Before European arrival, the area was home to the semi-nomadic Kutenai (Ktunaxa) and Lakes (Sinixt) tribes. Settlers came and used it as a sawmill site in 1889, but soon after Kaslo expanded as a result of the silver boom of the late 19th century. It retains much of the historic atmosphere from its earlier mining days. The economy of Kaslo today is based mainly on the forestry and tourism industries.
Mining
Kaslo was an important centre for shipping silver ore from mines in the area. In 1895, it became the eastern terminus for the Kaslo and Slocan Railway.
Kaslo's fortunes faded after the end of the silver rush, and the widespread collapse of mining activity following World War I, but the growth in fruit farming and logging partially offset this decline.[5]
Community
Kaslo, 1900
After the 1891 townsite survey, building lots were marketed.[3] Kaslo was incorporated as a city on August 14, 1893, making it the oldest incorporated community in the Kootenays. Destroyed by the 1894 flood, the townsite was rebuilt. At the time, the population was about 3,000.[5][6]
The Kaslo Kootenian, a newspaper established in 1896,[7] existed at least into the mid 1950s.[8] The settlement was re-incorporated as a village on January 1, 1959.[6]
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Kaslo had a population of 1,049 living in 526 of its 583 total private dwellings, a change of 8.4% from its 2016 population of 968. With a land area of 3.01 km2 (1.16 sq mi), it had a population density of 348.5/km2 (902.6/sq mi) in 2021.[2]
The SS Moyie, which worked on Kootenay Lake from 1889 until 1957, found a permanent home on Front Street in Kaslo. Restored by the Kootenay Lake Historical Society, it is the oldest intact sternwheeler in the world and draws thousands of visitors every year.[9][5]
Village Hall, built in 1898, is one of only two intact wooden municipal buildings that are still in use in Canada.
The Langham a former grand hotel was built in the mid 1890’s. Now Langham Cultural Society is a charitable public arts heritage centre and Japanese Canadian Museum.
The Kaslo Golf Club is a 9-hole course which plays as a 2,824-yard, men's par 35, women's par 37 course. Kaslo's Golf Club dates back to 1923, when locals invested and donated their efforts and created a 4-hole course. This makes it one of the oldest in British Columbia.[citation needed] A new timberframe clubhouse was built in 2007.
The Kaslo Jazz Etc. Festival, held every August long weekend in Kaslo Bay Park, is a music event which attracts international performers [1] and every weekend in the summer from June to September the community hosts the Kaslo Summer Music Series in various parks.
Lieutenant Commander John Hamilton Stubbs, DSO, DSC, Royal Canadian Navy, was born at Kaslo on June 5th, 1912. Best known as a destroyer captain, J.H. Stubbs commanded Assiniboine and Athabaskan on convoy escorts and actions in the English Channel, which included the sinking of U-210 in August, 1942. He was killed in action on 29 April 1944 off the coast of France when Athabaskan was sunk by a German torpedo.[12]
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