The discovery of silver in the Kootenay Mtns, specifically Slocan Lake region, led the first mining boom in this section of Canada. The promise of riches and wealth drove many to these high mountain streams to work for their wealth. The town of Sandon was a classic boom town, filled with brothels, saloons and few churches struggling to maintain morality in a rough world. A devastating fire in 1900, and the decline of silver discoveries ultimately spelled the demise of this once prosperous town. During WWII, it served as a Japanese-Canadian internment camp circled around manual labor and terrible conditions. Most of the town had been destroyed or the land allowed to reclaim it. The three buildings here today are nothing more than reproductions, yet provide a glimpse into what it must have been like in the town.
The oldest operating hydroelectric station sit high on the hill. Donated by the city of Vernon, this generator has been in operation for over 100 years! It was closed at the early hour but I tried to get some pics through the glass and around the building.
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