Slocan Valley

The Slocan Valley is a valley in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada.

The valley is home to the villages of Slocan City, New Denver, Silverton, as well as the unincorporated communities of Crescent Valley, Slocan Park, Passmore, Winlaw, Appledale, Perry Siding, Lemon Creek, and the Valhalla Provincial Park.

Name

The word "slocan" is derived from the Sinixt word meaning "pierce, strike on the head", a reference to the harpooning of salmon.

Geography

The Slocan Valley about 100 kilometres long, and at most, about five kilometres wide. It is one part of the 400km-long Kootenay Arc, made of sedimentary, volcanic and metamorphic rock. The Selkirk Mountains were created 200 million years ago, during the Jurassic period, and are full of galena.

History

The valley has been the home of the Sinixt people since time immemorial. When silver was discovered near Sandon in the 1890s, thousands of prospectors arrived in the valley, but by 1910, many of the small towns had become deserted. Doukhobors arrived to farm in the area in 1908. During the Second World War, a policy of Japanese Canadian Internment saw many Japanese Canadians (including a young David Suzuki) re-located to internment camps in the valley. In the 1970s, the region became home to large numbers of American draft dodgers, avoiding the Vietnam War.

External links

* [http://www.slocanvalley.com/ Slocan Valley Community Website]
* [http://www.britishcolumbia.com/regions/towns/?townID=3960 Slocan Valley] at britishcolumbia.com