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Kootenay Rockies Ghost Towns

Three Valley Gap Ghost Town - Tourism BC/David Gluns
Three Valley Gap Ghost Town, Tourism BC/David Gluns photo

Ghost towns located throughout the Kootenay Rockies region reveal the history, tragedies, and legends connected with the area's rich pioneer and mining history. Visitors can hike through secluded ghost towns, or visit easily accessible, and extensively restored heritage sites.

Pioneer towns turned ghost towns include Fisherville and Bull River (Fort Steele), Baynes Lake and Waldo (Fernie), Sandon and Cody (New Denver and Kaslo), Retallack and Zwicky (Kaslo), Brooklyn (Castlegar), Wardner and Lumberton (Cranbrook), and 3 Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town (Revelstoke). Several ghost towns are also found near Trail, Sparwood, and in the north of the Kootenay Rockies region.

Fisherville & Bull River

In Fisherville, 5.4km/3.4km east of Fort Steele, visitors can take a step back in time to 1864 when gold found in Wild Horse Creek spurred a gold rush fever that attracted thousands of people to the town. Fisherville is relatively secluded, but the remnants of its gold mining past remain. Bull River, 20km/12.4mi south of Fort Steele, finds its origins as well in the 1864 Kootenay gold rush, and features more than 60 restored or reconstructed homes and buildings.

Baynes Lake & Waldo

Baynes Lake, 40km/24.9mi south of Fernie, dates back to 1902, and was once home to a lumber mill, hotel, hardware store, newspaper company, school, greenhouse, and clubhouse. When the lumber mill closed in 1925, the town was abandoned. However, a small community store is still open today. Waldo, 47km/29.2mi southwest of Fernie , is another former lumber town. In 1926, a fire completely destroyed the community, except for a church a 6 homes, which were eventually destroyed in a flood.

Sandon & Cody

Tin Cup Cafe, Sandon - Tourism BC/David GlunsOnce the heart of the Silvery Slocan mining region, Sandon, 13km/8.1mi east of New Denver and 43km/26.7mi west of Kaslo, is a renowned historic site, which offers guided tours of the town's restoration. Cody, 23mins from Sandon, was a village of more than 150 residents and "the end of the line" for K&S Railway. Today, the abandon concentrator mill and K&S Railway station house mark the site of this once thriving community.

Retallack & Zwicky

Midway between New Denver and Kaslo, abandoned buildings mark the ghost town of Retallack, a once thriving mining and sawmill town in the 1890s. Retallack is one of the most easily accessible ghost towns in the Slocan Valley, is home to Retallack Lodge, offering a variety of seasonal outdoor activities. Zwicky (formerly Nashville), 2.8km/1.7mi northwest of Kaslo, is an abandon turn-of-the-19th-century town that offers more secluded exploration opportunities.

Brooklyn

Brooklyn, 42.9km/26.7mi southwest of Castlegar, is 16km/9.9mi up river from the Hugh Keenleyside Dam on Bulldog Mountain, and is only accessible by boat. A trail leads up the bank to what is possibly Canada's largest natural rock bridge at 20m65.6ft high and 43m/141.1ft.

Wardner & Lumberton

Wardner and Lumberton, south of nearby Cranbrook, were thriving lumber mills in the 1920s. Today abandoned, both provide scenic off-trail hiking remains of early 20th-century buildings and homes.


3 Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town

Golden Wheel Saloon, Three Valley Gap Ghost Town - Tourism BC/David GlunsLocated in Revelstoke, 3 Valley Gap Heritage Ghost Town is a reconstructed pioneer town, with more than 25 restored historic buildings rescued from different areas in British Columbia, as well as replicas of local buildings. Visitors can explore on their own, or take a guided tour.
 


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