Spend a day exploring Kaslo's historic and heritage sites - the SS Moyie, Langham Cultural Centre, and Kaslo Village Hall - to learn more about the rich culture and history of this spirited town and the surrounding Kootenay Rockies region.
The SS Moyie History
The SS Moyie, the oldest intact sternwheeler in the world, sits proudly on Kaslo's waterfront. In 1898, the SS Moyie was put into service on the Nelson-Kootenay Landing route. The service linked the Canadian Pacific Railway's Crowsnest Line at its terminus on the South Arm of Kootenay Lake with Nelson on the lake's West Arm. From Nelson, passengers could board a train that would take them all the way to the coast. This was a time of rapid population growth in the Kootenay Rockies, and larger vessels were built to increase passenger capacity on Kootenay Lake. In 1906, the Moyie's role as the "Crow Boat" came to an end. Replaced by the larger SS Kuskanook, the Moyie was relegated to local service, carrying passengers and freight to the isolated communities of Procter, Kaslo, Lardeau, and Argenta.
In the 1920s, there were still occasional passenger excursions to Procter and Kaslo, but the Moyie was largely doing freight and tugboat work. By the 1950s, the sternwheeler was relegated to the role of a passenger tug, with occasional relief work on the Kootenay Lake Ferry run.
SS Moyie Restoration
In 1958, a year after the SS Moyie's retirement, the ship was purchased by the Village of Kaslo for the sum of one dollar and beached at Kaslo. Restoring the Moyie to her original Victorian splendor was an ambitious goal that took decades of fundraising and countless volunteer hours to achieve. Today, the SS Moyie is a designated National Historic Site and a museum.
Langham Cultural Centre
In 1974, Kaslo undertook another massive restoration project - this time, the Langham Hotel. Dating from 1896, the hotel opened in the heyday of the mining boom. In the early years of the twentieth century, the decline of the mining industry eventually prompted the closure of the hotel. The building was subsequently and unfortunately used for the internment of the Nikkei, Japanese Canadians, during the Second World War. Today the Langham Cultural Centre, the hotel is a commemorative space dedicated to remembering the Nikkei, an art gallery, and theatre.
Kaslo Village Hall
Housing Kaslo Village's administration and courthouse since 1898, Kaslo Village Hall is an elaborate wooden structure with elegant exterior stairs and a tower. Plans are in places for the buildings full restoration. Stop by the Kaslo Visitor Centre for more information about local historic and heritage sites.