plummeting copper prices after the war.
In its lifetime, however, it made quite a stir, spawning the City of Greenwood, which grew to a population of over 3,000 at its peak, then as quickly imploded to as few as 200 citizens soon after the smelter closed. Greenwood was incorporated as a city in 1897 and remains a city - the smallest in Canada, both in population and area - now with a population of less than 700.
Unlike many of its late brethren, this smelter has left behind a few reminders of its heyday - The 210 foot tall smokestack, the old power substation which fed electricity to the smelter and a vast black slag pile which stretches south along the highway from Greenwood, among others.
Type of Marker: Cultural
Type of Sign: British Columbia Tourism Sign
Describe the parking that is available nearby: Parking available along side road
What Agency placed the marker?: Province of British Columbia
|
Visit Instructions:
When entering a new log for visiting a waymark please provide a picture of your visit to the location and if you have an interesting alternate area or sign photo include that.
Please include any thoughts or historic information about the area that the marker may represent.