Sandon Ghost Town
Sandon
A mountain mining town that boomed during the silver rush of the late 19th century and now consists only of old buildings, a streetcar and a museum.
Sandon is located in a valley about 13 km east of New Denver. During the silver rush of the 1890s, its population once reached several thousand. The town had hotels, theaters, brothels and one of the earliest hydroelectric power stations in Canada, and it was known as the “City of the Kootenays.” After a fire in 1900 and a sharp drop in silver prices, the town declined quickly. In 1955, a flood destroyed its main street, which had been built over a creek. Today the town preserves its city hall, the power station (which still generates electricity), a restored historical museum, and a row of retired Vancouver trolley buses parked along the roadside, giving it a post-apocalyptic movie feel. You can hike the K&S Rail Trail from New Denver. The museum is open in summer and has limited admission.
Opening hours
Open all day (museum about Jun–Sep 10:00–17:00)
Nearby sights
- Nikkei Internment Memorial Centre (New Denver)
- Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park
- Kaslo & SS Moyie National Historic Site
- Cody Caves Provincial Park
- Kokanee Creek Provincial Park
- Ainsworth Hot Springs
- Kootenay Lake Ferry (Balfour–Kootenay Bay)
- Lakeside Park & Big Orange Bridge