NEW DENVER

NEW DENVER

Is a small incorporated community positioned on the shores of beautiful Slocan Lake, about 48 kilometers south of Nakusp in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia.

First established in 1892 by numerous miners and entrepreneurs, it was originally known as El Dorado in the hopes that the gold in the area would make it rich, as the El Dorado of the same name in Colorado, (the legendary city of gold). However, it wasn’t meant to be as both silver and lead were found to be the strength of the economy, and it was re-named after another city in Colorado; Denver. It has been said that both New Denver and Denver, Colorado share the same geographic characteristics. During the 1890s, it became a service for the surrounding areas around the Sandon area. 

The Silvery Slocan Museum recalls the Slocan Mining boom heyday with artifacts and collections that are well over 100 years old. Located in downtown this museum is a heritage building and was at one time (from 1897 to 1969 to be exact), a bank

With the silver mining boom taken place here during the early 1900s, New Denver soon became the service center for the surrounding Slocan mining boom and once had a population of about 2,000 residents. With the mining soon collapsing after the First World War (WWI), which left the community with no real economic benefactor, New Denver almost achieved the status of being another British Columbia ghost town.

During World War 2 (WWII), and the attack of Japan invading the Hawaiian town of Pearl Harbour, many Japanese Canadians (about 2,000 of them) were interned here from the coast. Many of them still live in New Denver to this very day. A remembrance of this period is told in a couple of memorials in town dedicated to many of the internees.

Today, some small-scale mining, logging, and tourism have helped New Denver economically survive and prosper.

Highway #31A, a minor 47-kilometer-long east-west route connects New Denver with Highway #6 via passing through several ghost towns in the process (Three Forks, Sandon, and Retallack etc.) east towards its end with Kaslo.  While Highway #6 south goes from New Denver south towards Silverton, Nelson, Salmo and eventually the Canada/United States border crossing at the tiny hamlet of Nelway, while Highway #6 north on the other hand goes from here to communities such as Nakusp and Lumby before reaching its western end at the city of Vernon.

After its population declined, New Denver became incorporated as a village in 1929, despite a population of fewer than 600 residents.

       

New Denver’s population: 512